Welcome to Sunday Sundries, the antidote to—or at least a distraction from—your Sunday Scaries.
Hi friends,
Wow! I’ve been all over the place since we last spoke, geographically speaking. Boston, Maine, Boston again, Palm Beach. (Decidedly not at home in Brooklyn.) And it’s been great to spend so much quality time with so many of my favorite people, but I can safely say I’m vacationed out for the moment.
I can’t wait to head home and be a bit boring. And, especially, to spend some time with the book I’m writing, which fell by the wayside in my travels.
But, today, let’s zoom in on the Maine section of my trip, because our annual Lobster Roll Off is one of my favorite weekends of the year. And I’m delighted it’s become a tradition for so many of you to spectate from afar, too.
So, a bit of a different format this weekend with a Roll Off recap. (Still lots of links at the bottom, too!)
ICYMI, a bunch of my college friends and I host an annual lobster roll cooking competition. This year was our fourth. People travel from far and wide—well… Boston, NYC, Chicago—to compete for the crown in central Maine.
These aren’t your average butter or mayo rolls, either. Last year’s rolls included a a french toast bun, a lobster bahn mi, and a Chicago Dog roll.
How It Works:
Each competitor gets 1/2 lb of cooked, shelled lobster meat that we buy from a local fish market1 to make 3 full rolls. After pics are taken, they’re cut into bite-sized piece for judging.
You can bring or ship ingredients in advance. Otherwise, all ingredients are purchased the morning of the competition at Hannaford’s in a chaotic shopping trip strongly reminiscent of the grocery games chapter in Happy Place by Emily Henry. We always get a lot of comments about our lobster-themed outfits.
Rollers have 60 minutes to make their roll. Each person gets a station with a cutting board and knife. Oven, grill, air-fryer, blender, and stovetop space is all first-come, first-serve.
This year, we introduced a hydration break at the 30-minute mark, sponsored by Mike O’Brien Homes. AKA my friend’s husband who does not want to compete and instead makes a signature cocktail every year. This year’s was a limoncello spritz.
For judging: all competitors plus three non-cooking judges each get a 3-point vote, a 2-point vote, and a 1-point vote. You cannot vote for your own roll. The roller with the most points wins. (Ties are allowed; we had a first place tie in year 2!)
The Extras:
Lobster-themed clothing has become a big part of the competition! Though this year many of us got a bit lazy and went with lobster-themed t-shirts. (This was mine. I actually foresee it getting a lot of wear in my day-to-day life.)
While we cook, there’s a playlist of songs that include the word “lobster” or “roll” or “butter.”
What Do You Win? Mostly bragging rights, but we discussed turning the lobster wine holder from Elizabeth’s roll presentation into a trophy. So, stay tuned for year 5!
Let’s dive into this year’s crustacean creations!
Peter’s “Baha-bster” Roll
The roller:
Peter is the regular cook for his family of 4
Finally found lobster meat in suburban Chicago to test his roll in advance
Is absolutely wearing a ladies’ sweater that got a lot of compliments at the grocery store
The roll: Peter did a Mexican-style roll with a take on Taco Bell’s Baja sauce—using sour cream instead of mayo as a binder; a bold choice—topped with avocado, red onion, and jalapeño. We all agreed it was somehow both too wet and too bland. Not all bold choices pay off.
Molly’s “The Devil Wears Butter” Roll
The Roller:
Molly is a regular and adventurous cook
Wild card competitor: won year 1 with her elote-style roll, came in dead last in year 2 with a bland roasted red pepper roll, then 2nd in year 3 with a creative french toast lobster roll
Lets us destroy her kitchen for this annual competition
The Roll: This roll’s creative name is misleading as there was no butter involved. Instead, it’s a deviled egg inspired roll using sweet relish mayo as the lobster binder, then topped with a deviled egg mixture, and further garnished with hot and sweet jalapeños, crispy fried onions, paprika, and everything bagel seasoning. People really liked this roll, but it wasn’t for me as a bread and butter pickle hater.
Kate’s Liparian Lobster Roll
The Roller:
Took inspiration from our recent trip to Sicily’s Aeolian islands
Tied for co-first-place winner in year 2 with a caviar and creme fraiche roll
The Roll: Definitely the riskiest roll from a timing perspective! Kate whipped up a homemade caponata with garlic, tomatoes, capers, and olives. Even riskier considering not everyone in the group is an olive person. I liked it, though! This grabbed my 2nd place vote!
Elizabeth’s “Clawing to Glory” Roll
The Roller:
Does not cook outside of this competition
Typically has the best presentation (one year: Trader Joe’s “Just the Lobster” gummies as a garnish; last year: a lobster uncrustable)
The Roll: When she told us her concept the night before—inspired by Boston College dining’s “Screaming Eagle” cheesesteak—we were all skeptical. Melted cheese has historically not gone over well in this competition. She combined a mix of sautéed peppers and onions with lobster mixed with homemade chipotle mayo and topped with melted jack and cooper cheeses. Our worry turned out to be for naught because this was excellent and nabbed my 1st place vote.
Mike’s Caesar Salad Roll
The Roller:
Made the universally acknowledged worst roll in Lobster Roll Off history in year 1—think: hunks of red onion and congealed melted cheese
This is the first year testing his roll in advance
The Roll: Does practice make perfect? Because this was Mike’s first year testing his concept, which led to him scrapping a tikka masala lobster roll and pivoting to this caesar salad concept instead. The lobster and lettuce—which his name card specified as “poop-free”—were both mixed with a garlic caesar dressing. The buttered croutons gave a nice crunch and some dijon mustard swiped on the bun helped cut the parmesan-heavy roll. An overall solid showing!
Becca’s “Lobster Luau” Roll
The Roller:
Two-time defending champion with a calabrian chili roll last year and a buffalo roll in year 2
Tested two different fruit-forward concepts to hone in on a recipe
Bad reputation for aggressive trash talk and gloating
The Roll: I’ve been thinking about a pineapple salsa roll since year 2, but everyone I’ve told has been lukewarm—at best—on the concept. But with two wins under my belt, I decided to follow my heart. The lobster meat was mixed in a garlic butter sauce and topped with a pineapple salsa using rough proportions from this recipe. (The salsa was great with chips, too. I’ll definitely been making it again.) But did following my heart lead to a three-peat victory?
It was our 2nd year in a row with a strong across the board showing. While preferences came into play (olives, sweet relish), no roll was objectively bad. (We keep joking we should open a food truck with the year’s recipes.) But when all was said and eaten, here’s how the final rankings shook out:
6th place: Peter’s “Baha-bster” Roll
5th place: Kate’s Liparian Lobster Roll
4th place: Mike’s Caesar Salad Roll
3rd place: Molly’s “The Devil Wore Butter” Roll
2nd place: Becca’s “Lobster Luau” Roll
1st place: (*cue drumroll and wild fanfare from the crowd*) Elizabeth’s “Clawing to Glory” Roll
In honor of her upset, Elizabeth recorded this victory speech for her fans and doubters alike:
And, for all in the know, the true star of the day was—of course—Ruby:
The Booker Prize longlist was announced this week.
Barack Obama also dropped his summer reading list.
Vacation outfit MVPs were this shell dress (sadly mostly sold out, but love the wrap skirt version!) and this admittedly VERY splurgy dress that makes me feel like a mermaid and I justified by telling myself I can wear on every vacation through my 70s.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is available to stream on Hulu. (And also on Delta flights.)
So many of you DMed me about the Wicker Basket Man movie? Which sounds straight out of one of the obscure erotica eps we do on BOP. I’ve gotta dig into this.
A few sales to know about:
BaubleBar has 25% off site wide. I’m still getting a ton of wear out of this citron big bead necklace to jazz up a basic white tee. Not included in the sale, but how cute are these striped initial pouches?
Farm Rio has up to 50% off + an extra 30% with code EXTRA30. Personally, I’ve been eying this blouse that’s included since I saw Grace Atwood wear it a few weeks ago.
Veronica Beard has an extra 20% off sale with code SUMMER2026. This sequin skirt may be too good for me to pass up.
More soon,
Becca
Though we did get a sponsorship offer from a family-owned fish company at the bar afterward for next year’s roll off!
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