If you're new to making sushi, please see the Sushi Beginner's Guide before getting started! This includes guides to all the basics, FAQ, and how to source ingredients. This site focuses on Americanized/Westernized sushi, check out the Types of Sushi page to learn more!
The Miso Butter Lobster Roll is a Crafty Cookbook original sushi roll. It contains cooked lobster, tossed in a miso butter sauce, on the inside, topped with avocado, tobiko, and lemon zest. Make sure you follow the Miso Butter Lobster Recipe to prepare the filling for this roll! The lobster is fully cooked, making this a great option that has no raw fish!
Lobster rolls are one of the most decadent rolls you can find at a sushi restaurant, and with this recipe you can make them at home! This recipe uses small (3 oz) lobster tails, which are easy to prepare at home even if you don't have any experience cooking lobster! The Miso Butter Lobster recipe calls for one tail, which makes enough filling for one Miso Butter Lobster Roll. I typically spend around $6 per tail at my local grocery store, making this dish so much more affordable than lobster rolls at a restaurant, which are usually at least $20.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Don't forget to check out the guides on Buying Fish For Sushi and Buying Other Ingredients for Sushi if you're not sure where to find what you need! I include online product links for reference, but it's typically much cheaper to purchase these items locally, so check out your local options!
Miso Butter Lobster
- Follow the Miso Butter Lobster recipe, which calls for lobster tail, butter, miso paste, and lemon juice.
- Cooking lobster tail is one of the easiest ways to prepare lobster at home! If you've never prepared lobster before, don't be intimidated, it's not too difficult if you follow this method.
- Lobster tails vary a lot in size. The Miso Butter Lobster recipe calls for one small lobster tail, around 3 oz in size. Larger tails will need a longer cook time, as well as more miso butter sauce to coat them. I typically pay $5 - $7 per tail for lobster tails of this size.
Lemon Zest
- I use a zester like this one to zest my lemons
- If you're using lemons for other purposes, you can zest them and save the zest in the freezer so you have it on hand for later!
- You can substitute other citrus fruit zest such as lime or orange (this will affect the taste)
Tobiko
- Tobiko is the name for flying fish roe, which are very small fish roe (eggs) that are naturally red/orange in color. They are about half the size of a sesame seed.
- You can find tobiko at a Japanese grocery store or online from a specialty fish market (more info here).
- Tobiko is naturally a red/orange color, however other varieties exist that are flavored and tinted different colors. The most common varieties are green (wasabi), yellow (yuzu/citrus), and black (squid ink). Any of these would be fine to substitute in this recipe!
- Masago is a similar fish roe that comes from the capelin fish, it is slightly smaller than tobiko but serves a very similar purpose. Masago is typically cheaper than tobiko and generally slightly lower quality. If given a choice I prefer tobiko, however masago can be a great substitute.
Avocado Roll Topping
- Click here for a guide to making an avocado topping for sushi rolls!
- This topping is made using ½ of a medium-sized avocado.
- Make sure you're using a ripe (but not over ripe) avocado. I recommend picking up a hard avocado a few days prior to making sushi. You can allow the avocado to ripen on your counter, then transfer it to the refrigerator when it is perfectly ripe (this significantly slows down the ripening process).
Sushi rice
- Sushi rice is prepared, medium grain rice that is seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. The seasoning added to the rice is what give it the distinctive taste and sticky texture.
- If possible, I strongly recommend picking up the proper kind of rice rather than using whatever rice you have on hand. Other varieties of rice (jasmine, basmati, etc.) will not turn out the same.
- Follow my recipe for Simple Sushi Rice before you begin making your sushi. You can find more information there on locating the proper ingredients.
Nori
- Nori is the seaweed wrapping used to hold together sushi rolls. After opening, store leftover nori sheets in an airtight bag at room temp with all the air pressed out to maintain freshness.
- Packages of nori vary a lot in quantity and price. I've tried out a variety of brands at different price points and have been happy with all of them. I don't think you need to splurge on the more expensive brands.
- A Japanese grocery store will have the widest selection of nori. You may be able to find nori in the "Asian foods" section of a large American grocery store, but you can also find nori online if needed.
- Nori comes in a variety of sizes, so make sure you pick up full sheets (approximately 8"x7"). These sheets can be cut down smaller when making rolls (if desired). You can read more about this in the How to Make Sushi Rolls post.
Miso Butter Lobster Roll
Ingredients
- 1 full size sheet of nori cut smaller if desired
- ~¾ cup prepared, seasoned sushi rice
Inside Roll
- 1 batch miso butter lobster
Outside Roll
- ½ avocado, prepared as roll topping click for guide
- 2 tablespoon tokibo (flying fish roe) or sub masago
- ~½ teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Cover the sheet of nori in a thin even layer of rice, filling all the way out to the edges. (click for guide)
- Flip the sheet of nori over so the rice is face down on a bamboo rolling mat that is wrapped in plastic. (click for guide)
- Arrange the filling (1 batch miso butter lobster) in an even line, 1 inch from the edge along the longer side of the nori sheet. (click for guide)
- Carefully and tightly roll up the roll. (click for guide)
- Thinly slice the avocado and spread it out so it spans the entire length of the roll. Place the avocado on top of the roll. (click for guide)
- Place the plastic-wrapped rolling mat over the top of the roll and press the roll into a consistent shape. (click for guide)
- Place the roll on a cutting board and grab your sharpest knife. Optionally, cover the roll with plastic cling wrap. Run the knife under water for a second, then shake off any excess. Cut the roll into 8 equal pieces using a gentile sawing motion with the knife, running the knife under the water between every 2-3 cuts to prevent sticking. (click for guide)
- Plate the roll on your serving dish. Mix together the tobiko and lemon zest and add it to the top of each piece. (click for guide)
Notes
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Send me pictures of your creations -- it'll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!
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