Week #19: Maine - Lobster Roll Pizza

State: Maine

You have heard this a few times, but I have never been to Maine before and all I really know is that it's the home of the lobster. There is a lot more to Maine, but when you think of the state, you definitely think of eating buttery Lobster.  After doing some research, the most common lobster dish is the Lobster roll.  The Lobster roll is usually served on a hot dog bun and has thick pieces of lobster hanging out of it.  I have had one before, but it was from some dive here in Tampa.  In order to save money, I did a small gluten-free crust pizza.  So here is my salute to you Maine.  I hope I did your state well.   

Ingredients Needed:

2 Lobster tails (Suggest 3 tails)

1 small pizza crust 

1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp & 2 slices of butter

2 tbsp of freshly chopped Italian Parsley

2 strands of diced green onions 

Mayo:

1 large egg yolk

1 tbsp of Dijon mustard

1 cup of canola oil

4 tsp of white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp of cayenne pepper (optional)

Sauce:

The lobster roll is mixed with a mayo, so I made one from scratch!  Mayonnaise is very easy to make and you can alter it for someone who has food allergies.  First, combine the egg yolk only and mustard into a bowl.  Whisk together until well blended. Whisking constantly, add a thin stream of the oil until completely blended together.  The mayo should become thicker and it should be a thick consistency.  Whisk in the vinegar and add salt/pepper to taste.  To bring a little heat in, add 1 tsp of cayenne pepper. Stir together and set aside.

Meat:

This step of the process is the most crucial, as you never want to overcook lobster.  Once you do, it gets rubbery and loses its flavor.  You can cook lobster two different ways, which is to bake it or steam it.  I have a steamer, but I decided to bake it.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a baking pan, add 1 cup of water and lay both lobsters in.  See photo for reference.  When I purchased the lobsters, they already had the cut in the top of the shell.  If they do not, you will need to cut a slit down the top of the shell all the way down near the tail.  Once you do this, pull up on the meat to bring them closer up.  I actually did not do this step to the full extent, because I had another idea.  Take the 2 slices of butter and put inside the shell at the top.  The butter will melt throughout the lobster making it taste really good.  Cook the lobsters on 375 for 20-25 minutes.  The shells will turn orange pretty quickly, but you have to look at the meat to see if it is cooked thoroughly.  It should bubble up and look cooked, versus the gooey raw texture.  Once cooked, take out of oven and allow meat to cool.  

Once meat has cooled, remove from shell and cut into bite sized pieces.  If you only cooked 2 tails, you may want to cut a little smaller in size.  In a bowl, combine parsley, salt, pepper, and desired amount of mayo.  I did a smaller amount, just to ensure the taste of the lobster is not compromised.  Mix together and set aside.

Pizza:

The pizza is fairly easy to set up once you have the ingredients ready to go.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add a thin layer of olive oil on the crust and allow to bake for 5-6 minutes or until crust starts to brown.  This will depend on what type of crust you use.  If raw, you may want to allow 8-10 minutes for it to cook.  Take out of oven and add the remainder of butter to the crust.  This will give the crust a nice buttery flavor.  The butter should melt quickly, so spread it out thoroughly to ensure all areas are covered.  After adding the butter, place pieces of the lobster mixture on the crust and spread out accordingly so each slice will have meat.  Next, sprinkle additional parsley and add Mozzarella cheese on top.  Cook for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.  

Pairing:

When pairing a drink with this pizza, it is always best to go with a light wine or beer.  I decided to go with an IPA for a beer.  When thinking of breweries in the state of Maine, Shipyard Brewing Company comes to mind.  Shipyard has produced some excellent beers over the years and I would recommend many of the great beers.  Shipyard makes a great Black IPA, or a copper IPA such as Monkey Fist.  For a wine, a great chardonnay would pair well with this pizza.  

Learning Moments:

Making the lobster roll pizza, I learned a few things.  First, whenever you make a lobster pizza of some sort, it is expensive.  Not to mention, you really have to get a big lobster with a large tail and claws to make anything bigger than a personal sized pizza.  I purchased two 5 oz tails at the store and after cooking them, it looked enough for two slices.  The key to this pizza is to spend the money and get a whole lobster, because the claws would really help add a lot more meat.  Secondly, I learned how to make my own mayonnaise, which is really good.  In this new venture, I realized that real mayo is not white.  It is yellow!  So when you eat mayo from Hellman's or one of the other brands, they add an emulsifier to make it a white color.  Insert the "More You Know" theme song here. LOL.  Overall, this was a great tasting pizza.  You cannot go wrong with buttery crust and chunks of lobster.  Yum!  Hope you enjoy!