Video summary

Skip the $40 Lobster Roll... Make This Instead.

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Presenter / channel

  • Presented by Elias Yoder (referenced website: eliasyoder.com, where the “long version” is available as a book).

What the video makes

Two “poor man” lobster-roll-style sandwiches:

  • Egg salad roll
  • Chicken salad roll

Both are served in a warm, toasted, buttered bun with a cool, creamy filling (egg or chicken) and fresh herbs.

Ingredients (with quantities/amounts mentioned)

Egg Salad Filling

  • A few eggs (quantity not specified)
  • Mayonnaise: “a good spoon” (real mayo), enough “to bind” (not so much it drowns eggs)
  • Mustard: “a small spoon” (optional, “if you like”)
  • Salt and pepper: “a little” (to taste)
  • Onion or rib of celery: “a little finely chopped” (for crisp crunch)
  • Chives or parsley: “a scatter of fresh chopped” (for color/brightness)

Chicken Salad Filling

  • Leftover cooked chicken or 1–2 chicken breasts (quantity not specified)
  • If poaching:
    • Barely simmering water (enough to poach; no measured amount given)
    • Chicken breast(s) poached until cooked through
  • Dressing:
    • Mayonnaise: “a spoon” to bind
    • Salt and pepper
    • Chopped celery or onion (for crunch)
    • Chives or parsley (fresh, scattered)
    • Lemon: “a small squeeze” (if you have it)

Buns / Assembly

  • Soft roll or hot dog bun (split-top preferred, but any good soft roll works)
  • Butter: “a little butter” for toasting in a skillet
  • Fresh black pepper: “a crack” on top
  • Chives or parsley: “a last scatter” for garnish

Equipment & prep

  • Pot for hard-cooking eggs (and a pot for poaching chicken, if needed)
  • Lid for egg finishing off-heat
  • Bowl for mixing fillings
  • Skillet/pan for toasting buns in butter
  • Optional technique tool:
    • Cold water bath for shocking eggs

Step-by-step method (timings/temps/technique)

1) Make Egg Salad (hard-cook eggs)

  1. Put eggs in a pot and cover with cold water.
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. At the moment it reaches a full boil:
    • Take off the heat entirely, put the lid on, and let sit in the hot water off the fire for ~10–12 minutes.
    • Goal: cook through without rubbery eggs and without the green ring.
  4. Drain and drop straight into cold water to stop cooking and make peeling easier.
  5. Peel, then chop eggs (both whites and yolks) into a bowl—not too fine, keep some texture.
  6. Add dressing:
    • Mayonnaise (enough to bind/cream, but not drowning into paste)
    • Small spoon of mustard (optional)
    • Salt and pepper
    • Finely chopped onion or celery (crunch)
    • Fresh chopped chives or parsley (color/bright note)
  7. Fold gently, then taste and adjust salt. - Set as “cool and creamy” filling for the roll.

2) Make Chicken Salad (leftover chicken or poach)

  1. If using leftover chicken: skip poaching; proceed to chopping/shredding.
  2. If poaching:
    • Poach chicken breast(s) in barely simmering water.
    • No hard boil—keep it at a “bare quiver.”
    • Cook ~15–20 minutes until done, still tender and juicy.
    • Do not pour away the poaching water (saved for later broth in the video’s next plan).
  3. Cool chicken, then chop or pull into tender shreds and bite-sized pieces (avoid making it a fine paste; texture matters).
  4. Dress like egg salad:
    • Spoon of mayonnaise to bind
    • Salt and pepper
    • Chopped celery or onion (crunch)
    • Chives or parsley (fresh herbs)
    • Small squeeze of lemon (to brighten and avoid heaviness)
  5. Fold gently, then taste and adjust.

3) Toast the buns (the key technique)

  1. Choose bun type:
    • Split-top bun (cut down from the top so it opens like a “little boat”) is ideal.
    • Otherwise, use any good soft roll or even plain hot dog bun.
  2. In a skillet over medium heat, melt a little butter.
  3. Lay the cut sides of the buns down in the butter.
  4. Toast gently ~1–2 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
  5. Technique intent:
    • Toasting makes the bun nutty/rich from butter.
    • It seals the bread so the cool creamy filling doesn’t soak it mushy.
    • Never use an untoasted bun.

4) Assemble the roll

  1. Place toasted, buttered bun as the base.
  2. Add cool, creamy salad filling (egg or chicken) in a generous amount, but don’t let it spill out.
  3. Finish:
    • Crack of fresh pepper
    • Last scatter of chives or parsley for color (“gilding the lily”)
  4. Serve immediately to get the contrast: cool filling vs warm toasted bun.

Chef tips / “don’t do this” cues

  • Eggs:
    • Don’t hard-boil; the off-heat hot-water finish (~10–12 minutes off the fire) prevents rubbery texture and the green ring.
    • Shock in cold water for easier peeling.
  • Chicken:
    • Don’t use a hard boil—keep water barely simmering.
    • Don’t turn chicken into a fine paste; keep plump, tender pieces.
    • Save poaching water (video says it starts a broth; mentions next video will turn it into soup).
  • Buns:
    • The entire sandwich hinges on toasting—never serve with an untoasted bun.
    • Toast cut sides in butter until crisp to prevent sogginess.

Plating / serving suggestion

  • Eat as a sandwich roll with the classic texture contrast:
    • Cool, creamy filling inside
    • Warm, crisp, butter-toasted bun outside
  • Garnish with herbs and pepper right before serving for freshness and color.

Variations mentioned

  • Egg salad roll (cheapest)
  • Chicken salad roll (heartier; uses leftover chicken if available; otherwise poach chicken breast(s))

Referenced sources

  • Elias Yoder’s “long version” book mentioned at: eliasyoder.com.

Original video