A long-running culinary dispute over how to properly serve a lobster roll has resurfaced in New England, pitting Maine’s cold, mayo-dressed tradition against Connecticut’s warm, butter-forward version.
Maine-style lobster rolls are typically made with cold lobster meat tossed in mayonnaise or served with mayo on the side, piled into a toasted, split-top bun, often brioche. The Connecticut version instead features warm lobster meat, either poached in butter or paired with warm butter on the side, served in the same style of bun.
Peter Bissell, co-owner of Highroller Lobster Co. in Portland, Maine, said his restaurant doesn’t see the need to pick a side.
“We just want to make people happy with fresh, never frozen, Maine lobster meat, and our specialty mayos was sort of our differentiating factor,” Bissell told Fox News Digital. “But we’re not dying on any of these hills. It’s really good either way.”
Highroller is known for its flavored mayonnaises, including roasted red pepper, fresh lime and roasted garlic, which are drizzled over the lobster meat in a zigzag rather than mixed in. Bissell said fans of the Maine-style roll tend to like the contrast between the tangy mayo, the cool lobster meat and the warm, crisp bread.
The restaurant has offered warm butter alongside cold lobster meat since it opened, but only recently added a fully warmed, Connecticut-style option.
“We added Connecticut-style,” Bissell said. “It’s a $1 upcharge because the cooks, they poach it in butter for 45 seconds to one minute on the line, so now customers can order fully warmed meat with butter if they choose.”
According to Bissell, lobster roll orders at Highroller this past summer split roughly 50-50 between mayo and butter. Of the butter orders, about a quarter were the fully warmed Connecticut-style preparation.
Connecticut chef and restaurant owner Robert Marcarelli takes a firmer stance. His restaurants serve only the warm, buttered version.
“Connecticut is very die-hard butter, no mayo. As you head a little bit north, mayo starts coming into the picture,” Marcarelli told Fox News Digital. “I will try the mayonnaise ones here and there, but my favorite is just hot lobster with butter.”
Despite their differing preferences on preparation, both restaurateurs agree that the quality of the lobster itself matters more than the topping.
“A lot of people are out there buying frozen lobster meat, and it doesn’t matter whether you put it with mayo or butter, you could taste the difference between fresh meat and frozen,” Marcarelli said.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login