Award-Winning Lobster BLT Sandwich

Last Updated November 21st, 2020 at 09:37 pm by Lisa

You have gotta make this (1st place blue ribbon) Award-Winning Lobster BLT Sandwich, it has succulent lobster, crispy applewood smoked bacon and a quick, easy dill-caper aioli!

What kind of lobster can I use for this recipe?

You will need 1 small lobster tail per BLT Sandwich (or about ½ cup of chopped lobster meat), there are several types of lobsters available in the US and around the world.

Lobsters come large and small, locally in Southern California I find small lobster tails at our local market that weigh 5.2 -5.7 ounces with the shell on. You can find lobster tails at Costco, or order online from many excellent sources.

How do I cook the lobster?

BOIL METHOD: Put a medium pot of water on the stove, once boiling, add small lobster tails and boil for 10 minutes. Larger lobster tails will need more time to cook. Some white foam will come out in the water, this is part of the cooking process. Cool the lobsters before handling.

OR...

GRILL METHOD: cut the lobster tails in half lengthwise,  and grill on either an outdoor grill, or inside on a grill pan until meat is white and tails curve slightly, once the tails are cool enough to handle, remove the grilled lobster meat from shells.

How To Remove Lobster Meat From The Shell?

Hold the cooled cooked lobster tail in a clean kitchen towel, and using kitchen scissors (or curved lobster shears) cut down the middle of both sides of the shell, crack open, and pull out the lobster meat. Place your thumb under the lobster meat down by tail, and push the meat out of the shell. Be careful of the sharp points of the lobster shell. Discard any grey "sand vein" from the cooked lobster that runs down the tail.

How do I get the applewood smoked bacon crispy?

STOVE TOP METHOD: Heat a cast iron skillet, place bacon in the skillet and cook until done, approximately 10 minutes.

Pros: Fast and easy, the old fashioned tried and true way to cook bacon.

Cons: Your stovetop gets messy and a cast iron pan to clean.

TIP: I use a splatter screen (see below) for 2 reasons, one it helps keep the stovetop cleaner (but it isn't perfect) and second, it keeps the bacon cooking in the pan from popping hot grease on you! It can be put right in the dishwasher and cleans easily.

OR...

OVEN METHOD: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay the bacon on a wire rack over a sheet pan covered with heavy aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes until the bacon is really crispy. Place on paper towels to drain grease and cool. Once the bacon grease is cool, simply toss the aluminum foil and bacon grease.

Pros: Works well, but the pan and rack are more work to clean than just a skillet. You can cook a large amount of bacon this way in a short amount of time!

Cons: You must wash the sheet pan and rack, which are more work to clean than just a skillet.

What Is Aioli?

Aioli is a Mediterranean sauce made of garlic and olive oil, and many regions use egg as the emulsifier. An emulsification is the suspension of two liquids within each other that would not naturally mix.  In other words, the sauce becomes thick and well combined and does not separate once mixed. Aioli is found in the cuisines of the Mediterranean coasts of Spain (Valencia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Murcia and eastern Andalusia), France (Provence) and Italy (Liguria, Sicily, and Calabria).

In French ai means garlic, and oli is the Provencal word for oil.

Current versions of the French-Provençal sauce are closer to a garlic mayonnaise, incorporating egg yolks and lemon juice, whereas the original French-Provençal and Catalan versions are without egg yolk and have more garlic. This gives the sauce a pastier texture while making it more laborious to make as the emulsion is harder to stabilize. There are many variations, such as adding lemon juice or other seasonings. In France, it may include Dijon mustard. It is often served at room temperature.

Since the late 1980s, it has been trendy to call all flavored mayonnaises "aioli", with flavorings such as saffron or chili. However, purists insist "flavored mayonnaise can contain garlic, but true aioli contains no seasoning but garlic".

Traditionally aioli is made with:

• a mortar and pestle
• a lot of time and "elbow grease"
• fresh garlic, sea salt, egg yolk
• usually adding Dijon mustard
• and drizzling in lots of olive oil one pour at a time while stirring

This method achieves a thick emulsified texture that no mixer can possibly achieve. But it takes an effort to do this by hand, however, the result is real traditional aioli.

BUT, honestly, it takes A LOT of elbow grease to mix it in a mortar and pestle, plus your time.  So, introducing an easier way to make aioli in 4 minutes flat!

How To Make An "Easier" Dill Caper Aioli:

By using mayonnaise as the base, this skips the emulsification step of making traditional aioli with olive oil, egg, and garlic which takes time and lots of effort.

In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the lemon juice, capers, chopped fresh dill, and crushed garlic. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined, keep chilled till ready to use. That's it!

You can also use this aioli on chicken or with fish...

Thrilling to win my first blue ribbon at the fair, it was my first time cooking on stage in front of a live audience...nerve racking but I did it! And really enjoyed the cooking competition at the OC Fair!

How To Make A Lobster BLT Sandwich:

1. Heat a heavy cast iron pan. Butter sourdough bread with soft butter put in pan butter side down. Grill the bread until it is golden brown and crispy, flip one time just to warm the other side of the bread for one minute, remove from pan. Turn off heat.
2. Spread dill-caper aioli on each slice of bread (leave the brown buttered side as the outside of the sandwich)
3. Add looseleaf lettuce, 2-3 pieces of heirloom tomato slices, crispy applewood smoked bacon, and add cooked lobster pieces (cut into bite-size pieces). Place another slice of bread on top. Slice and serve!

More Delicious Sandwiches: