Just Add Butter
Succulent, sweet, and luxurious are only a few of the words that come to mind when I think about my favorite food – lobster. This versatile crustacean can transport me to culinary heaven. Apart from the sheer enjoyment of its texture and taste, I suppose it’s such a treat because it’s something we reserve for special occasions (like holidays) due primarily to its price. But it wasn’t always this way.
The History
Lobsters were so plentiful in colonial times that they would wash up on the shore and be gathered by hand. Considered to be a tasteless sea insect, these crustaceans were served to servants, prisoners, and animals. But in the 1840s the canning industry began to process them and ship them across the country. Due to its affordability, canned lobster was served on railroads and in restaurants and soon became one of America’s most popular canned foods. So much so that in 1885, the lobster industry produced 130 million pounds of it. Of course, that volume was not sustainable and by 1918, lobster production had withered to a mere 33 million pounds.
America’s insatiable appetite for it combined with dwindling supplies caused prices to soar during the 1920s. But the lobster boom would not last long. The Great Depression and World War II would cause it to fall out of favor again. People simply couldn’t afford it. After the war ended and prosperity returned, so did the popularity of lobster—this time for good.
Curious Creatures
Lobsters are curious nocturnal creatures, unlike most sea life with which we are familiar. When they are alive, they are green, yellow, or blue—they only turn red after you cook them! A lobster’s brain is the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen; they have poor eyesight, taste with their legs, and chew with their stomachs. Their blood is clear and turns white when it’s cooked. The green stuff (called tomalley) is the lobster’s liver, intestines and pancreas and is considered a delicacy. The red stuff is eggs or roe.
Lobsters do not scream when you cook them. They have no lungs or vocal cords. The sound is merely air escaping their bodies. They also are supposed to be unable to feel pain. They can regenerate a limb if it is torn off, although it can take up to five years to fully grow back. Speaking of their limbs, they can be either “right or left-handed” depending upon which side the dominant (crusher) claw is on. By the way, that claw can exert up to 100 pounds of pressure per square inch.
Unlike humans, these sea creatures never stop growing, and because lobsters over a certain size cannot be caught in a trap, biologists don’t know for sure exactly how long a lobster can live. It is believed they can live up to 100 years, weigh up to 40 pounds and measure up to four feet long. To grow, a lobster must shed its shell and form a new one. After molting, it often eats the old, discarded shell. This helps it to replenish lost calcium and speeds up the hardening of its new shell.
Females are in charge of mating, and contrary to popular belief, do not mate for life. She hangs around the most dominant male she can find, sheds her shell and sends out a pheromone signaling she is ready. She carries the male sperm with her until she is ready to fertilize her eggs and can collect sperm from a number of different males. She can lay anywhere from eight to twelve thousand eggs but only .1 percent of her offspring will live for more than six weeks.
Where do they come from?
Many people argue that the best lobster comes from Maine. And it does account for 75% of Maine’s commercial fishing industry. In fact, over 6,000 Maine lobstermen fish all year round for this delicacy. However, 60% of North American lobster landings come from Canada (almost twice as much as Maine) accounting for more than half the world’s supply.
When is the best time of year to eat them?
Some people also claim that summer lobster is best. Because many of them have just molted, their shells are easier to crack, and their meat tends to be softer and sweeter. However, soft-shell lobsters have less meat than hard-shell lobsters do. In the fall, supply is still plentiful, prices are often a little lower due to decreasing demand until Christmas and the meat is of the highest quality. May is also a good time to eat lobster, when the meat is firm and plentiful.
Nutrition
Also, contrary to popular belief, lobster is one of the healthiest things you can eat. It has fewer calories, less fat and cholesterol and more protein than either chicken or turkey, although it has more sodium. It also is a good source of zinc, selenium, vitamin B-12, and omega-3 fatty acids. The problem lies in what you put on it—beware of all that butter!
How to cook
From salads and soups to pasta and pastry, there are innumerable ways to enjoy lobster. I like mine unadulterated except for lots of melted (not drawn) butter. But if you insist upon trying to improve upon perfection, I suppose the French do it best. Hommard L’Americaine is an elaborate dish that starts with a live lobster and is enhanced by white wine (or vermouth) and tomatoes then flambéed with cognac. The secret ingredient is the tomalley from a female lobster that is used to bind the sauce.
Another classic French preparation is Lobster Thermidor. Its origins are unclear, but it was likely created in the late 1800s and arrived on our shores in 1907, when it quickly became a popular item on high-end restaurant menus like the Waldorf Astoria and Delmonico’s. Thermidor is a decadent dish in which pieces of tender lobster are combined with a rich sherry-laced cream sauce flavored with mushrooms and a little mustard. The lobster is returned to its shell with some parmesan or gruyere cheese and placed under a broiler just until the cheese melts.
Lobster Newburg is a similar, but simpler preparation that was created by a sea captain named Ben Wenburg and introduced at Delmonico’s in New York in 1876. An argument between Captain Wenburg and Charles Delmonico resulted in the dish being removed from the menu. In response to repeated requests by patrons to bring it back, Mr. Delmonico cleverly renamed the dish by reversing the first three letters in its name and returned this delectable creation to his menu calling in Lobster Newburg.
In Cape May
My love affair with Cape May’s restaurants began in the 1980s. If it had been made into a movie it would have been called The Same Time Next Year. Each year, at the conclusion of our vacation in September, I simply had to have the lobster tail at Peter Shields. It was Newburg type-preparation and to this day one of the best things I have ever tasted. Alas, that dish and its counterpart at the Merion Inn are no longer available. Classic lobster dishes like Newburg, Thermador, and L’Americaine are rarely found on menus these days. But our chefs have come up with a myriad of new and traditional preparations for your enjoyment.
As a first course, the Cape May Fish Market, Fins, and Ugly Mug all offer a lobster cocktail. Oyster Bay, Sea Salt, and The Lobster House present a combination of chilled seafood. Elaine’s prepares a lobster spring roll, and Primal has created a trio with scallops and crab served with a shallot cream sauce.
For me, lobster bisque is culinary bliss. It’s like heaven in a bowl. As I eat it, I sometimes close my eyes to savor every mouthful, hoping to make the experience last longer. Of all the places I have ordered it, three left indelible impressions on me. One was in Boston, the other two are right here in Cape May. Tisha’s has been my long-time favorite. I remember when they served it in a slanted bowl with a high back—a perfect frame for a perfect soup. Recently, I ordered it at Peter Shields. They, too, have had it on their menu for a long time, but this version is divine. The bisque itself is pure perfection but what takes it over the top is the amount of tender succulent lobster they include—it’s almost a meal in itself. It’s pricey, but worth every penny.
By the way, that restaurant in Boston (Jasper’s) closed in 1995 when the big dig started. Fortunately, I was able to obtain the recipe for that soup. Over the years, I have made small changes to it and came up with my own version. If you want to give it a go, the complete recipe can be found on capemaymag.com.
Lobster salad takes many forms in Cape May. The traditional version can be found at The Lobster House and Quincy’s. Harpoon’s puts it on top of a burger and Port tops French fries with it. Fins prepares a lobster Cobb salad.
Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese has been a popular menu item for some time now and can be found at several Cape May eateries including the Blue Pig, Cape May Fish Market, Exit Zero, 5 West, Hemingway’s, Fins, Sea Salt, and Quincy’s—as can lobster rolls. Almost all our pubs, plus Port and the Cape May Fish Market, offer one. We even have three establishments completely dedicated to this sandwich: LaLa lobster, Quincy’s on the Beach, and Quincy’s on the Mall.
For purists like me, you can’t beat the tail at The Lobster House which is also available with crab stuffing. Carney’s, 410 Bank Street, Ocean View, Primal, and Union Park also have them on their menus. If you want to do the work, you can enjoy a 1½ pound whole lobster at Delaney’s, Cape May Fish Market, Fins, Crab House, Two Mile Inn, and the Ugly Mug. At The Lobster House you can dial it up to three pounds—again with or without crab stuffing. And Peter Shields grills a whole lobster and serves it Fra Diavolo style.
If you like pasta, Iccara has created two delightful options: one with mushrooms in a light tomato cream sauce over squid ink fettuccine and the other is a whole tail served over pappardelle with a creamy marinara sauce. The Lobster House adds scallops and shrimp and serves it over linguini. Lobster ravioli, another perennial favorite, can be found at Elaine’s, Provence, Sea Salt, and YB.
As if that isn’t enough, enjoy combo platters at Iccara or The Lobster House. Take a virtual trip to New England and sample the lobster pot pie at Sea Salt or go to Italy and try the Cioppino at Iccara. To complete your world tour, saunter on over to Yozu, where you will find several Japanese-style lobster dishes, including their own unique versions of lobster rolls.
You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy lobster—and that’s pretty close! Bon appetit!
Lobster Trivia
Lobsters can swim forward or backward.
Lobsters can be cannibalistic when food is scarce, especially when they are in captivity.
Female lobsters, although vulnerable after molting, are generally safe from males who would rather have sex with them than eat them.
It is a felony to rob a lobster trap.
Lobster shells were once used to manufacture biodegradable golf balls that were used on cruise ships and around water hazards on golf courses. However, they never gained popularity since they could only travel about 70% of the distance of a normal golf ball.
