This Cheesy Lobster Roll Dip has lots of cheese and a pound of langostino in it, served with buttered brioche croutons.

I love a lobster roll.

Love.

Just like with a Philly Cheesesteak, I find that people are very opinionated about their lobster rolls.

Very opinionated.

There are those that like it cold (Maine style) with mayo, celery, scallions, and a squeeze of lemon.

They are served in a toasted split-top hot dog bun or brioche roll.

And there is Connecticut style which dips the lobster in melted butter served in the toasted split-top hot dog bun or brioche roll with a squeeze of lemon.

For the record, I like both ways.

Actually, I take lobster pretty much any way.

But my favorite I ever had it was on a buttered and toasted brioche bun.

In which they dunked the lobster in melted butter.

Then they coated it with mayo, herbs, celery, and lemon.

Then they poured hot butter over that.

And that is what I tried to recreate in the dip.

My girl Jessica over at How Sweet Eats has a Hot Lobster Dip which is what I based my recipe on.

I have added ingredients and the way I make it is a little different.

I do a saute pan first and then oven.

Plus I give my langostino a little butter bath before going in the dip.

Which creates butter to form on top during the baking.

You dip the Buttered Brioche Crouton in the melted butter first and then into the cheesy dip.

What ingredients do I need to make a Cheesy Lobster Roll Dip?

• Langostino Lobster: I used Langostinos for my dip. Obviously lobster would be best but that was not in the budget. 🙂
• Unsalted Butter: The recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups of unsalted butter. Don’t panic, the one cup of butter is to dunk and slightly cook the langostino in. And then later brush on the brioche croutons.
• Better Than Bouillon Premium Lobster Base: This is key to getting the lobster flavor throughout the dip.. It’s a concentrate paste of lobster base. I have it linked where to buy on Amazon (affiliate) but if you are in the Seattle area you can buy it at the Town and Country Stores as well as Ballinger Thriftway.
• Celery: Not everyone likes celery in their lobster roll. You can omit the clergy if you don’t like it. I personally like the slight crunch it gives.
• Dried Chives and Dill: Dried herbs are used because they are widely available. You can use fresh if you prefer. You will need more of the fresh herbs than dried. So adjust accordingly.
• Gruyere: Gruyere is just such a yummy cheese. It’s got great flavor but doesn’t take away from the flavor of the lobster (langostino). You can use Swiss as well. I used an Alpine mix of Gruyere/Swiss.
• Parmesan: I would either freshly grate your own or get a freshly grated parmesan for the best flavor. But if you want to use the green can…go for it…no judgement here as it’s always in my fridge.
• Brioche: You need brioche to make the long croutons for dipping. That completes the lobster roll feel. I used brioche hamburger buns because they were on super sale and I’m cheap. 😀
• Lemon Zest: The zest has more flavor than just the juice so I use that instead. You can squeeze some lemon juice on top of the dip when out of the oven if you want.

Substitutions:

What can I use besides Langostino Lobster?

• Lobster: clearly using actual lobster would work…it’s just pricey depending on where you live and time of year.
• Wild Argentine Red Shrimp: my Costco sells this and I have used it as a substitute in my Gouda and Lobster Mac and Cheese and it was great.
• Norway Lobster: Which are essentially Langostinos so it’s a perfect substitute.
• Crab or Shrimp: If you can’t find any of those things you can always make the dip with crab or shrimp.

Can I use imitation lobster?

I would not use imitation lobster or crab in this dip.

What can I used besides the Buttered Brioche Croutons?

• Tortilla Chips: Especially the scoop kind to get all the dip in there.
• Butter Crackers: Something like Ritz or Keebler Club Crackers. Or an organic version if that’s your thing.
• Potato Chips: Ruffles or a thick cut potato chips would be great with this.
• Celery: I know, veggies. But since there is celery in the dip, raw celery works great with this.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Do I have to put the langostino in the butter?
  No, you don’t have to do that if you don’t want. But if you are like me and want to have the hot butter flavor from a lobster roll you want to. The butter does rise to the top during baking. I suggest dipping your crouton in that first and then the dip. SOOOO good.
  You can just fold the langostino into the dip if you are not precooking them in the butter.
• Can I Use Another Cheese? For this, I would not. You don’t want too strong of a cheese because you want the flavor of the lobster to come out.
• Can I serve this cold? I would have thought no. However, due to extreme hunger combined with laziness my husband and I ate the dip the next day just out of the container cold. We had to use a knife to spread it on the crackers and leftover croutons. But it was good! So YES, you can indeed serve this cold.
  I would however, not freeze the dip.
• Do I have to precook it in the saute pan? Yes and no. You still need to cook the 1/4 cup butter, lobster base, and celery in the skillet. After that you can add it to a mixer with the all the ingredients but the langostino. Then fold in the langostino. If you don’t precook it in the saute pan then you need to add another 5-10 minutes baking time.
• Why do you precook it in the saute pan? Because it ensures that all the ingredients are combined thoroughly. Also, when warm, I can fold in the langostino pieces without them being ripped apart and made smaller.

P.S. It’s a great day to buy my cookbook Holy Sweet!

Want More Dip Recipes?

Feta Walnut Dip

Artichoke Garlic Parmesan Dip

Cream Cheese Dill Pickle Dip

Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Gruyere Dip

Hot Shrimp Scampi Dip