Lobster Roll with Tarragon Mayonnaise (New England)

Lobster roll recipes that have mayo and a buttered, griddled bun -  are a given for a Maine-style roll. It is the quirkier characters that dart in and out: lemon, Tabasco, Dijon, tarragon and the occasional leaf of Bibb lettuce that set the roll apart from its competition.

Two other curious, not-at-all - traditional ingredients: cucumbers and scallions have been non-negotiable for so long - and how his ideal roll had evolved over the years.

New England-raised lobster roll expert - who wrote the definitive book on cooking lobster, Lobster at Home; who still runs three Summer Shack restaurants; and who even holds a patent on a system for the most expedient way to cook many lobsters - gets to what he considers a perfect roll.

The biggest, and perhaps only, hurdle is cooking and relieving the lobsters of their meat. Steaming lobsters has a number of very appealing advantages over boiling them. Boiling is not a good idea ever. Steaming means that the meat poaches in its own salty-sweet juices, rather than allowing water to permeate the shell and dilute them. Steaming is also a slightly slower, gentler, and more forgiving method - if you leave your lobsters in the pot an extra minute, they won't go tough on you. And, happily, you'll only need to wrangle about an inch of boiling water, rather than a large pot, gallons-deep.

Dressing it up right:
Once you've done the hard part, of course you want the seasoning to do the lobster justice. Some places just use lobster and mayo out of the jar. But it deserves a little more. This is where those surprising star ingredients come in. Nothing you add should overpower the lobster, but act as a nuanced magnifier of its flavour. White swaps out the traditional strong, grassy flavour of celery for the sweeter, subtler crunch of cucumber, and similarly tones down the classic raw onion with scallions instead. Even at that the scallion is very, very minimal. This recipe gives you two options for the mayo: a homemade tarragon mayonnaise, or regular Hellmann's from the jar - which might explain where all the different permutations on the internet sprang from. A third option is to use some of the seasonings from the tarragon mayonnaise to doctor up jarred mayo, which is the path we took in the photos here. The mayo shouldn't actually taste like tarragon, it should just be a whisper.

Lobster Rolls:
1 lb lobster meat, fully cooked or 5 lbs live lobsters
1 (5-6 oz) cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
½ cup Special Tarragon Mayonnaise
3 small scallions, white and most of the green parts, thinly sliced
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
6 New England-style top-split hot dog buns or regular hot dog buns, with about ¼" of the sides shaved off to make a flat surface for griddling
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

Special Tarragon Mayonnaise:
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
1 cup salad oil, such as safflower, sunflower or refined peanut
½ large lemon, freshly juiced
1 Tbsp. water, ice cold
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce

To Serve:
pickles
potato chips

For the Lobster Rolls:
If using live lobsters, prepare to steam them. Note: There are lots of opinions on the most humane way to cook a lobster - choose the method you're most comfortable with. You can quickly kill the lobsters before cooking, Alternatively, you can numb them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes (though you may need to add an extra minute of cook time) or stand the lobsters on their heads to calm them.

To steam the lobsters, fill a large, tall, lidded pot with 1 inch of salt water. If the lobsters do not fit comfortably in the pot and you cannot see the bottom of the pot, it's overcrowded and you should use more than one pot. Set up a steaming rack inside the pot (or improvise one with an upside-down colander)-there should be enough room that the lobsters will be suspended far enough above the water that when they release liquid during steaming, they do not end up sitting in it.

Turn the heat to high and cover the pot. The water will boil quickly and fill the pot with steam. When it does, place the lobsters in the pot and cover tightly. 1 lb lobsters should take 10 minutes to cook; add 2 minutes for every additional ¼ lb. Halfway through steaming, using long tongs, carefully rearrange the lobsters. Work quickly and cover the pot again as soon as possible. When the lobsters have cooked for the recommended time, remove one and break it open where the carapace meets the tail. The tail meat should be creamy white with no translucency. If not, allow the lobsters to steam for a few minutes more.

Let the lobsters cool at room temperature. Use a cleaver to crack and remove the meat from the claws, knuckles, and tails. Remove the cartilage from the claws and the intestine from the tails of the cooked meat and discard. Cut the meat into ½" dice. You may pick all the meat from the carcass or freeze the carcass for soup or broth.

Place the cucumber in a colander for at least 5 minutes to drain any excess liquid.

Combine the lobster, cucumber, and mayonnaise. If the salad is to be served within the hour, add the scallions. If not, add them 30 minutes before serving. Season with salt if needed and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

When ready to serve, preheat a large heavy skillet (12-14") over medium low heat. (A black cast-iron pan is perfect.)

Lightly butter both sides of each bun. Place in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the buns over and toast the other side. Or toast them under the broiler instead.

When the buns are ready, stuff them with the chilled lobster salad. Place each roll on a small paper or china plate; garnish with pickles and potato chips. Serve at once, while the bun is still warm and salad cold.

For the Special Tarragon Mayonnaise:
To make the mayonnaise by hand (alternatively, these steps can be done in a food processor): Place a stainless-steel mixing bowl on a damp cloth to keep the bowl from sliding around. Add the egg yolk, mustard, and tarragon to the bowl and whisk until blended.

Drizzle the oil into the bowl while whisking constantly. Be sure that the mixture is smooth and well blended at all times. Stop adding the oil periodically to allow yourself time to catch up; when there is no oil visible, continue adding and whisking. When half the oil is added, add 1 tsp. of lemon juice. Alternate between the remaining oil and lemon juice, whisking all the while, until both are incorporated.

Whisk in the ice water. (The water stabilizes the mayonnaise, which prevents separating, a common flaw of homemade mayonnaise.) Season to taste with salt pepper and cayenne. Whisk. Store in a small container, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Makes 1 cup.