I’d never been a big fan of lobster. Something about watching them crawl all over each other in the tank at the grocery store put me off the idea of ever eating one. I’m a soft-hearted fool and could never bring myself to plop a live crustacean into boiling water after looking into their beady little eyes.
PEI changed me.
I still can’t bring myself to pick out a live lobster for my dinner but two weeks in PEI convinced me that I do indeed like lobster meat. It just needs to be cooked, chopped, and put on a grilled bun for me first. Before this visit, I’d eaten a grand total of two lobster rolls in my life and was rather meh about it. Before summer 2020 was out, I tripled that.
Now I can’t stop thinking about buttery grilled buns, creamy mayo, and sweet, sweet lobster.
What is a lobster roll?
A traditional lobster roll consists of a buttered and grilled hot dog bun with a filling of chilled lobster meat – chunked knuckle, claw, and tail. The filling may also contain butter or mayo, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Other versions can include diced celery or scallion. Potato chips or french fries, and pickles are the typical sides. It’s a pretty simple recipe that makes fresh lobster meat the star of the show.
While the lobster roll may have begun in Connecticut as early as 1929, it’s now a Maritime summer staple. They’re so popular in fact that even McDonald’s put lobster rolls on the menu here in summer. There are certainly no shortage of places in PEI to get your hands on a lobster roll but I wanted to tell you about some of the ones I sampled this summer across the island.
Here are some of the best lobster rolls I ate in PEI.
Where: Souris | Cost: $12.95 | Notable: Best value
The lobster roll from the Lobster Shack in Souris had the traditional grilled hot dog bun and a simple filling. It had a fresh ocean taste that wasn’t overpowered by the mayo. It was a healthy serving of lobster meat and at $12.95 (includes chips and pickle chips) it was the best value I found.
Where: Charlottetown | Cost: $17.95 (3oz) | Notable: Best location
Dave’s Lobster is a small chain that focuses entirely on lobster rolls. They’re set up at Avonlea Village in Cavendish and right on the waterfront in Charlottetown, both great locations on a summer day. When you order a lobster roll from Dave’s it comes with chips and pickle spears but you’ve got some other choices to make. You can get them in one of three sizes (3oz, 4oz, 5oz), hot or cold. You can even order a half-and-half where you get half a bun of chilled lobster meat in mayo and half a bun of hot lobster meat in butter. Best of both worlds or if you just can’t choose. Everything is mixed fresh so you can customize your filling. We ordered up one with their standard mix but found that the celery overpowered the delicate taste of the lobster. The chives were a nice touch on top but next time we’d skip the celery.
Where: Skinners Pond | Cost: $17.95 | Notable: Best entertainment
The Black Hat Take Out is located inside the Stompin’ Tom Connors Centre in Skinners Pond in western PEI. We hadn’t stopped here for food originally but once we saw they had lobster rolls (named Clawgeroo Lobster Rolls at that) we figured we should try one. You know, for research. We also lucked into showing up at 1pm when their daily entertainment took to the stage. So while our lobster roll was a bit lacklustre (we think it may have been cooked in fresh water or was otherwise canned), it was still a tasty lunch. Each order comes with fries or Caesar salad and coleslaw.
Where: Victoria | Cost: $19.95 | Notable: Best fries
When my lobster roll from Richard’s Fresh Seafood in Victoria, PEI was served up it looked more like a bag of fries with a container of coleslaw and a pile of lobster in the basket. I had to hunt to find the bun. No one could accuse them of skimping on the lobster meat. They also use celery in their rolls but I didn’t find it as overpowering as I had with Dave’s. Though it was a bit messy to eat it was absolutely delicious. But as good as the lobster roll itself was the fries were the real stand out for me. They were cooked perfectly with that hint of sweetness and dark colour that you get from good potatoes fried in seasoned oil. *chef’s kiss* There’s a reason why Richard’s is an island staple (they have a second location Covehead as well). I’ll be back.
Where: Victoria | Cost: $19 | Notable: Best mayo
I couldn’t get over how much claw meat was in my lobster roll from The Lobster Barn just down the wharf from Richard’s. They kept their filling simple with just lobster meat, their housemade mayo and a leaf of lettuce to keep the grilled bun from getting soggy. Served with either fries or a salad, it was an elegant presentation. They serve their rolls in a soft white bun which gave it good structural integrity, though I personally preferred the classic hot dog bun. Something about those grilled sides and getting buttery fingers. While the fresh lobster was the star, the mayo at The Lobster Barn should win an award for best supporting condiment.
