The Dish: New England style lobster roll from Oyster House in Center City

All right, it's time now for the dish. And today we are serving up one of our favorite summer splurges, lobster rolls. Oh, so good. Treat yourself. As Oyster House in Center City gets ready to celebrate 50 years, we learned the secrets to their number one seller. I slid into the kitchen during a very busy lunch hour to help make one of the tens of dozens of New England style lobster rolls flying off the line. [Music] We are going to make uh our New England style lobster roll with you guys today. One of my favorites, summer classic at Oyster House on Sansom Street. It's the best seller no matter the season. We keep it really simple. You want the lobster meat to really shine in it. All it takes is a few good ingredients. We have fresh lobster meat that comes straight from Maine. We have a mixture of mayo, celery, salt, lemon juice, and black pepper. And just mix tenderly. You don't want to break it up too much. Do not break it up. You can tell this is the good lobster. This This is the good stuff. So, this is a TCK, which is a tail, claw, and knuckle. The final step is a split top bun, buttered, and toasted. Emphasis on buttered. Very buttery. That's key. So, you don't put butter on it. You put butter on the griddle. We put butter on the griddle. And then we sear it in the butter. When the lobster meets the bun, think less shove and more showcase. The key for this is you want to keep the lobster roll intact. So, you put the lobster meat right in the middle. Okay, go for it. You don't you don't want the meat to like destroy the bun. One last touch. Sprinkle a little ch. Yeah. Okay. I'm taking mine out to the newly renovated dining room for a chat with Sam Mink. Wow. Wow. Wow. Yes. Succulent, decadent, lobster roll. Happy. Mink is the third generation in what's become a Philadelphia oyster empire. My dad opened up in May of 1976, 3 months after I was born. And so next year we'll be celebrating 50 years. Me and the restaurant. We're the same age. Mink's grandfather owned another seafood spot a block away. All of these oyster plates on the wall. All of this art is my grandfather's art from the 50s and 60s. So I carry on his legacy here at Oyster House. In their oyster theater in the round, you'll find a familiar face. Hi Kiki. Celebrity shucker Gary McCriedi. Each oyster has a story, right? So we try to uh give that story from farmer to the guest, right? as we're shucking the oysters and Gary is happy to share the stage. Ready? One, two, three, push. Okay, that's your oyster. Look at Look at you. Hello. By the end of the month, a second oyster house is joining the legacy at Philadelphia International Airport. We've never thought about opening up another Oyster House in the city, but the opportunity for the airport where you get tons of tourists and locals going through seems like a no-brainer. But first, cheers. We can't let Gary's hard work just sit here. That's a good oyster. That's a nice oyster. Shucking an oyster is harder than it looks. Gary shucks about a thousand a day. He's such a star. He It's almost like he has his own little stage there. The theater in the round. I loved how proud of yourself you were when you shook that oyster. I've never done it, but I like oysters. Well, because they're expensive. I didn't want to ruin it. You shuck them, I'll eat them. Okay. Or I had to eat my own. So it was like I worked really hard on