I’ve never actually had a lobster roll, but saw plenty of them during our trips up to Ogunquit, Maine a few years ago. We lived only an hour away from there at that time, so it was always easy to make our way up from Boston.
We would always start with a boat tour in Perkins Cove, opting out of the one tour that caught lobsters as part of it, and settled into a seat with a cold beer, eager to see the coastline and feel the cold New England breeze once the boat started moving.
So this “lobster” roll didn’t didn’t really conjure up any New England food memories, but it did remind me how fun and cool recreating vegan seafood really is. Hearts of palm is also a great crab, tuna and cod/whitefish replacement, so why not try it in a traditional application like a lobster roll? I am not sure how it compares, but it’s pretty tasty!
The key here is warming and toasting up a hot dog with a little vegan butter (do this in a hot cast-iron pan if you’ve got one). Then spoon the chilled hearts of palm mixture and serve immediately. The butter makes the edges of the bun crispy while the vegan mayo adds another layer of richness that’s perfectly balanced out by the clean blend of dried and fresh herbs.
The capers give a little pop of salt and the celery and red onion adds a fresh, clean crunch. Serve with a sprinkle of salt and a squirt of lemon before you take a bite!
Vegan Lobster Roll
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 sandwiches
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The “lobster” roll uses hearts of palm as a stand-in for lobster for a cruelty-free and delicious New England favorite!
Ingredients
for the “lobster”
- 2, 14.1-oz. can of hearts of palm, coarsely chopped, rinsed and soaked in cold water for 20 minutes
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo
- 1 stalk celery, mandolined or finely sliced
- 2 TB minced red onion
- 2 tsp capers
to serve
- 4 hot dog buns
- 2–4 TB vegan butter, melted
- 1 TB fresh chives, minced
- 1 TB fresh dill, minced
- lemon wedges
Instructions
To prepare the “lobster”
- Drain the hearts of palm, taking care not to crush or mush them.
- Combine the next 6 dried spices in a small bowl, then season the drained hearts of palm, tossing to coat evenly.
- Place into an air fryer set at 400 for 10-12 minutes, giving them a shake once or twice and checking them towards the end to ensure they don’t brown.
- If you don’t have an air fryer, preheat your oven to 400 and place the seasoned hearts of palm on a silpat-lined baking sheet for 20-30 minutes. stirring two or three times. They are done when they show the first signs of a slight golden color around the edges. Don’t let them brown all over.
- Transfer the hearts of palm to a bowl and toss gently with the remaining 4 ingredients and place into the refrigerator to chill completely. Or, you can also serve it while still warm.
- When ready to serve, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Brush both sides of a hot dog bun with the butter and toast face down until it’s nice and golden.
- Spoon the desired amount of hearts of palm into the toasted buns and garnish with the fresh chives and dill. Serve with lemon wedges and an extra sprinkle of salt, if desired.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Vegan Seafood
Stephanie Dreyer says
Great idea! I want to make these for a concert in the park this summer!!!
Martina Clements says
This was a really delicious and EASY recipe to make! Thank you, it certainly hit the spot for the craving! We didn’t chill the “lobstah” after we baked it and tossed it in the mayo mix, I loved it warm, maybe I’m just weird!
★★★★★
erinwyso says
Martina, Thanks so much for your feedback, and I’m so happy you enjoyed. Good to know it’s tasty warm … I’ll update the recipe now to include that option! 🙂 Thanks.
Sherala says
This is so good! I’ve made it 3 times now and love it. I like it best when the “lobster” is chilled overnight. This week when making the the “lobster,” I left out the dill, added about a teaspoon of dulse flakes with the mayo, and used it as the star of a Niçoise salad. It was perfect! Thank you.
★★★★
erinwyso says
Sherala, I love to hear that … so happy you enjoyed and were able to modify it to your liking!
Nina says
I’m thinking of recreating this with jackfruit since I have that on hand! Thanks for the idea, I love lobster rolls and anything old bay?
Danielle says
This looks fantastic! What if you don’t have an air fryer? Can they be broiled?
erinwyso says
Danielle, I haven’t tried this is in the oven, so I can say for sure whether it will produce the same results or not. If you do bake, I would suggest doing it at a slightly lower temp (300 or 350), and giving them a little shake every now and then. I would keep an eye on them to ensure the edges down brown or burn — you simply want to just dry them out here. Good luck!
Kelly says
This was delicious! Though, the instructions in the ingredient list to use chopped hearts of palm soaked in cold water don’t match your directions. That threw me a bit and I missed your instructions to bake the seasoned pieces before mixing them with the rest of the ingredients. Can’t wait to try it again the right way!
Linda Martin says
I am eating this as I type…I keep having to convince myself that these are hearts of palm and not bits of lobster. The flavors are absolutely on point. Pure magic.
erinwyso says
Linda,
I’m so happy that you like! Thanks for your kind feedback.
Jodiana says
I printed this recipe in May. I finally got to make it today. Ended up I only had some of the ingredients (someone finished the celery and capers went MIA) Despite these small hurdles I have decided I can’t wait to make it again because I really liked it!! I am newly to vegan and plant based cooking so anything I can find that replaces the old way of eating is A-OK in my book! Thanks for an AWESOME web site!!!
P.S. I also LOVE the Raw Almond and Chickpea Miso Spread.
★★★★★
Aga says
Hey Erin! I’m stunned with your ideas, they look sooooo good! I have a question tho – do u have a good recipe for hot dog bun? Thanks in advance and thanks for all the sharing!
erinwyso says
Thank you, Aga! I have never made hot dog buns — many are already vegan, and I just buy off the shelf.
Allie says
We make this all the time and absolutely LOVE it.
★★★★★
erinwyso says
Allie, I am so happy to hear! Thanks for your feedback.
Sophie says
This was AMAZING. I’ve never cooked with heart of palm before but this recipe is about to be a staple in our home. My husband took two bites before looking at me and saying that it was his new favorite sandwich. Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipe!
★★★★★
erinwyso says
Sophie, I am so happy you and your husband enjoyed — thanks so much for your kind feedback!
Sharkie D. says
OMG! The flavor! This recipe has such a great flavor profile. I have made vegan lobster role in times past using baked tofu, but was recently looking for an alternative to the tofu. I’ve used HOP to mimic scallops in a scampi recipe before, so I was excited to try this. It exceeded my expectations. This is a recipe I will definitely make often. Thank for this!
★★★★★
erinwyso says
Sharkie, so happy to hear your kind feedback and that you’ll be making again! xo
Heather says
I made this today and we really enjoyed it! It’s been many years since I had actual lobster, and I think my favorite part was the melted butter; never had a lobster roll. Anyway, this version is fine with us and we will definitely have it again soon. Thank you!
★★★★★
erinwyso says
Heather, I’m so happy you enjoyed! Toasted buttery buns are the best, aren’t they? Thanks for your kind feedback.
Lili says
Hi there! I want to try this recipe but I only have celery salt. I was wondering if I could replace the celery seed and the salt by celery salt and if so by how much? Thank you!!
erinwyso says
Celery seed and celery salt are very different. I would just add a small amount and adjust to taste … I hope you enjoy!