The only thing better than a fresh lobster is shelled fresh lobster, which eliminates a lot of hard work and potential injuries from sharp carapaces and pointed implements. Put that meat in a top-split hotdog bun slathered with butter on the outside and toasted on a griddle or a grill pan, and behold the beloved lobster roll. In the Maritimes, where I ate them in all three provinces last summer, the meat is often tossed with a touch of lemon-kissed mayo, a bit of celery for crunch and maybe some snipped chives.

The distinguishing feature of the Maine lobster roll is its size and lack of adornment. Five years ago, I waited in line for about two hours at Red’s Eats – which claims to be the world’s best lobster shack – in Wiscasset, for the mother of all rolls, served plain with a side of mayo and a side of melted butter from Kate’s, a local dairy with grass-fed cows. The bun is completely covered by two claws, two tails and a mound of knuckle meat, and by the time you get that monster in your hands, you’re starving. Of course, it tastes like the best lobster roll you’ve ever had. 

Here are six tasty alternatives I found last September on a trip back to Midcoast Maine, the rugged coastline and environs between Freeport and Bar Harbor. 

Lobster Roll #1

McLoons Lobster Shack, Spruce Head Island, 315 Island Rd., South Thomaston, Maine 04858

McLoons Rolls Royce contains half a pound of lobster meat. Photo: Kim Honey

The smell of melted butter permeates the air and the unparalleled view features fishing boats bobbing at moorings in a picturesque cove. Twenty minutes and US$26.95 later, I slather mayo inside a butter-coated bun with picture-perfect toast marks, filled with more than two claws and a tail. The meat is refrigerator-cold, so the melted butter congeals as I drizzle. I change tack and dip the lobster torpedo in the butter before each bite, and
this mayo-butter combo is
the bomb. 

Lobster Roll #2

Shannon’s Unshelled, 7 Common Dr., Boothbay, Maine 04538

Shannon’s catches lobster fever. Photo: Kim Honey

This cute food truck serves a US$34 Lobster Roll Flight on three half-buns: one tossed in mayo, one with a side of sea-salted garlic butter and one with a reduction of Moxie pop, which owner Shannon Schmelzer describes as a mix between root beer and vanilla Dr. Pepper. It is cloying on its own, but the balsamic-like glaze melds into the buttery bun to create a pleasant, jammy taste. The eye-popping basket comes with a scattering of skin-on fries, wild blueberry-spiked coleslaw, a wedge of lemon and a single purple orchid flower. 

Lobster Roll #3

Linda Bean’s Maine Kitchen and Topside Tavern, 88 Main St., Freeport, Maine 04032

On one of three shopping trips to Freeport, my friend Shawna and I grabbed a table on the patio across the street from the massive flagship L.L. Bean store. I’m ready for the vaunted US$29 Perfect Maine Lobster Roll created by Linda Lorraine, granddaughter of company founder Leon Leonwood Bean, made with a “secret mix of herbs and spices.” It has a smear of mayo inside and a generous pile of meat that tastes as if it was just pulled from the sea, accompanied by the best coleslaw I
had all week.

Lobster Roll #4

Sprague’s Lobster, 22 Main St., Wiscasset, Maine 04578

Sprague’s loaded roll. Photo: Kim Honey

Sprague’s is a stone’s throw from Red’s, on the other side of Route 1, with a beautiful view of the Sheepscot River. At US$32.99, Sprague’s overstuffed roll was a smidge less than Red’s US$34 price tag, but, like Red’s, it made me wonder if a lobster roll can be too big; I had to take out the meat from two claws before I could wrap my mouth around it. The butter tasted more like
butter-flavoured vegetable oil, but if you don’t mind and you’re a dipper, order two, because one wasn’t enough. 

Lobster Roll #5

King Eider’s Pub, 2 Elm St., Damariscotta, Maine 04543

This was our home away from home. After working through most of the menu, it was time for the US$30 lobster roll in herbed lemon mayo served with green leaf lettuce on a brioche bun toasted on one side. The coleslaw and the roll glistened with mayo, but the lettuce and lemon cut through the richness, and I firmly believe there is no such thing as too much mayo. Plus, I only got grease stains on my phone, not my clothes.

Lobster Roll #6

The Lobster Haul, 115 Elm St., Damariscotta, Maine 04543

The slider sampler at The Lobster Haul. Photo: Kim Honey

Around the corner from King Eider’s,The Lobster Haul offered a US$27.95 “slider” sampler, with the lobster stuffed into adorable top-split, mini-hotdog brioche buns, brushed with melted butter on the outside. After trying the traditional – a butter bomb, since the meat was coated in melted fat, too – and the lemon dill, which was underdressed by comparison, I hit the iteration to end all iterations: Sriracha lime mayo with fresh corn. Ooh-la-lobster. This changed the trajectory of my lobster-roll-making history.