Blog With Friends: Grilled Lobster (Opt: Shrimp or Crab) Roll

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends theme collaborations. Each month a group of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about this partnership is that it’s not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may have a recipe, sewing tutorial, crafts projects, book review and/or a technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month's theme is Grandparents. There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here’s a peek at what we all came up with:

I'm sharing a Grilled Lobster Roll . . .

Grilled Lobster (opt: Shrimp or Crab) Roll

. . . and this is why: 

I'm so lucky to be from a family where longevity is a trait. I grew up with 3 grandparents and a great grandmother. My great grandmother lived until I was in my late twenties so the memories of her aren't few and fleeting, there are many. I even wrote a blog post about her called Ancestry: My Murder and Bootlegging Legacy.

My kids grew up with 6 grandparents (four on my side since both of my parents were remarried) and 2 great grandparents (again, my side of the family). That Russian peasant stock sure serves us well. 

But who should I focus on for this post? That was a hard question. Until I went home.

I was back in Boston recently. I'd gone to help my mom. I'd planned on doing all the cooking, but due to the aforementioned Russian peasant stock (well, and a good dose of stubbornness that also runs in the family) she didn't need me as long as I'd thought. By the day before I left, she had made me a family favorite, Grilled Lobster Roll.

And that's when it dawned on me, I can focus on all of us. Because we may be different generations, but we're all New Englanders. And every single one of us, great grandparents, grandparents, parents and even my kids, we all love lobster. We always have them steamed for dinner, and we always buy extra for lobster salad.

Lobster salad is a very personal thing. I've had it so many ways, but it's unanimous in our family, we prefer few ingredients. The shellfish is the star of the show.

And it must be on a buttery, crunchy grilled roll.

Not everyone likes lobster {{gasp}}, feel free to substitute shrimp or crab. 

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares a recipe, Spicy Fried Chicken: 

 Minette of Southern Belle Charm shares Grandparents and Cake.

Sarah of Not That Sarah Michelle shares The Story of Them: Alvis and Mollie.

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Returning the Love preparing to care for your aging parents. 

Rabia of the Lieber Family Blog shares how to make a Grandparents' Brag Book.

Grilled Lobster (Opt: Shrimp or Crab) Roll

©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients (serves 2):
1 1/4# to 1 1/2# lobster
      (opt: can substitute 10 large shrimp or about 3# King Crab Legs or Snow Crab Claws)
2 Challah or Potato hot dog rolls
2 TBSP butter
2 - 4 lettuce leaves
up to 1/3 cup mayonnaise
pinch of pepper
approximately 1/2 tsp paprika
approximately 1/2 tsp celery salt

Directions:
*Steam the lobster (or shrimp or crab). As soon as it's cool enough to touch, remove the meat from the tail and claws of the lobster (or peel and devein shrimp or remove meat from crab shells). Discard shells.
*Chop the shellfish into large chunks. Cover and refrigerate until cold.
*Remove shellfish from fridge. Add mayonnaise, a little at a time just until fish is coated. Use as little mayonnaise as possible, up to 1/3 cup.
*Sprinkle with pepper, paprika and celery salt. Mix. Taste to see if you want to add more seasoning. At this point you can make the sandwiches or cover and refrigerate the mixture for up to a few days.
*Heat a saute pan or indoor grill to medium. Melt a TBSP butter and grill one side of the rolls. Check now and then, you want them golden brown.
*Remove the rolls, melt the other TBSP of butter and grill the other side of the rolls until golden brown.
*Line the inside of each roll with 1 to 2 leaves of lettuce. Divide the seafood salad evenly into the 2 rolls.