The Connecticut Lobster Roll

My first taste of the "Connecticut style" lobster roll was two summers ago, when I sampled Red Hook Lobster Pound's offering on Brooklyn's Fulton Ferry Pier. It differs from the better known "Maine style," which features cold lobster in herbed mayonnaise sauce, in having warm, freshly cooked meat drenched in drawn butter. At the time I liked it, but thought the Maine variety still my favorite.

On our way to visit friends on Cape Cod last weekend, my wife suggested that we have lunch at a little seafood restaurant in Madison, Connecticut that she and a friend had discovered. "Delicious lobster rolls," she said, which easily convinced me.

The restaurant proved to be the Clam Castle, an unprepossessing looking place next to a Mobil station (which, according to Matthew Yglesias, may explain why its lobster rolls are so good). My wife (who took the photo above while I pumped gas) asked if I wanted the Connecticut or Maine style; being in the Constitution/Nutmeg State (take your choice), and having not had one since my maiden experience two years past, I chose Connecticut. I was not disappointed. As the photo at the top shows, the New England style split-at-the-top roll was loaded with succulent, fresh meat, including both knuckle and claw pieces. The rolls were accompanied by cups of cole slaw, the tartness of which nicely complimented the sweet, buttery lobster. I'm now a convert to Connecticut, though I'll still enjoy the Maine style where it's the only option. Now that I'm back in Brooklyn, I'll have to re-visit the Lobster Pound and re-try theirs.