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Our Green Goddess Lobster Sandwich Recipe is a dressed-up version of a classic lobster roll. We toss perfectly cooked buttery lobster with a quick green goddess dressing studded with fresh tarragon, basil, and green onion. We pile it high on toasted sourdough bread and top it off with peppery arugula and a squeeze of lemon.
Green Goddess Lobster Sandwich Recipe
Our Green Goddess Lobster Sandwich Recipe is my fussed up (by not too fussed up) version of a classic lobster roll and I’m here to assure you, all of the things I adore about lobster shine through while new herby notes only amplify it.
Because when it comes to lobster, I want to enjoy it most when it’s prepared pretty simply (like in this lobster spaghetti or this easy lobster scampi) and I only want ingredients that enhance its delicate, sweet flavor, and not ones that mask it.
With notes of anise-flavored tarragon, green onion, and basil, this herb heavy version of a lobster sandwich is exactly what I’m looking for when I want something a little bit more unique. Instead of lightly dressing the meat simply with mayo, I make a super easy green goddess dressing with a bevy of leftover fresh herbs, garlic, and hints of lemon.
We pile the lightly dressed lobster on to toasted bread along with a handful of peppery arugula and tomatoes if you’ve got them and call it a day.
Ingredients in our Lobster Sandwich Recipe
Lobster. Any type of lobster tail variety for size works. We used Maine lobster as that’s what available to us most often, but spiny also works. If you live in the middle of Kansas as we do, you’re lobster is likely to be previously frozen, so make sure it’s defrosted before you begin.
Butter. I like things salty, so you could use salted or unsalted butter.
Mayo. I love mayo, however, I never ever use full-fat mayo. I don’t find the taste of full-fat mayo to be superior enough to justify the extra fat and calories so low-fat is what I use. Use whichever you prefer, however, do not use non-fat.
Herbs. Classically green goddess dressing always includes tarragon, but other than that you can play around with the herbs. In addition to the tarragon, we use a combination of green onion and basil, but parsley, chives, and thyme would also be good additions.
Garlic. It’s important to use a fresh clove of garlic to get a nice bite in the dressing.
Lemon. A squeeze of lemon gives this lobster sandwich recipe a nice boost of acidity and tang I love.
Bread. I don’t like to use a bread that’s too heavy or hard to eat. Sliced sourdough is my favorite, but you could also use a good-quality multi-grain bread.
Toppings. We keep things simple with peppery arugula and sliced tomato if we can find ripe ones at the store, but crispy bacon would also be a lovely addition.
How to cook lobster tails
Let’s talk a little bit about cooking lobster tails. I think lobster tails are a little intimidating for some people to cook, because like a lot of other seafood and shellfish, they can be overcooked easily. I used to be one of those people, but after many years of trial and error, I found my mistake, and I’m guessing this is a lot of yours too, is that you only boil or steam the tails. I find both methods result in tough, watery, and relatively flavorless meat.
My solution? Cook the lobster in butter. What a revelation. Here’s how I do it:
First, I split the lobster tails down the middle using kitchen shears and a VERY sharp chef’s knife.
I then season them with plenty of salt (no pepper for me).
Butter goes into a skillet, and the lobster tails get nestled in, flesh-side down. Once they cook for a couple minutes and get slightly brown and caramelized, I flip them over and wait for the shells to turn bright red, then immediately take them off the heat.
I let them rest for a minute or two, then pull the meat out, and either go to town on them or cut them up for whatever purpose they’re serving.
In our Lobster Sandwich Recipe, I chop the meat into bite-sized pieces, then toss it with just a touch of the homemade green goddess dressing.
Let’s make our Green Goddess Lobster Sandwich Recipe
Now that we know how to cook lobster, let’s build the sandwich.
Make the Green Goddess Dressing. The dressing, by the way, is ridiculously easy, and something I’ve promised to have in my fridge at all times when herbs are in-season.
Add fresh tarragon, green onion, lemon juice, a little bit of fresh garlic, and mayo to a blender. Blend until smooth. Season with a touch of salt and pepper as needed. Tip! This gets better and better as it sits, so feel free to make it a day or two in advance.
Toast the bread. This isn’t necessary but I love the combination of soft, sweet lobster with the texture of crispy bread.
Assemble! Toss the slightly warm (or room temperature or cold) lobster with the dressing. Taste! See if it needs any salt or pepper. Pile on peppery arugula and a slice of tomato if you have ripe ones on hand.
If you want to add a few slices of bacon in-between the lobster and lettuce, I won’t judge…
Green Goddess Lobster Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- (4) 4-5 ounce lobster tails
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup light mayo
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup tarragon
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped basil
- 2 green onions, roughly chopped
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 4 slices sourdough sandwich bread
- arugula and tomatoes for topping
Equipment
- Skillet
Instructions
- Use kitchen shears to cut each lobster shell down the middle, lengthwise. Use a large chef's knife to line up against where you cut and firmly cut down to split the shell in half lengthwise. Sprinkle the flesh with salt.
- Heat a medium skillet to a medium heat. Add butter. Once butter has melted, add lobster, flesh-side down. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip. Continue to cook over a medium heat until shells turn bright red and start to curl, another 2-3 minutes. As you cook, spoon the butter over the flesh. Remove tails from heat. Let sit for a minute or two and then remove the meat from the shells. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing. To a mini food processor or blender, add mayo, lemon juice, salt, tarragon, basil (if using), green onions, and garlic clove. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Once lobster has cooled, toss with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Add more if desiried.
- Spread remaining dressing on all pieces of sourdough. Top two pieces of the bread with a little bit of arugula followed by a few slices of tomato. Evenly divide lobster meat between two sandwiches. Top with other piece of bread. Serve!
Nutrition Information
Param Kanu Patel says
I love seafood! I like how you kept the recipe simple to really bring out the flavor of the lobster. The lobster looked great by the way, the one downfall of living in a desert is that there’s no great seafood.
Param Kanu Patel says
I love seafood! I like how you kept the recipe simple to really bring out the flavor of the lobster. The lobster looked great by the way, the one downfall of living in a desert is that there’s no great seafood
Sabrina says
just lovely and nice to pair with green sauce instead of the traditional glob of mayo, and I prefer this bread to a roll so even better, thank you!