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Happy Monday, y’all! I hope that most of you have the day off today and are enjoying some time with family and friends. It is so refreshing to have a few days to spend with my family out in the Hamptons.

Yesterday, was my family’s annual 4th of July party and it was definitely the best one yet. My parents have been having this party for over 20 years and I think it gets better each year. Yesterday, was so low key and relaxing, but we couldn’t stop laughing all night long. For the last 5 years, I’ve been making these mini lobster rolls and they have become a staple for our guests. I may be biased, but it is some of the best lobster salad I’ve ever had, it is the perfect mix of creamy, crunchy and just overall delicious. So…I had to share the recipe with you! Enjoy!

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Ingredients

5 (1 1/2 lb) Lobsters

1 1/2 cup chopped celery

3 cups of mayonnaise

1 lemon

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

20 mini brioche buns

(serves ~20)

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Preparation

We make this lobster salad for about twenty people so feel free to reduce the serving size, if needed. We always get our lobster deshelled at the fish market, since we are making so much, it is just easier. When we start to make the salad we chop up the lobster in chunks about a quarter of an inch big, but there is no need to be too precise. If you want your lobster to serve many people, then chop it up small, if you are only serving a few people then it is great to have some bigger, meatier pieces.

Once the meat is completely chopped, start adding the mayonnaise in little by little. I don’t like to put the full 3cups in at once, in case you feel like you don’t need all of it. I usually add in about one cup at a time and continue to mix until I think it is creamy enough. Once the salad is a creamy consistency, you can add in the celery and continue to mix to make sure the celery is distributed throughout the salad.

Lastly, squeeze the juice from a whole lemon on the salad. You want to mix this in as well so the citrus flavor makes its way through the entire salad. You don’t want it to just be on the top layer.

IMG_8963  Overall, it is super important to continue to taste the salad as you go. I’ve never once made this recipe with the measurements the same (the above is just the average). If your lobster is extra juicy, maybe you don’t need as much lemon and if you chop the lobster extra fine, you may need more mayonnaise, so keep your taste tester on call (Tom’s favorite job).

After the salad is done, we usually throw it into the fridge until we need to serve. As an appetizer, we buy mini french brioche buns and fill the center. If I’m being honest, I could eat these as my full dinner, but it is a fun way to start the evening as an appetizers as well.

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I hope you enjoy! I’d love to hear some of your favorite summer recipes in the comments!