This easy recipe for lobster bruschetta is the perfect fancy appetizer or light lunch. Full of seafood and vegetable goodness!

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Why we love this recipe
To be fair, I pretty much love all lobster recipes (hey there, lobster pasta!) but this quick and easy lobster appetizer recipe has a special place in my heart.
Lightly toasted slices of Italian bread brushed with olive oil and topped with a mixture of chopped lobster, shallots, tomato and fresh herbs, all tossed with a little bit of sherry wine.
It’s the perfect speedy and elegant first course, or you can do like we do and have them as a light supper…add a glass of wine and some chocolate something for dessert and you have a memorable dinner to sit down to.
What is bruschetta?
Traditional bruschetta is an Italian appetizer made of good-sized slices of toasted Italian bread topped with a mixture of tomatoes, olive oil and garlic.
And while we are talking bread-based appetizers, the little cousin of bruschetta is crostini, which can have any number of different toppings but is made out of thinner, smaller slices of bread (usually a baguette). We have a fig jam and blue cheese crostini recipe that has our whole heart.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Lobster: You can absolutely cook your own lobster for this recipe, but we always ask our friendly neighborhood seafood folks in the grocery store to steam a lobster for it, so all we need to do is shell it. Or if we are lucky, they have some fresh cooked lobster already shelled. It’s spendy, but you are worth it!
- Tomatoes: We like cherry tomatoes for this recipe (especially in the winter months when they magically still have a fresh tomato flavor) but you can use chopped larger tomatoes if you prefer.
- Herbs: We go back and forth between basil in the summer and parsley in the colder months, but either is great – so is fresh oregano!
- Bread: We recommend a loaf of fresh-baked Italian bread from your supermarket bakery. You won’t need it all, but the leftovers are wonderful!
How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Mix some white wine vinegar and a peeled and chopped shallot in a mixing bowl and let it sit for five minutes.
STEP 2: Add some cooked lobster, cherry tomatoes, chopped celery, Sherry wine, basil (or parsley) and olive oil to the bowl and give it all a toss. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
STEP 3: While the lobster mixture is marinating, lightly toast four pieces of Italian bread and drizzle them with olive oil. Divide the lobster mixture between the bread slices and serve it up!
Recipe FAQs
If you can’t find fresh, frozen is the next best choice! Our preferred brand is Cozy Harbor. You can also swap the lobster for cooked chopped shrimp.
Shallots are part of the onion family. They are smaller and a little sweeter, and you can find them in the produce section near, yep, the onions!
You can, although it does give this recipe a lovely sweet flavor. Madeira wine is a good substitute if you have that on hand.
The lobster topping definitely can be made ahead (store it in the fridge in a covered container). You do want to make the toast right before serving so it stays nice and crispy.
Pop your question in the Comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Other appetizer recipes we love
Looking for more appetizer inspiration? Here is our complete collection of appetizer recipes!
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
PrintLobster Bruschetta
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 2 reviews
This easy recipe for lobster bruschetta is the perfect fancy appetizer or light lunch. Full of seafood and vegetable goodness!
- Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Marinating time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Low Lactose
Ingredients
- One 1 1/2– to 1 3/4-pound lobster, steamed, shelled and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- I cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons sherry
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or basil
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional (for drizzling)
- 4 one inch slices of Italian bread
Instructions
- Mix the shallot and vinegar in a large bowl and let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Add the lobster meat, tomatoes, celery, sherry, herbs and 1/4 cup oil to the bowl with the shallots. Toss until everything is nice and mixed up and if you have time, let it all stand 30 minutes for the flavors to blend.
- While the lobster mixture is marinating, lightly toast the bread and then drizzle it with a little more olive oil. Divide the lobster salad among the toasts and serve it up!
Notes
-
- Lobster: You can absolutely cook your own lobster for this recipe, but we always ask our friendly neighborhood seafood folks in the grocery store to steam a lobster for it, so all we need to do is shell it. Or if we are lucky, they have some fresh cooked lobster already shelled. It’s spendy, but you are worth it!
-
- Tomatoes: We like cherry tomatoes for this recipe (especially in the winter months when they magically still have a fresh tomato flavor) but you can use chopped larger tomatoes if you prefer.
-
- Herbs: We go back and forth between basil in the summer and parsley in the colder months, but either is great – so is fresh oregano!
-
- Bread: We recommend a loaf of fresh-baked Italian bread from your supermarket bakery. You won’t need it all, but the leftovers are wonderful!
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Sarah from 20somethingcupcakes says
What a great idea! I love staying in on Friday nights but usually am exhausted from a long week at work, so a simple appetizer night may be just the thing.
ericucci says
Love the Friday Night Lights idea! We love munching on appetizers – oftentimes our meals will consist of a simple tray of meats, cheeses, and olives (with a little wine or beer to wash it down).
With the bruschetta, what would you think about trying other kinds of seafood? Do you think shrimp or crab would have the same effect?
Nutmeg Nanny says
I just showed this to my boyfriend and I swear I saw him drool!
Fun and Fearless in Beantown says
This is such a great idea and a wonderful way to work through those appetizer recipes!
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Vicky: absolutely – or also with fresh ricotta cheese!
Vicki says
Think I could veggie-ize this with soft mozzarella? Trader Joe's has great basil in right now. There's a pack in the fridge destined for pesto.
FOODalogue says
That looks like the perfect start for a new tradition. I love little meals with big flavors.
Cakewalk Yarns says
I love the idea of an herb bouquet. I just bought new pots for my kitchen window & seeds today (this has been attempted many times in the past and always ended in futility by mid May…should break down & buy the aerogarden)
PoetessWug says
Hubby and I have a 'Date Night' every Friday night that is sort of like your Saturday extravaganza. A light night meal the night before 'ain't a bad idea!' What a great looking light meal this one looks to be too!
Amy's Cooking Adventures says
What a fun idea! When my kiddies are old enough to fend for themselves, I think I'll have to talk my husband into Saturday night dates!
Joanne says
Well, when you DO figure out how to incorporate fine dinner parties into your life, can you let me know?n because I'd really like to have some as well. But med students don't seem to be so keen on the idea of me making salmon en croute or some other ridiculous thing. I think I can sneak in some appetizers for lunch though. Seems like a good light delicious idea. Love this bruschetta.
City Share says
The recipe looks delicious, but I can't eat shellfish. I can however incorporate you idea of appetizer Friday to balance out the Saturday night out. Here's to Friday Night Lites.
vanillasugar says
living on cape cod we have to be creative with our lobster or it gets boring. so this is bookmarked for sure. gorgeous photo!
a Broad says
Weeping at the sight of Lobster. I have not had any since living in Buenos Aires. And we were just talking about a pasta sauce my husband used to make with fresh lobster ..
I like your Reviews on Yelp. I knew all the names of the restaurants ! It has been so long since we were there, but I guess good food remains a good memory for a long time.
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says
so jealous of this!!! i LOVE lobster. just might have to treat myself :)