Serving chilled tarragon-scented lobster salad on warm buttery brioche (rather than the traditional hot dog roll) offers an elegant upgrade to this iconic New England recipe

Ingredients

• Six Maine lobsters (one and one-half pounds each), steamed and cooled
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups of homemade mayonnaise
• Two celery stalks, finely diced
• Juice of one lemon
• Two teaspoons of lemon zest
• One tablespoon of finely chopped fresh tarragon
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Six brioche rolls, top-split if possible
• Four tablespoons of salted butter
• Six leaves of Boston bibb lettuce, washed and dried
• Lemon wedges to garnish

Instructions

Wrap the diced celery in several paper towels and refrigerate for 20 minutes to remove any excess moisture.

Remove the lobster meat from the shells and chop into bite-sized chunks.  In a medium bowl, gently toss the lobster meat with the celery, lemon juice, lemon zest, tarragon and just enough mayonnaise to bind together.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate, well covered, for at least thirty minutes and up to six hours.

Just before serving, melt butter in a large skillet, add brioche rolls and cook for two minutes on each side until golden.  Line each toasted roll with a leaf of lettuce and stuff with the chilled lobster salad.  Serve garnished with lemon wedges and a side of Old Cape Cod chips if you'd like.