Butter & Coconut Milk Lobster Rolls

“That’s one small step for  (wo)man, and one giant leap for mankind” 

My feelings exactly after successfully steaming my first lobster on my own and not having a total water works fiesta and drowning myself in complete remorse. 

I’m definitely one of those “ignorance is bliss” type of people when it comes to my food 70 percent of the time. Terrible, right? I often fall victim to scoring a good deal vs scoring a good piece of meat…. dye and all =/ 

BUT. When you live in the middle of the country, the LAST thing you want to do is score some seafood on sale. God knows you’ll be up at 2 AM with a physical nightmare projectilng out of you in places you didn’t even know could projectile. IT ain’t cute. And I’ve definitely had this happen to me a couple of different times and have since learned my lesson, NEVER EVER order King Crab like EVER EVER if you aren’t in Alaska. Like NEVER EVER EVER.

Forever ever? Forever ever. 

Any who. Since learning from my past unspeakable memories of seafood gone wrong, crustaceans more specifically, I make sure to ask my Fish Monger a million questions when it comes to my purchase so that I do not cause ungodly harm to myself (however definitely great if you want to drop a good 5 lbs in 24 hours) or to others. And it has been smooth sailing, weight gaining, ever since. 

Lobster Rolls. Connecticut style. BUT with a twist. Coconut Milk & Butter Lobster Rolls with freshly chopped bell pepper, chives and subtle notes of paprika. So maybe also a little New England style as well, with the garden bits. All the good bits in one.

And all Gods people say Amen, AYYYYYYYMEN. 

Recipe Notes:

I wanted flavor that was creamy but not overwhelming and would not take away from the Lobster meat itself. Which was the reason for the butter / coconut milk combination. Butter, because butter on any seafood is absolutely amazing. And coconut milk brings in some creamy notes without being overbearing in flavor and bombing your belly.

I also am a huge texture person, so I felt it was necessary to give a little crunch with every bite, which is where the red bell pepper came in handy. I initially thought about charring the peppers however that would take away from the total freshness that this roll is known for. So keeping it raw and chopped small was key. Red bell peppers add a perfect amount of sweetness and also are aesthetically pleasing 🙂

Chives balanced out the sweetness of the meat.

Lemon to me is a key flavor note in all seafood. And the paprika is not at all too much and only adds to the dish.

******** ALSO if you have issues steaming a lobster there are a couple of different tricks. You can place the lobster on its head and rub the back until the lobster falls asleep, then place the lobster in the fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to numb, and then immediately remove the lobster and put into a pot of steaming water. 

OR you can kill the lobster by inserting a knife into the lobsters head before steaming. 

5.0 from 1 reviews

Butter & Coconut Milk Lobster Rolls

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  12 mins

Total time:  32 mins

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Ingredients

• 2½ lb Live Lobster (about 1¼ lb each)
• 13 oz Coconut Milk (1 can // full fat)
• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or use 1 medium sized lemon)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp diced chives + more for garnish
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped small (about ½" pieces)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 6 rolls (hot dog buns work well here)

Instructions

1. Depending on the size of your pot & lobsters you may need to steam each lobster one at a time. First thing you'll need to do is bring a large stock pot with about 2 inches of water and a steamer basket inserted, to a boil (lid on).
2. Next add your lobster, head down, into steam basket and cover with lid. Let lobster steam 8 minutes for the first pound, and then 2 minutes per additional ½ lb after that.
3. Remove lobster and let cool until you are able to handle.
4. Remove the tail and the claws and crack open shell and remove meat. Discard shells.
5. Rough chop meat into larger chunks, set aside (if you plan on setting the meat aside for a longer period of time, place in fridge, covered, until ready to use.
6. Next in a small sauce pan add your butter and coconut milk. Simmer over low heat until butter has melted. Add your lemon juice and paprika. Bring to a low boil and then remove from heat.
7. Add your 1 tbsp chives, salt & pepper sauce to taste.
8. Next in a medium sized bowl add your lobster meat & chopped bell pepper. Pour warmed sauce over meat & pepper and gently fold together.
9. Serve immediately on top of roll and garnish with a little more chives and pepper.

3.5.3208