A special pro‘claw’mation
Lobster Day to be celebrated provincewide
Lobster lovers, dig into Friday, Feb. 28. Premier Stephen McNeil recently made a “pro’claw’mation” declaring the day to be Nova Scotia Lobster Day. In it, he urged all residents and visitors to “crawl aboard” and join the “shell’abrations” during the annual month-long Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl Festival. The first Lobster Day across the province coincides with the third annual Lobster Crawl Festival, an initiative created by the South Shore Tourism Cooperative. “Every year on the final Friday in February, we will be celebrating Nova Scotia Lobster Day,” festival director Menna Riley said during a recent interview. Riley said February has been chosen to celebrate and honour the lobster fishing heritage and culture for the whole province and to showcase the South Shore is open for business yearround, from Barrington to Peggy’s Cove. “You can go south this February, but we mean South Shore,” Riley said. “You can have lobster chowder, lobster bisque and lobster eggs Benedict, not just a lobster dinner. There is a lot of lobster to be had.” Crystal Tanner, chef and kitchen manager at the Salt Shaker Deli in Lunenburg, has a lot of experience with the province’s lobster fishing heritage and culture. Her father and brother are lobster fishermen. During a recent interview, Tanner said lobster lovers drive for hours to enjoy the lobster on the deli’s menu. “During the summer, our seafood chowder and our lobster roll are our biggest sellers. During Lobster Crawl, we have our special lobster mac and cheese on, and that is selling through the roof,” Tanner said. She said the deli’s lobster roll is served on a brioche bun with tarragon mayo and a peppery arugula. However, Tanner’s personal favourite is a simple lobster dinner served with potato salad and fresh rolls. “I normally have two lobsters to myself,” Tanner said. “It’s a little messy. But it’s well worth it.” Chris Pyne, the chef at Founders House Dining and Drinks in Annapolis Royal, is developing a reputation for his lobster dishes. Pyne recently explained his favourite way to cook and serve lobster. “I do a quick blanche on the lobster in salted water. And then take all of the meat out of the shell and slowly simmer it in a butter emulsion to carry it through the rest of the way,” Pyne said. “I will typically take it out of the butter emulsion and slice the tail and serve the claws whole.” The lobster meat is served with a smoked butter mashed potato and beetroot sauce, made with lobster stock made from the shells. It is finished with citrus and herbs, served with beet and yogurt greens. Pyne said the Founders House kitchen also puts a lot of care into preparing their popular lobster roll. “My secret for a good lobster roll is lots of lobster. Definitely don’t scrimp on the lobster. And the roll, which is baked in-house, has to be buttered on the outside and toasted, soft in the middle so you have the crispy, crunchy munchy thing going and then the lobster is dressed simply with a house-made mayonnaise.” Pyne agreed with his colleague Crystal Tanner when he said the best way to enjoy lobster is to boil the lobster in a pot, cover the table with newspaper and, “get messy with lobster shells flying everywhere.” “Eating lobster is an experience. Everyone has to do it,” Pyne said. Information of the Lobster Crawl Festival and Nova Scotia Lobster Day is available at lobstercrawl.ca or festival.lobstercrawl.ca.