There are two types of people in this world: those who prefer Maine-style lobster rolls and those who prefer Connecticut-style. The former is cold and mayo-dressed; often there's celery and tarragon mixed in. The latter comes hot and buttery.
In all my 11 years on the East Coast, I've only met a handful of people who prefer Connecticut-style. It makes sense, considering the vast majority of all the amazing lobster available today is harvested from the NorthEasternmost state.
Because it's August and because we're already starting to freak out over the impending fall, we've been craving lobster rolls NONSTOP lately. Enter: this kicka$$ lady snackdown.
MARTHA'S RECIPE
Mayo-haters, you can relax. For 1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat, there are only 2 tablespoons mayonnaise. And there's barely anything else — just an annoying 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon chives, and 1/2 teaspoon tarragon. We're not kidding.
The idea, we assume, is to really let the lobster flavor shine through. And when you season it all properly, this approach is perfectly lovely. It's just nothing anyone will go absolutely crazy over.
What we did love about her recipe: the toasted split-top hot dog bun brushed with melted butter.
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GIADA'S RECIPE
The mayonnaise content in Giada's recipe double the amount in Martha's and there's less than half the amount of lobster. To offset the Hellman's, she adds, lemon zest and juice, tarragon (a whole tablespoon, thankfully), celery, and capers.
Giada also uses split-top buns, but she halves each of them to make each serving mini. Cute? Sure. But also a little unnecessary when everyone really just wants their own.
THE VERDICT
Giada won by a landslide. We understand that capers will likely spark controversy. However, everyone on the Delish team agreed that the caper-y taste wasn't obvious. It just added a briny saltiness that worked well with the lemony-mayo situation. Same idea goes for the pepperiness of the baby arugula.
Fun fact! During summer, Maine lobsters shed their shells and grow new ones. It sounds weird, but it's really cool because the seawater that fills the new shell "marinates" the lobster meat and makes it perfectly sweet and even more delicate.
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