Fancy feast? Sometimes, but lobster and crab are also great for super-casual meals
Lobster and crab can be upscale eats, but they're also messy, wonderful food
I'm a lobster and crab enthusiast.
The first thing you need to do is ignore that hoity-toity reputation. Decades ago, lobster, in particular, was so abundant that it was used as a fertilizer, and if it had a reputation at all, it was as a protein for the working class.
A drop in the supply chain, new storage techniques and clever marketing all contributed to the reinvention of the lobster as a fancy food reserved for special occasions. I get a little grumpy when a marketing team decides that a particular type of food is "fancy" and that only people wearing, say, a monocle are worthy of consuming it.
Sure, lobster and crab can be enjoyed at a nice restaurant, but this is also casual, messy food that's meant to be enjoyed with friends.
There's not much prep work involved with a lobster or crab boil, and there's no need to stress about side dishes. I whip up some garlic aioli, boil some red-skinned potatoes, tear apart a baguette (for mopping up the juices) and crack open a halfway decent bottle of Chardonnay.
A little drawn butter and some lemon wedges don't go amiss either.
You don't have to dress up for a crab or lobster boil. In fact, you're better off covering your outfit in a garbage bag. Those juices get everywhere.
I'ne enjoyed the occasional king crab or a spiny lobster from warm waters, but it's pretty hard to top the American lobster (Homarus americanus) or the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio).
Snow crab, in particular, is my favourite. It's sweeter and more subtle than the king crab, which (to me) makes it more versatile. Usually, I tend to keep things simple with crab and lobster and let the flavour speak for itself, but sometimes I'll whip up a soup or bisque.
I've checked in with a few chefs and fishers for their tips and recipes.
Enjoy!
Seafood platters and lobster rolls
At Terre Restaurant in downtown St. John's, the first lobster of the season is an event.
"We put it on the menu as soon as it's available," said Matthew Swift, head chef and owner. "We get pretty excited about it."
Swift used to believe that the best lobsters came from Quebec's Magdalen Islands, but he's recently been converted.
"I don't know if it's the colder waters, or that we get it when it's fresh out of the ocean, but I do think the Newfoundland lobster tastes the best to me," he told me.
Swift doesn't get overly fancy or complicated with his lobster and crab recipes. "I used to work at [legendary Montreal restaurant] Joe Beef, so I've done enough lobster spaghetti. Instead, at Terre, we do seafood platters and lobster rolls. I want the essence of the ingredient to come through."
Swift's recommendation for an accompanying drink? "Well, I'd say beer or champagne, but that's my answer for everything."
'I can't really get enough of crab legs'
Jasmine Paul is an apprentice fisher, and her crab season out on Placentia Bay is exhausting. "My day might start at two or three in the morning. We spend a long time just driving the boat to our first pot," she told me.
"Once we arrive at our destination, I'm usually on bait management, or I'm lifting things, or I'm cleaning the deck."
After a day on the water, Jasmine and her Arnold's Cove-based family (who own the operation) usually spend a day resting and recovering.
Despite this exhausting work and despite being almost constantly surrounded by crabs, Jasmine still eats as much as she can.
"I can't really get enough of crab legs," she said.
"I'm traditional in that I just want them with butter, but you can't beat a good crab sandwich. You need soft bread, mayo, good crab, and some sweet chopped pickles for crunch."
As local as buying can get
To be clear and transparent, I worked at the Grounds, the restaurant at Murray's Garden Centre in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, in the first year and a half they were open. I've never written about them before, but it's hard to do a piece celebrating a local ingredient and not include this popular farm-to-table.
For the last few years, head chef Nick Van Mele has been purchasing lobsters from a regular customer.
"We buy direct from one of our best, most loyal customers, Glenn. He's been supporting us from the beginning, so we love supporting him," he said.
Van Mele also buys his crab directly.
"Our snow crab comes from a local fisher too. It just makes sense to buy from smaller local fishers when possible. It helps us be in tune with the season and keeps us connected to the community."
The Grounds is well known for its lobster roll, and it tends to sell out as soon as the Instagram snap goes up. "We keep it simple with a homemade brioche roll, and we serve it with fries, salad and melted butter," he said.
Other popular dishes include a lobster tartlet and lobster bisque.
Van Mele is also a big fan of snow crab and shared his popular snow crab salad recipe.
The Grounds Snow Crab Salad with romaine hearts, brown butter vinaigrette, pickled radishes and chives
Ingredients:
1 Canadian snow crab, 1.5-2.5 lbs
4 cups romaine hearts, cleaned and torn
2 tbsp pickled radishes
1 bunch fresh chives
Half a loaf of sourdough bread
Olive oil
Brown butter vinaigrette:
100 g brown butter
100 g canola oil
50 g red wine vinegar
50 g honey
1 lemon juiced/zested
1 shallot minced
1 garlic clove minced
salt/pepper
Instructions:
For the vinaigrette, add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk. Check seasoning and keep it in a warm place until ready to use — if it cools down, you'll have to bring it back up to room temperature or warm it slightly in a small pot.
For the croutons, preheat the oven to 375 F. Take some of your favourite day-old bread and carefully tear it into small, rustic pieces. Toss it in a bowl with a generous amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Toast the croutons for 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through until golden on the outside but still soft in the middle.
To assemble the salad, toss the romaine hearts, croutons and pickled radish with a couple of spoonfuls of vinaigrette. Place in a bowl and top with lumps of snow crab. Drizzle a little more of the vinaigrette over the crab. Sprinkle with a generous spoonful of chopped chives and some flaky Newfoundland sea salt.
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