Vegan Lobster Rolls, anyone?

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I stopped dead in my tracks when I came upon a recipe for Pawnee House Vegan Lobster Rolls while flipping through Julia Blanter’s exquisite “Martha’s Vineyard Cookbook.” Jocelyn Filley’s luscious photograph of the dish is a mouthwatering culinary still life. The lumps of “lobster” sprinkled with fresh chives immediately made my eyes jump to the recipe. Lo and behold, one of my favorite vegetables — heart of palm — is a stand-in for the crustacean. I was further delighted to discover that I loved the other ingredients, and was intrigued by how they might taste when combined. Always a plus, the recipe sounded simple, which proved to be true. It required two dishes, two measuring spoons, and only about 20 minutes to prepare.

As instructed, I preheated the oven to 400°F and set about cutting the hearts of palm. I lined them up and sliced the soft tubes diagonally into half-inch wedges, then used my fingers to separate them into shapes resembling lobster meat. It took just about two minutes, because slicing through hearts of palm is easy.

Sliding the pieces into a bowl, I tossed them with two tablespoons of smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning, and salt. I tasted the veggies and added a tad more of each spice. I find, particularly with paprika, that each version is so different that I always need to taste-test. Of all things, I’m allergic to black pepper and oils, so I omitted them. With the grand array of other delicious ingredients to come, I didn’t miss them in the least.

I popped the mixture into a baking dish and placed it in the oven. I completed the next step while the vegetables were warming up, over a mere 8 to 10 minutes. In a small bowl, I mixed the mayonnaise, celery, dill, celery seeds, chives, garlic powder, lemon zest, lemon juice, and capers. I will say that roughly chopping the capers was the only bit of challenge in the whole recipe, since the little suckers tend to roll around. After mixing the hearts of palm, I added a bit more fresh dill, because I loved the contrast of its bright flavor against the depth of the “warm” spices.

The recipe includes hot buttered lobster rolls, but I opted to put the “lobster” on a bed of lettuce, topped the mixture with more snipped chives, and immediately dug in. I had to stop myself from wolfing it down. The contrast of the crunchy and soft textures, the tang of the lemon and capers, and the various spices and herbs made for the absolute perfect meal.

Vegan Lobster Rolls
Serves 4

2 (14-oz.) cans hearts of palm, drained
1 Tbsp. avocado oil
2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
½ tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. vegan (or other) mayonnaise
1 rib celery, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
2 Tbsp. drained capers, roughly chopped
½ tsp. celery seeds
1 Tbsp. snipped chives, plus more for garnish
½ tsp. garlic powder
finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 split-top hot dog buns
1 Tbsp. vegan (or other) butter, melted
1 lemon, cut into four wedges

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the hearts of palm into nonuniform one-inch shapes (to resemble lobster meat). In a large bowl, toss the pieces with oil, smoked paprika, and Old Bay, and season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until heated through. Remove and let cool.

Combine the mayonnaise, celery, dill, capers, celery seeds, one tablespoon chives, garlic powder, lemon zest, and juice in a medium bowl. Add the hearts of palm and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Brush the rolls all over with butter. Toast both sides for about 2 minutes in total. Remove from the heat and evenly divide the hearts of palm mixture among the buns. Garnish with chives and serve each with a lemon wedge.