Lobstah Roll

We just got back from a wonderful, yet too-short, 9-day trip to Maine. And despite dealing with the remnants of Hurricane Bill in the form of periodic ridiculous rainstorms, we were still able to do, see, and eat a lot.

A couple of years ago I remember plopping down in front of the telly with Michael and watching some travel show on Maine. One of the spotlights on the show was the lobster roll. I still remember Michael turning to me and saying, 'If that was in front of me right now, I'd eat it.' I completely agreed with him, and then proceeded to completely forget about it. About a week before we left for Maine, Michael started talking about lobster rolls again, and we both vowed to eat as many as we could while we were there.

'As many as we could' turned out to be only one from Ken's Cove in Bridgton, and it was delicious — very simple and unfettered. We sat inside this lobster shack, or fish house, or whatever the correct term is, and happily ate every bite. All the while my in-laws sipped iced tea and looked revolted. They were horrified that we made them take part in such gruesome animal cruelty. It's not for everyone, I guess.

Miss Milia, on the other hand, had fish & chips while sitting in the most rickety high-chair I've ever seen. I think it may have actually belonged to Ken of Ken's Cove when he was a wee-one, although I can't say for sure. Ken, not exactly a spring-chicken himself, kept saying as we walked back and forth to see the lobster tanks, that he wished he had a little bit of Emilia's energy. Don't we all...

I've seen a plethora of lobster roll recipes and most of them seem to call for too many ingredients, ranging from celery and capers to white truffle oil. It seems almost sacrilege to bombard the fresh, sweet flavor that is inherent to lobster with so many other flavors — no matter how fancy they are. All you need is a good hot-dog bun (it would be nice to lightly toast this, and maybe put on a little smear of butter), freshly picked lobster meat, and a little dab of mayonnaise. As much as I typically dislike mayonnaise, it is rather essential here. How else are you going to hold it all together? And please don't say plain yogurt.

Traditionally lobster rolls are served with cole-slaw and maybe french fries or potato chips. I think it would be nice to serve it along side a green salad. Or you could even skip the hot-dog bun and just put the lobster on a bed of greens. But then you have a different recipe altogether, and it doesn't really resemble a lobster roll anymore. Instead you would have something that my father-in-law would refer to as 'yuppie-food.' But keep in mind, he once said that all yuppies will eat are garbanzo beans and distilled water. Strange man.

At Ken's Cove they make lobster rolls fresh-to-order. After 'the deed' is done (and by deed, I mean boiling the poor little guy to death), you can see them mix the lobster in a big bucket and plunk it on a bun. Even though their fish is 'so fresh you want to slap it', as one of their signs says, Emilia was not a big fan of the lobster. She much preferred her deep-fried lunch. All in due time, I suppose — or hope, rather. But at least she tried it.