Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Lobster Roll's Cheaper, Healthier Younger Sister Recipe

Anyone who's ever been to Massachusets has most likely sampled a few local specialties: New England Clam Chowder, baked beans, raspberry lime rickies, Indian Pudding, and the infamous lobster roll. (If I've already lost you, read on! I promise not to name-drop any strange foods anymore.) The lobster roll like the classy, grown-up big sister of the tuna salad and chicken salad sandwhich. If you took tuna or chicken salad, and subbed the meat with lobster, and then stuck that into a perfectly buttered and toasted bun, you'd have something a lot like a lobster roll. At its core, lobster rolls are big, meaty chunks of lobster mixed in mayonnaise with some veggies and seasonings - in that delicious buttery bun. I know what you're thinking: mayonnaise? Butter? No way this is even REMOTELY healthy! And with the meat of half a lobster in one sandwhich, it's most likely not affordable to anyone south of Maine. Well take heart, my friends. You, too, can enjoy the fabulous lobster roll...... in the healthier, thinner, cheaper version that I invented! *takes a bow* thank you, thank you. Ahem.

INGREDIENTS
- Imitation crab meat (don't be scared, it's just flaky white fish!)
- Low fat mayonnaise, like Hellman's
- Fresh Basil leaves
- Capers
- Lemon juice (doesn't need to be fresh, the plastic squeeze bottles work just fine)
- Salt. Pepper.
- Hot dog buns - I used Fiber One! Healthy and yum.
- I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
- OPTIONAL: pickles, cucumber, or celery (Mine was fine without any of these!)

(Because everything is to taste and depends on the amount of food you want to make, I am not using any measurements. Basically, however much crabmeat you use, is the amount you'll have - eyeball it so that each serving will fill a hot dog bun generously.) First, stick a skillet on the stovetop and put on level 7. Spray or coat your hot dog bun on either side with butter subsitute. Place bun on skillet to brown - keep an eye on it as you prepare the salad, and turn it over after one side is browned. Cut up the crab meat into bite size chunks - not too small, but not so huge that you can't fit 'em in your mouth. Tear up a couple of basil leaves and add to the meat in a bowl. Douse with lemon juice, add a tablespoon of capers (if you aren't a fan of saltiness, use less capers!). Add a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise and mix together until contents are evenly coated. Your bun should be toasted by now, so pop it on a plate, spoon your salad into the bun, and ENJOY. nomnomnomnomnom!
250 calories, 5g fiber, 10g protein per roll
Total Cost: $3.00 per roll


Most people eat their lobster rolls with potato chips or french fries. If you want to be a health nut, like me, try making Kale Chips! They are my favorite healthy "junk food!"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi love! Loved this post - my parents actually own Urban Lobster, a lobster/seafood takeout restaurant that specializes in lobster rolls! Small world!

I added you to my blog roll too :) thanks for the add! <3

Dorm Bedding said...

Oh my, this sounds soooo yummy!