How neat are these! These fish-less vegan "lobster" rolls are so tasty, so quick, and so much kinder to your wallet! They're full of seaside flavour and so thrifty we have them on the regular!
Ready In Just 20 Minutes
Buttery
Creamy
Crisp & Summery
And 4 Loaded Rolls Cost Us Under CAD $10!
Ingredients For Vegan Lobster Roll
We use our favourite pantry friendly fish substitute for this "like lobster" roll... Hearts Of Palm!
It's actually a vegetable from the inner core of certain palm tree varieties and we've used it to substitute the fish in recipes like our Creamy "Clam" Chowder and Portuguese "Bacalhau" - Cod Stew!
For this recipe we tear the hearts of palm apart with our hands which creates a texture quite close to lobster!
How To Make This Vegan Lobster Roll
We love that this recipe is ready in just 20 minutes and can be served either hot or cold!
These thrifty vegan "lobster" rolls are made closer to the style of New England lobster rolls where the lobster is mixed with mayonnaise. We absolutely love using our 5 Minute Oil-Free Mayo because it's thick enough that we can use it right away for this recipe or make it in advance.
To start... Toss ½ teaspoon paprika and ½ teaspoon garlic powder on your shredded hearts of palm. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoon of vegan butter and warm up the hearts of palm for 5-8 minutes.
*Alternatively, serve your "like lobster" roll cold and make this recipe even quicker! Instead of heating the hearts of palm with the butter... melt 2 tablespoon of butter in the microwave, add the hearts of palm to the mayo with all the other ingredients, and stir in the melted butter for that smooth, buttery, taste.
While your hearts of palm heat up, chop up 1 rib of celery and ¼ cup red onion. Add them to the mayonnaise, celery salt, and lemon juice and stir everything together.
Finally, stir in your warm hearts of palm and toast your buns! We love using New England style buns if we can find them. The sides of the buns are exposed and can be buttered and toasted!
To build your vegan "lobster" rolls... spoon the "lobster" mixture into the toasted buns and garnish with celery leaves and another sprinkle of paprika for that red tinged lobster meat look.
Recipe Cost
This recipe makes 4 loaded rolls and costs us approximately: CAD $9.03!
The hearts of palm cost us CAD $5.79 vs. at least $20 for just .5 pound frozen lobster meat! That's a savings of at least $15 for this recipe!
What do you think? Will you be like us and treat yourself to a thrifty "like lobster" roll on the regular?
For another one of our favourite thrifty recipes take a look at our Grilled Spicy Sesame "Steak" Strips using portobello mushrooms! And... get a couple of extra cans of hearts of palm to store in your pantry for our Creamy "Hearty" Chowder, Portuguese Bacalhau, and our Seaside Taco Bowl!
Enjoy your summery "Like Lobster" Roll!
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Vegan "Lobster" Rolls You're Going To Love!
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 rolls 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These thrifty vegan "lobster" rolls overflow with buttery, creamy, crisp seaside flavour! Made with oil-free mayo & huge on savings!
Ingredients
- 796ml hearts of palm (usually 1 large can or 2 small cans)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced garlic)
- 3 tbsp vegan butter (reserve 1 tbsp for buttering buns)
- ½ cup finely chopped celery (about 1 rib, leaves reserved)*
- ¼ cup red onion, diced*
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise (our oil-free mayo or mayo of choice)
- 1 tsp celery salt (we prefer celery salt but you can sub old bay seasoning)*
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 4 New England style hot dog buns, sides buttered and toasted (or buns of choice)*
- optional: 2 seaweed snack sheets, crumbled (for stronger “fishy” flavour)
- optional: ¾ teaspoon lemon zest (for stronger lemon flavour)
*Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
*If using our oil-free mayo it is best to make it the day before or a few hours in advance and allow it to thicken in the fridge. However, it will still be thick enough to use right after you make it if you can’t make it ahead of time.
- Drain the water from the cans of hearts of palm and tear the pieces into smaller chunks to resemble pieces of lobster. Alternatively you can slice the hearts of palm with a knife. I find tearing it with my fingers creates a softer texture and more closely resembles lobster.
- Toss the hearts of palm with the garlic and smoked paprika (if using old bay seasoning you can omit the smoked paprika).
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt 2 tablespoon of vegan butter. Add the hearts of palm and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes. (See the notes if you prefer a cold "lobster" roll).
- Meanwhile, dice the celery and onion. Add them to a large bowl and mix them with the mayo, lemon juice, celery salt (or old bay), and optional ingredients if using.
- Remove the hearts of palm from the heat and stir them into the mayo mixture. Combine evenly.
- Butter the exposed sides or insides of your buns and toast them on the same hot pan you used for the hearts of palm. Alternatively, toast them under the broiler for a couple of minutes (watching closely so they don’t burn).
- Spoon the “lobster” into the buns, garnish with celery leaves and another sprinkle of smoked paprika.
- Serve warm with kettle chips, french fries, a side salad or however you prefer! Store leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave if desired or enjoy cold!
Notes
Cost Comparison: CAD $9.03 for 4 rolls. The hearts of palm costs us CAD $5.79 vs. at least CAD $20 for .5 pound frozen lobster meat.
If you prefer a cold “lobster” roll you can keep the hearts of palm raw or boil them for 5-10 minutes to soften them slightly and let them cool before adding the rest of the ingredients. With either of these methods, melt the 2 tablespoon butter and pour it over the mixture instead of adding it to the skillet.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Burgers & Sandwiches
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
Ron
As a lobster lover I had my doubts about this one, but now I am hooked. Or should I say trappped. That's a hefty sandwich too. Deserves 5 stars. Your dad and father in law are lucky men if you made this for them!
Kathryn Alexandre
haha so glad to hear this one "trapped" you Ron!
Judy
I made these lobster rolls last night for supper served with a garden salad. A tasty idea for a summer evening supper or any day lunch option. I will certainly keep them in my meal rotation.
We were fortunate to have these in the TTT kitchen a few weeks ago, Delicious !!!👍
Judy
Kathryn Alexandre
Thank you Judy! I'm so glad you liked them and enjoyed making them at home! I'm glad they will be a keeper!
ty
This is seriously good. So creamy and rich even with oil-free mayo. Mind BLOWN! Props. Don't know how this is possible but it works.
Kathryn Alexandre
Right! I'm so glad you agree that the oil-free mayo is like a magical and unexplainable gift. Thank you so much for letting me know you tried this recipe and loved it Ty. Thank you for the great star rating too!
Elaine
This makes an amazing sandwich!!! Thanks for sharing your creativity.
Kathryn Alexandre
I'm so glad you like this one! Thank you so much for trying it and taking the time to come back and leave a 5 star review!