Beyond the Lobster Roll: Creative Twists on the Classic Dish
Image: Shira Laucharoen. Woods Hill Pier 4, Seaport
Three eclectic and inventive lobster rolls to try in Greater Boston.
When you can’t beat the heat of summer, sometimes you just have to revel in it. One of the best ways to celebrate the season is with a festive dining experience and the ultimate, seasonal New England dish: a lobster roll. We’ve all tried the traditional version, but maybe you’re looking to expand your horizons and try a restaurant’s creative twist? Kristin Canty, owner of Woods Hill Pier 4 in the Seaport, explains that variations on the lobster roll can be hard to come by, but once they’ve been found, customers are hooked.
“It’s a rare, novel thing,” says Canty. “In the summer, tourists all want to find the best lobster roll. It is a thing where people are seeking out the best [one]. That’s why our chef tried to make his unique, with crème fraîche and a popover instead of a hot dog roll and mayonnaise.”
We visited three Greater Boston restaurants offering unusual takes on the lobster roll. Head out with a couple of friends, order a round of drinks and be prepared to explore new horizons.
Saltie Girl: Fried Lobster Roll
Image: Shira Laucharoen. Fried Lobster Roll, Saltie Girl, Back Bay.
To dine on the fried lobster roll at Saltie Girl, Kathy Sidell’s casually elegant Back Bay seafood restaurant, you will have to have discovered the “secret menu,” a small selection of items kept for those in the know. This dish nestles crispy, golden knuckle, tail and claw meat between a brioche bun, lightly toasted and dripping with sweet corn butter. It comes with a side of beurre blanc, slightly acidic in flavor, meant to be drizzled on top. For a bit of spice, guests can request a sprinkle of Korean chili flakes, along with a side of potato chips, French fries or salad.
Sidell says the idea for a fried lobster roll came from her New England upbringing, when a childhood friend brought her to New Hampshire’s Newick’s Lobster House. Trying an unexpected bite there served as the inspiration behind the elusive entrée.
“They served fried lobster, and I just remember as a kid—I thought lobster and butter was good, but now fry it, and it’s a whole other game. It’s been on the [secret] menu since the beginning of time,” says Sidell. While Saltie Girl also serves hot and cold lobster rolls on their regular menu, Sidell says having more than two choices there feels overwhelming.
The Newbury Street restaurant, which was renovated in February, aims to give guests an experience providing attention to detail and hospitality. From the raw bar near the entrance to the yacht-like captain’s room, Saltie Girl exudes charm and bustling energy.
“I’ve always thought: How do we make caviar a little more approachable and less effete? The concept is a good balance,” Sidell says. “If you want to come in and be celebratory, or if you want to just get a dozen oysters and a bowl of chowder, you can do that, too. Personally, for me, that’s what I love. It’s so versatile.”
Lê Madeline: Tôm Hùm Rang Me
Image: Shira Laucharoen. Tôm Hùm Rang Me, Lê Madeline, Quincy.
A Vietnamese twist on the fried lobster roll, the Tôm Hùm Rang Me at Quincy’s jazzy gastropub Lê Madeline is a stunner. Doused in sweet and tangy tamarind sauce, which gets its spicy accents from jalapeños, lobster meat is sandwiched in a bun and garnished with glistening tobiko, or flying fish roe. An unexpected side accompanies the main course: puffed shrimp chips, curled discs with the perfect crunch, a welcome addition and a popular Vietnamese snack. Executive chef Peter Nguyen says that this lobster roll is inspired by his time spent in Houston, where he would often dine on Vietnamese food.
“I came across a crab dish that’s very well known in Vietnam,” says Nguyen, explaining that the tamarind sauce used in the recipe led him to the unique spin he put on the Tôm Hùm Rang Me. He adds, “That inspired me, as [I’ve been] cooking Vietnamese [cuisine, to ask]… how can I tell a story?”
Lê Madeline opened last February, in a space that had housed his partner Tam Le’s noodle shop, Pho Linh. During lunch hours, the menu remains true to Pho Linh, but at night the restaurant transforms into Lê Madeline, a slightly more modern take on Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese culture has remained important to Nguyen, a first generation American, and cooking has always been in his family.
“I grew up in a really big family. I have seven older siblings. When I was younger, every night we would have dinner, my mom and my sister would cook these amazing dishes we wouldn’t find in Vietnamese restaurants. It was Vietnamese to the core: periwinkles with lemongrass and coconut, duck salads.”
He adds, “I was very lucky to be able to experience these cuisines, traditions and dishes that many haven’t tried.”
Woods Hill Pier 4: Lobster Popover
Image: Shira Laucharoen. Lobster Popover, Woods Hill Pier 4, Seaport.
A stroll through the Seaport inevitably brings you past Woods Hill Pier 4, a sophisticated restaurant with picturesque harbor views, just beyond the ICA. There, they’ve invented an unusual variation on the lobster roll: the lobster popover. A toasted, split popover with a browned exterior brims with fresh, chilled lobster meat tossed in crème fraîche instead of the traditional mayonnaise. It arrives with a lightly dressed salad of mixed greens, a cone of homemade Old Bay chips and a side of aïoli.
Woods Hill Pier 4 prepares its meals using sustainable ingredients, sourcing many of them from Canty’s very own farm in Bath, NH. With a 260-acre property, supplemented by 100 leased acres, The Farm at Woods Hill raises beef cattle, ducks, sheep and other livestock, pasture raising and rotationally grazing all their animals. They work with a local fishmonger to source their seafood. Canty takes pride in their environmentally sound practices.
“When you pasture raise animals, the natural fertilizer increases the carbon in the soil. We don’t use any irrigation on our farm. Our farm is always green, and it’s because of the animals.”
This story appeared as an online exclusive in July 2024.
