Classic Lobster Salad

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 12/4/22
Lobster salad on a bed of lettuce surrounded by sliced avocado, cucumber, and tomato

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
312 Calories
18g Fat
6g Carbs
31g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 312
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 23%
Saturated Fat 3g 14%
Cholesterol 111mg 37%
Sodium 490mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 31g
Vitamin C 8mg 38%
Calcium 90mg 7%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 346mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

A lobster salad is an excellent choice for a luncheon or hot weather dinner. If you are lucky enough to have a few freshly steamed lobsters, this is an excellent way to enjoy them.

A classic accompaniment to lobster is melted butter, but a lobster salad is delicious and a great way to use fresh-off-the-boat lobster meat if that's what you have on hand. The flavors in this salad mix together for a refreshing taste that's somewhat reminiscent of a Maine lobster roll.

Arrange this lobster salad on lettuce leaves or mixed greens with avocado wedges or fresh sliced tomatoes around the edge of the plate. Or use the lobster salad mixture to fill toasted hot dog rolls. It's also great when served with cole slaw alongside.

If you are cooking the lobsters yourself and you've never done it before, they are easy to steam or boil, as long as you have a large pot. Once the lobsters are prepared you will need to know how to remove the meat for the salad. If you have access to fresh lobster meat from a fishmonger, and you don't want to bother with cooking them and removing the meat yourself, you may be able to purchase, as you would with lump crab meat, lobster meat.

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound cooked lobster meat, diced (from about 3 to 4 whole 1-pound lobsters)

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

  • 4 to 6 tablespoons mayonnaise, or more, to moisten

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • Mixed salad greens (or lettuce leaves)

  • 1 avocado, peeled, quartered, and brushed with lemon juice, optional

  • Sliced tomatoes, optional

  • Sliced cucumber, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for classic lobster salad recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Toss the cooked, diced lobster meat with lemon juice and the celery.

    Diced lobster meat tossed with celery and lemon juice in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Gently stir in mayonnaise and then season with salt and pepper, to taste.

    Mayonnaise and seasonings stirred into the lobster mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  4. Mound the lobster salad on lettuce leaves with a wedge of avocado, cucumber and tomatoes.

    Mound of lobster on salad greens with sliced avocado, cucumber, and tomato

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga 

  5. This lobster salad can also be used as the sandwich filling for a lobster roll in a sweet bun or in traditional toasted hot dog buns with lettuce.

    Lobster salad in toasted split hot dog rolls on a plate

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Variations

  • This lobster salad can also be used as the sandwich filling for a lobster roll in a sweet bun or in traditional toasted hot dog buns with lettuce.
  • Lobster salad is also great if you mix in some freshly chopped herbs such as chives, tarragon, dill, and/or parsley.

How Healthy Is Lobster?

Lobster is a good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin E, along with minerals such as magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus. It's also low in saturated fat. For those concerned about dietary cholesterol consumption, lobster contains more than a serving of shrimp, about 124 milligrams in a three-ounce serving.

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