How would you like your lobster served?

I can remember the first time I heard someone say they cooked a turkey for their Christmas dinner and I thought “that’s weird”.

In our family, Christmas dinners consisted of one main and essential ingredient – lobster. Steamed lobster, lobster chowder, lobster sandwiches, lobster alfredo, creamed lobster (my favourite!)… it didn’t matter how it was presented as long as the start of the show was lobster. And you don’t have to look very far to understand why.

I grew up in a small and picturesque town in Southwest Nova Scotia where the majority of the population had a connections in some way, shape or form to the lobster fishery. The lobster grounds off of this part of Nova Scotia are amongst the richest in the world and the lobster fishery has been the economic backbone for this and many communities in Nova Scotia for decades. While lobster is available fresh in Nova Scotia 365 days a year, the lobster season where I grew up runs from the last week in November to the last week in May annually. Lobsters caught in this area (known locally as Districts 33 & 34) account for approximately 40% of all lobster caught in Canada annually.

I grew up on this stuff – we played with the lobsters, teased our cats with the lobsters, even hypnotized the lobsters. I can safely say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed more of these succulent, sweet creatures of the sea than should be legally allowed. But I love them! So it’s no great surprise that over the years, I’ve become known as a bit of a lobster-loving connoisseur.

While a traditional steamed lobster dinner or a fresh lobster roll or a loaded-with-seafood chowder can be found in numerous restaurants around the province, my favourite crustacean is more frequently being paired with a variety of other ingredients to become a signature dish on many Nova Scotia menus. Here are a few of my favourites I recommend you try as as you claw your way around Nova Scotia!

Dinner

• The Lunenburger (Grand Banker Bar & Grill, Lunenburg): I dare you to take on this signature dish – six ounces of hand formed fresh local ground beef, smoked mozzarella, smoked bacon and baby spinach, generously topped with lobster knuckles and claws and tarragon butter sauce. Served on a local artisan bun and picked with a bacon wrapped scallop!
• Creamed Lobster (La Cuisine Robicheau, Saulnierville) : creamed lobster is a unique dish found mostly in the southwestern part of the province. The key to good creamed lobster is butter and whipping cream… and when it’s served with mashed potatoes, peas & carrots, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better dinner plate!
• Thai Chili Lobster (Restaurant Compose, Annapolis Royal): fresh lobster tossed in a homemade curry-coconut sauce served over linguine and topped with grilled green asparagus
• Lobster Thermidor (Five Fishermen Restaurant & Grill, Halifax): with a Cognac sabayon, rosemary potato medley, panko and Gruyere cheese
• Risotto al’Aragosta (The Bicycle Thief, Halifax): local lobster is the main ingredient of this succulent risotto complimented with roasted garlic, San Marzano tomato, vino bianco, mascarpone and Parmigiano
• Lobster Mac n’ Cheese (The Rusty Anchor, Pleasant Bay): the all-time favourite mac n’ cheese enhanced with lobster and Havarti cheese.
• Lobster Newburg (Restaurant 100 at The Chanterelle Inn, North River Bridge): the Inn’s take on Lobster Newburg features fresh Cape Breton lobster in a delicate but aromatic port and cream sauce.
• Lobster Suppers (The Shore Club; Beaux Vendredis Lobster Suppers; Baddeck Lobster Suppers): Lobster Suppers are a great way to gather family and friends around a communal table for a traditional lobster feast with a variety of accompaniments including local live music and stories of the sea!

Honourable mentions (aka I’d have these for breakfast, lunch and dinner!)

• Lobster Roll (Capt. Kat’s Lobster Shack, Barrington Passage): Yes, there are many lobster rolls found around the province. But this is the best – seriously, they have the award to prove it! Not only that but they are located in the Lobster Capital of Canada, so it should be one of the best! Their award-winning, mouth-watering version has a meat-to-bun ratio that is beyond impressive with large, visible chunks of fresh lobster meal tossed with crisp celery, green onion, spinach and mayo all piled on a fresh-baked, buttery bun. But the decision to choose this over other lobster dishes on their menu won’t be easy – other local favourites include Fisherman’s Delight (fresh deep-fried haddock topped with creamed lobster, galley-made onion rings and cheese curds, served on a soft grilled bun) and lobster-topped fishcakes (two hefty fishcakes topped with creamed lobster and served with a side salad)
• The Half & Half (Dave’s Lobster Shack, Halifax): This is for those of you still debating which is better – warm or cold lobster rolls. Half of the roll is cold lobster with a touch of mayo, celery and a few special herbs and topped with fresh chives and a drizzle of lemon butter. The other half is lobster that has been warmed in a pan of butter, lemon and garlic and then topped with fresh chives. All of which is served on a traditional split-top roll that has been buttered and grilled.
• The Crobster Roll (The Canteen, Dartmouth): you can’t go wrong when your toasted roll is stuffed (and I mean overflowing) with fresh lobster AND snow crab meat!

Fun Facts about Lobsters

• Lobsters are both great tasting and nutritious and are a high source Omega-3 fatty acid.
• Lobsters take 6-8 years to reach market weight (~ 1 lb) and are capable of living up to 100 years.
• Lobsters must molt (shed its shell) in order to grow. During its first year, a lobster can molt as many as 10 times.
• Lobsters aren’t naturally red. They turn red when they are cooked. Normally they are brown to olive green in color but have been known to be yellow or even blue!
• A lobster’s teeth are located in their stomach and they taste with their legs.
• A lobster has two claws – a crusher claw and a pincher claw. The bigger claw is called the crusher claw, and lobsters use it to break up clams, crabs, and sea urchins. The pincher claw is used for tearing.
• Lobsters were once considered poor man’s food and were served in prisons.
• A female commercial-sized lobster might carry 8,000 to 10,000 eggs, which are kept in place by glue created in her cement glands. If you’re eating lobster and find bright red stuff, that’s unextruded eggs—also known as roe. When a fisherman traps a female lobster carrying eggs, he/she puts a V-notch in her tail. This tells other fishermen that she’s a breeding female whether she has eggs or not, and should be thrown back.
• The largest lobster ever recorded was caught in Nova Scotia in 1977 and weighed 44 pounds!

About our guest writer: Tourism Nova Scotia’s Media Relations Specialist Pam Wamback (@ladyloveslobster) showcases the ways you can enjoy this succulent crustacean! Daughter of a lobster fisherman, Pam is an expert on what makes the perfect lobster dish.