A Recipe For The Perfect Maritime Vacation Includes PEI Lobster
A vacation to Prince Edward Island is no vacation at all without succumbing to the succulence offered by a lobster feed unlike anything you’ll find anywhere else.
Lobster is not so much a part of Prince Edward Island life as it is a fact of Prince Edward Island life and a visit to the sleepy island without a lobster feast would be like a visit to the island without giving in to a round of golf. Or visit the island and not walk along miles and miles of endless sandy beaches in shades of white, champagne, pink and red. Or to visit the island without going to the many festivals that give it its unique character, its charm and, of course, its culture.
There are two lobster fishing seasons on Prince Edward Island; one in spring and the other in autumn. Island lobsters are available year-round, however, because they are kept in pens or cages (traditionally large fenced-off areas of the ocean) or in more recent years, thanks to rapid technological advances, lobster can be caged in huge onshore containment facilities, in fact started in Atlantic Canada. In the end, it means that the lobster served to you is always as fresh as it is refreshing to the palate.
The American lobster, or as it is known by its scientific name, Homarus Americanus, can be found most often on the Atlantic coast, where it is also known as the Northern, Atlantic, or Maine lobster. The colder waters of Canada are the most common lobster areas, although they can be found as far south as North Carolina.
While it is a highly praised delicacy today, in decades past, that has not always been the case. In fact, locusts were once considered very common, and farmers on Prince Edward Island often spread locusts in their fields as fertilizer. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons Prince Edward Island potatoes have come to have the reputation and flavor that they do.
A live lobster is usually greenish-brown in appearance and color, although they have occasionally been known to appear blue, partly white, yellow, or bright red. These color variations are the result of a genetic defect in the lobster’s shell pigments and are very rare. In fact, for a blue lobster, the chances are one in a million. For a yellow lobster; one in 30 million.
The sight of a red lobster is considerably more common and can be found all over the island. This is of course due to the fact that it has been cooked and served with butter. It’s here on the mellow island that potato and lobster together are once again a family sight, preferably served piping hot at your favorite new Prince Edward Island restaurant on the water’s edge or along the boardwalk.
This summer, savor the succulence of a Prince Edward Island lobster and all the tradition that goes with it. Bon Appetite!