Lobster Roll Recipe

Christmas 2022. The annual tradition continues in this kitchen that has held every holiday since I started cooking through cancer and came out the other side with a cast iron skillet and a refusal to stop. I am 39 and Christmas means what it has always meant: too much food, the right people, and the gratitude spoken aloud because life taught me that gratitude unspoken is gratitude wasted.

The table is full. Mason (11) and Lily (9) are here, growing taller and more themselves with each passing year. Tom is here, beside me, where he has been since the day he showed up with wildflowers and patience and the quiet understanding that love is not a grand gesture but a daily one.

Brett is here — always here, every holiday, every Wednesday, the constant brother in the wheelchair who has been my anchor since we were children on a ranch that no longer exists. Kyle calls from wherever the Army has him, and his voice on the phone is the voice of the brother who left and came back and left again, and the leaving and returning is the rhythm of this family.

I made clam chowder this week, because Christmas demands the food that says: I am here, you are here, we are together, and together is the only word that matters. The recipe is the same as last year and the year before and all the years stretching back to the ranch kitchen where Diane stood at 6 AM making cinnamon rolls for a family that ate them without knowing they were eating love. I know now. I've always known. And I make the food and serve it and watch my family eat and think: this. This is why I survived. For this table. For this food. For these people. For this.

The clam chowder is the heart of this Christmas, but it’s the lobster — sweet, rich, and unapologetically celebratory — that captures what this season has always meant to me: abundance earned, shared freely, and savored slowly. When I want to bring that same spirit of the sea and of gratitude to the table in a form the kids will reach for with both hands, this lobster roll is what I make. It’s the kind of food that says we made it — and this year, more than most, that is exactly the message I want on the plate.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs cooked lobster meat, roughly chopped (from about 4 whole lobsters or 4 lobster tails)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh chives, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 stalks celery, finely diced
4 top-split hot dog buns
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Lemon wedges, for serving
Pinch of paprika, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Make the lobster filling. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped lobster meat, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, celery, celery salt, and black pepper. Stir gently to coat evenly without breaking up the lobster too much. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Toast the buns. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Spread the softened butter evenly on the flat outer sides of each top-split bun. Place the buns butter-side down in the pan and toast for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden and lightly crisp.
Fill the buns. Remove the toasted buns from the pan and open them gently. Divide the chilled lobster mixture evenly among the four buns, mounding it generously.
Garnish and serve. Dust each roll lightly with paprika if desired. Serve immediately alongside lemon wedges and, if you like, kettle chips or a simple green salad.

Nutrition (per serving)

Lobster Roll Recipe — The Holiday Table That Reminds Me Why I’m Still Here