I have no idea whether my readers are lobster lovers or not. Hereabouts we have oodles of the tasty darlings as most of the local fishermen are into lobsterfishing almost exclusively. As for myself , I can take them or leave them..... my Dad used to bring home a jute sack full of them when I was a kid that he had bought at the wharf for two bits ( $ 00.25 ). Fluff doesn't care to much for the renowned delicacy but every now and then I buy a couple and feast alone... along with some hot melted garlic butter.We are paying about $6 a pound which is dirt heap or even much less if we buy them off the fishermen themselves at the wharf,,,,, where they are trying to eliminate the middle men by selling directly to the public. Anyways on with the story..........
About ten days ago it was "perigee moon " time again when the moon is closest to the earth..... bringing on the absolute highest tides of the year to a corner of the planet blessed with already having the highest tides in the world on a daily basis. In itself the "perigee moon " gives coastal dwellers some worry .... but should it be accompanied by gale - force winds and rough seas the outcome could be disastrous....... and that is just what happened overnight on January 4th to 5th 2010 along the New Brunswick shoreline. Our local newspaper bore these headlines the following morning .... Storm Surge Brings Lobster Feast...... speaking of a small village named Petit Rocher it says "The surging tides that ripped... pummelled New Brunswick's eastern shores this weekend transformed this small coastal community into an all-you-can-eat lobster buffet."
The enraged waters literally ripped the lobster loose from their rocky ledges under the sea and carried them a$$ over kettles to the shore dumping them all along the beach All day long people headed for the coast armed with baskets and five-gallon pails and buckets .... gathering the mana from the sea!
P.S. In the above pic on the right this is normally marshland with streamlets in from the sea but at high tide on the 3rd in was completely flooded.
very interesting. I do like lobster but rarely eat it. Other seafood I like better. Good to learn some new info!
ReplyDeleteYummmmm
ReplyDeleteThe next time you know you'll be swamped with lobsters let me know. I'll even bring the garlic butter. (c;
ReplyDeleteOh how I love Lobsters but they are few and far between for me. I was looking at the little guys at the supermarket during Christmas.
ReplyDeleteYou have so much up there. I envy you all so much. All I want with my Lobster is lemon and butter. Love it!
Hey Julie-Ann... yes , they must be hard to come by out there in the Midwest too... and probably sky-high price per pound as well..and glad to supply some info , as you call it.... did that for a living for over 35 years !! LOL.
ReplyDeleteI take it you approve , Barb... thanks for the input.... better than a grunt I guess !!
ReplyDeleteAs I wrote this blog I was thinking of you , JIm , with your "refined fork "... as we say in French. You come next Summer and we'll boil 'em right on the beach and break 'em open with our hands and beach rocks!!
ReplyDeleteCindy Ann... you come along too ... with JIm that is... here we say "turkey for Christmas but lobster for the New Year ".... the lobstermen use this as their slogan for selling lots of lobster to the public right off the boats at LOng Wharf. And they must be so expensive down in Texas too !!
ReplyDeleteIt's the rubbery texture of lobster, that I have a hard time with. I think they're over-rated. But hey ... that's jsut ME (c:
ReplyDeleteI feel the same about mussels. Had them on Marstrand. I can eat them but not my fave.
ReplyDeleteNow you two... Fluff and Julie-Ann..... have just ventured out onto thin ice.... mussels and especially clams are my utter favourites and they do NOT taste nor feel rubbery to the educated and trained palate !! As you say so well , Fluff " but that's jsut YOU !" ( sic ) HUgs to you both !!
ReplyDeletemy spell check didn't work, I guess...and my reality check bounced
ReplyDeleteI dreamed about these lobsters last nite and the beach was full of them. LOL That must be a neat sight to see.
ReplyDeleteWe have done something similar with Flounders at the ship channel in Port Aransas. Flounders being a flat-fish kinda snuggle down in the sandy bottom and when the ships pass and they are fully loaded ships then the water pulls way back and you see all the Flounders flapping around and people run and gig them or try and pick them up with their hands. A real heavy ship will draw several times but it can be dangerous if you go to far out.
Right on , Cindy Anne... sea phenomena like the one you mention are quite a show at times. .... and ships can displace metric tons of water and create some mighty dangerous situations for those who do not pay attention !! We have flounders here likewise and they " hang out " in the shallow waters of muddy-bottomed bays and coves along the coast. I have been meaning to take Fluff out in a friend's boat and do some jigging for flounders.... good sole fillets !! Maybe you and Lorraine could go grab a few some warm afternoon...... Hugs !
ReplyDeleteOh dear, if lobster is rubbery or any texture other than delicate, it is sadly overcooked or improperly cooked.
ReplyDeleteI have had very few lobsters in my life that were cooked perfectly. They almost need to be steamed until almost fully cooked and then rest for the remainder of the cooking process. I'm not a fan of "boil the water bubba and toss'm in."
We have these little butter cups that are warmed by tea light candles that keeps our drawn butter perfectly hot. I add a few Saffron threads, a slice of garlic and S&P to the butter...pretty and very tasty!
You are most fortunate to live in such a gloriously abundant place! I'd be clamming DAILY!!!
In Alaska, we just tossed clam pieces (from clamming) from the shore and caught all the Star Flounder we needed for dinner when ever we were at the coast. We always had a 1/2 pint of Peppermint Schnapps to enjoy while we waited for bites too. It was such fun and I can't wait to try it here in WA state this summer when we head to Olympic National Park!
ReplyDelete(Use a 2' drop leader and a 1/2-oz to 1-oz pyramid weight to wedge your line in the sand so the surf doesn't move your bait around. If no bite in 5-mins, the critters stole it and your weight is too big to feel a tug!)
I learned this method of fishing in Oregon. Randy thought I was nuts, "ummm, don't you need a boat to catch fish?" My reply was, "Watch and learn, buddy!" He was quite surprised to see his rod tip go 'bounce, bounce, bounce' the first time...5-mins after starting to fish...he had a ball that day!
Céleste.... wow ! You sure can comment !! Thanks for the input and output of info and experience with our friendly denizens of the deep and shallow ......... and I too have sat on the shore after casting my line out into fairly shallow water over a school of flounders... and sipped Fernandez rhum .... carefully watching the bobber .... waiting for it be jagged under , then pop back up again... great fun ! And Randy thought you needed a boat !! Shame on him ! You are , indeed , a resourceful lady !!
ReplyDeleteAs for clamming around here we have a few drawbacks.... frequent red tides.... far too frequent to my liking and it is extremely hard to dig here during the harsh Winters for reasons you and I know so well for having first hand knowledge. I certainly eat my fair share during the clement weather months though... more than make up for time lost. And then again we cannot always be in a mood for clams .
My family was responsible for all I've learned...they handed me a fishing pole before I could walk!
ReplyDeleteGrama always brought up the story of when I helped her clean fish. I kept digging for the eyeballs. She asked why I was doing that and my answer was, "because I wanted to see what was behind them." She always smiled when she told that story.
I still dig out eyeballs (figuratively) searching for answers. Nothing has changed.
<--- covers her eyeballs
ReplyDeletelol
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried scungilli/calamari? Now if they ain't rubber... the way most cooks serve them they taste like snow tires!
ReplyDeleteWith things like lobster and shrimp you gotta try and stay away from the frozen stuff. They are usually not very good.
So true. I had the most awesome Calamari of my life in 2-places:
ReplyDeleteSalt and Pepper Squid in Seattle at the Sea Garden, International District.
Egg-Battered Calamari in Reno at a Basque restaurant called the Louie's.
I've since made them both at home. Though they were good I still cooked them too long. It's an art to prepare perfect fish and shellfish!
I do not like lobsters. The only seafood I like is shrimps =o)
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