Lobster season opened last Saturday morning locally. A crew of the guys have been logging a ton of late night, chilly, hours in the water in an effort to bring home some of the most prized meat in the sea—the California Spiny Lobster. Zach Rose limited the night before Quail Club met, and was generous enough to prepare this incredible take on a Lobster Roll. 
California Lobster Rolls (Sous Vide)
Ingredients:
- ½ of lobster meat.
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 cup of mayonnaise -
- ¼ cup of squeezed lemon.
- 2 tablespoons of Siracha (Rooster) sauce.
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon of chipotle seasoning.
- 2 diced serrano chilis.
- 1 diced celery stick.
- 12 hawaiin king rolls
** ½ pound of lobster meat normally is about 2 hand-caught lobsters or 3 store-bought lobster tails.
Preparation:
For a fresh caught whole lobster— You remove the tails with a forceful twist to remove the tail from the torso.
**Important for health purposes. Don’t forget to clean out the intestinal tract which can be done by breaking a lobster antenna. Insert the antenna through the rectum 2-3” and twist a couple of turns - Pull slowly and you should see the intestinal tract follow. Repeat as necessary.
A store bought lobster will already have the track removed. 
Cooking the lobster:
There are a few ways to cook your lobster. I like using a Sous Vide water heater because it allows me to control the temperature accurately for texture and by removing the outer shell, I’ve found it’s the easiest way to get all of the lobster meat out. However, there are alternative methods of cooking lobster like cooking over a fire, BBQ or boiling that all work. The point is to season your lobster with lots of butter black pepper and garlic.
Using the sous vide:
Heat the water to 132 degrees.
While the water is heating in the sous vide-
Boil water in a separate pot large enough to submerge the two lobster tails. Place the lobster tail inside the boiling water for 2 mins - the shell will begin to turn a slight red. Remove from water. You will need to let cool for a minute or two so you can handle the lobster tails firmly.
Using a strong blade - Grip the lobster tail firmly - Carefully cut the lobster tail down the middle line to separate the tail into a left and right half.
Remove the meat from the tails by starting at the top of the tail and pull the meat out of the shell moving towards the tail. Place into a freezer bag 1 gallon freezer bag or vacuum sealer bag and add seasoning.
To your sous vide bag:
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter (up to a half stick) to the lobster tails.
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper.
Place bag into water.
Cook the lobster @ 132 degrees for 30 minutes in the sous vide bag.
Once 30 minutes has elapsed, remove from water.
Cut lobster into bite sizes and set aside to add into the lobster roll sauce.
Lobster Roll mayonnaise sauce:
In a separate bowl, Mix:
- 1 cup of mayonnaise -
- ¼ cup of squeezed lemon.
- 2 tablespoons of Sriracha (Rooster) sauce.
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon of chipotle seasoning.
- 2 diced serrano chilis.
- 1 diced celery stick.
- Add lobster.
Stir and mix lobster into the bowl until adequately combined.
If you would like a thicker sauce - add more mayonnaise.
For the Rolls:
12 King Hawaiian Rolls
Separate each roll and open split
Add a little bit of butter to each side and slightly toast.
Combine the Lobster Roll with Hawaiian roll.
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