New Englanders grow up on unfussy seafood like lobster rolls the way other people grow up on tacos or barbecue—foods so embedded in the way of life of a particular place that you don’t realize how special they are until you start traveling. Now, when I’m away from home, I find that lobster rolls are seen as an expensive delicacy. Yes, lobster rolls are special; they exist in the city’s glitzier and fine-dining restaurants, and their prices have skyrocketed in more recent years. But they’re also just as common at fast food counters in the suburbs and fishmonger docks up and down the coast. And just like paying $6 a gallon for gas on a California road trip, or $43 for a martini at Bemelman’s Bar in Manhattan, having a lobster roll in Boston is a worthwhile investment every once in a while. It’s simply what you do when you’re here.
That being said, not all lobster rolls are created equal—and many (sometimes controversial) variations exist. A purist will say that a proper one must—must!—be served on a split-top bun that’s been griddled until golden brown, while others make compelling arguments for fancy swaps like brioche rolls. Then there’s the lobster meat itself, served either as a simply dressed cold salad (Maine style) or warm and buttered (Connecticut style)—but that’s more of a personal preference…