Maine Lobster - is it worth the upcharge?

[notscb]

3 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Butter hides the taste anyway

 

The first time I had lobster was on a Carnival ship back in the early 2000's, and they had a garlic butter that was just the right warm temp and enhanced the flavor of the lobster. Thing is, if the actual protein is overcooked in the first place, nothing is really going to help.

[poocher]

4 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Wow, that's double what I paid pre-pandemic in Kennebunkport.

The Clam Shack is on my list.  My favorite lobster roll!!  BTW really good fresh lobster doesn’t need butter.

Edited August 21, 2022 by poocher

[nelblu]

2 minutes ago, notscb said:

 

The first time I had lobster was on a Carnival ship back in the early 2000's, and they had a garlic butter that was just the right warm temp and enhanced the flavor of the lobster. Thing is, if the actual protein is overcooked in the first place, nothing is really going to help.

You can keep the butter, just give me lobster fra-diavolo (red) and linguini and I'm in heaven.☺️

[poocher]

In my albeit limited experience, the “lobster tails” served are invariably undercooked.  Lobster should not be semi-slimy with a translucent blue tinge to it!

[LobsterStalker]

33 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Historically, it was the opposite, since Canada had no maximum size limit until about 15 years ago, but Maine was the only state on the East Coast with a maximum size limit.  It is estimated that a 3 lb lobster produces 14 times the eggs that a 1.5 lb lobster does.  So, the maximum limit helps sustainability.  Also, Canadian season is only two months long.

.... so many inaccuracies its not even worth trying !

[Ferry_Watcher]

@LobsterStalker - Love you nom de plume, my friend!

[retird]

46 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

The water in the Gulf of Maine is slightly cooler than Canadian waters, leading to softer and sweeter meat.  

Actually it is the opposite , gulf of maine water although cold, is slightly warmer than East Coast Canada water .  You are correct in that the (slightly) warmer water of the gulf of maine produces a sweeter and more tender meat.   Also Canadian lobster are somewhat larger.     Incidentally, I like both lobster.    

,Maine lobsters have softer shells that make their meat tenderer and sweeter. Canadian lobsters have harder shells, which cause their meat to be less tender and sweet. However, Canadian lobsters can survive up to 72 hours while Maine lobsters can only survive up to 48 hours.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by retird

[DeltaJoe15]

Lobster on board Dont go out of your way  Go to your local market and and

enjoy it at home   So much better

[Royal Fun]

The price of lobster has finally come down here (soft shell $6.99/lb), and I actually prefer soft shell for the ease of cracking, but need two lobsters 😉 We ventured into Bar Harbor yesterday and played tourist...the "lobster experience" was $55. I'm thinking the lobster I had was barely over the cutoff for the min size limit!

[poocher]

We were in Bar Harbor last year at Stewman’s. Couple at the next table ordered lobster then proceeded to stare at it for a good ten minutes.  Finally called the waitress over & admitted they had no clue what to do with it! 

[killsport]

1 hour ago, retird said:

Actually it is the opposite , gulf of maine water although cold, is slightly warmer than East Coast Canada water .  You are correct in that the (slightly) warmer water of the gulf of maine produces a sweeter and more tender meat.   Also Canadian lobster are somewhat larger.     Incidentally, I like both lobster.    

,Maine lobsters have softer shells that make their meat tenderer and sweeter. Canadian lobsters have harder shells, which cause their meat to be less tender and sweet. However, Canadian lobsters can survive up to 72 hours while Maine lobsters can only survive up to 48 hours.

 

 

Why no column for the 18 miles of NH coastline and the tens and tens of lobsters caught there 😜😆😆

[SilkySal]

I ordered the surf and turf once and IMO it was not worth it. At that price, I did not care for the whole lobster but the medium rare filet was perfect, so I would order that again for the under $20 surcharge. We'll be going on the Wonder in December and I am anxious to try their new seafood specialty restaurant, Hooked!🤞 With that said, I'd be surprise if you find a good lobster restaurant anywhere in Florida when compared to the NE/Maine areas! If you do, I'd sure like to know! Cheers!

[squadron]

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

But, if you've only had a lobster on a ship, you haven't really had a Maine lobster.  And, there is no guarantee it is actually a Maine lobster, it could be the inferior Canadian version.

On a North Eastern cruise I found the lobster dinner I had in PEI was far superior to the one I had in Maine.

[poocher]

And that could have been the restaurant not the lobster.  I plan on doing extensive research soon!

[island lady]

15 hours ago, poocher said:

Huge? 1.5 lbs?  Practically an appetizer!   Heading to Maine in two weeks to eat a large quantity!

 

Been up here for the last 3 month...burrpp...not sure we left you anything.  😄 

 

 

[chengkp75]

13 hours ago, retird said:

Actually it is the opposite , gulf of maine water although cold, is slightly warmer than East Coast Canada water .

That was my senior moment for the day, that is what I was trying to type.

[ownedbypets]

14 hours ago, poocher said:

Hard shell all the way.  I don’t need to pay extra for all the water in a soft shell and IMO they just don’t taste as good.

 

I went to University of Maine and they served soft shell lobster in the dining halls. 

[poocher]

24 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

Been up here for the last 3 month...burrpp...not sure we left you anything.  😄 

 

 

Where is that?  Looks like I need to add it to my list!

[Big_G]

14 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Butter hides the taste anyway. Kind of like escargot. 

 

Absolutely!

[poocher]

And why would you want to hide the taste of a fresh lobster?  I mean the stuff they serve on board yes, that definitely needs butter.  But a real one like Island Lady posted above?  Pure heaven all by itself.

[davy jones]

 I rarely eat lobster when I am not on a cruise ship, mainly because there are many things that I prefer.  I don't know why I always try a tail on lobster night because most of the time I don't find it to be very good.  It strikes me as not cooked very well.  I never understood the big fuss.

 

However, we took a Canada/NE cruise on Carnival about 10 years ago.  The port call in Portland coincided with lobster night.  The lobster tails that night were excellent and universally praised.  My only thought was that they had them delivered to the ship during the port call.  I really can't picture a mass market chef going ashore to the local markets to purchase a thousand or more lobster tails for the evening dinner.

 

That was when I understood why lobster is a highlight to many.  Sadly, every cruise since has not lived up to those tails.

 

 

[nelblu]

A few years ago, when we did the 9 nite NE/Canada sail when we left Bar Harbour, the MDR menu had whole lobsters.  We were told that Royal had purchase some $250k in lobsters.  It was a pleasant and delicious surprise.  This was in addition to the lobster tail(s) night.

 

The next day the MDR luncheon menu had seafood roll on its menu.  We were excited as we expected a good amount of lobster meat.  Alas, very little or no lobster at all, and the entire presentation was very liquidly seemed lots of mayonnaise.  Simply disgusting.😬

 

 

[LobsterStalker]

16 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

since Canada had no maximum size limit until about 15 years ago

 

16 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Also, Canadian season is only two months long

Are these also "senior" moments?

There is no max size in Canada... And 

There are dozens of separate seasons separated by zone for market and quality purposes among other reasons , and my season in particular is a 6 month (end Nov. to end May) season through the cold winter months . 

>>>> Which coincidentally yields the healthiest possible lobster that can be shipped to fill markets globally !

[chengkp75]

35 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

 

Are these also "senior" moments?

There is no max size in Canada... And 

There are dozens of separate seasons separated by zone for market and quality purposes among other reasons , and my season in particular is a 6 month (end Nov. to end May) season through the cold winter months . 

>>>> Which coincidentally yields the healthiest possible lobster that can be shipped to fill markets globally !

From the lobster fishing zone map, the vast majority of zones are 2-3 months, and only 3 zones last 6 months like yours (obviously off NS or Bay of Fundy.  And, according to the Lobster Council of Canada, there are some zones with a maximum size, and I was under the impression that Canada had joined the Atlantic States Fisheries Council in 2007 in setting maximum size limits.

[norskenancy]

18 hours ago, d9704011 said:

New Englanders fishing illegally in Canadian waters.

maybe the Canadian lobsters have a maple leaf so you can tell where they are from 🙂