Fresh Seafood

When most people think of lobsters, they think of Maine's rocky coast, or a cooked lobster served in on a silver platter. Although a trip to Maine is one way to enjoy seafood, Virginia seafood enthusiasts are able to enjoy lobsters fresh off the boat at a reasonable cost.

One way to explore the eastern shore of Virginia and enjoy a rare delicacy is to visit the small town of Atlantic, where one can find fresh lobsters. The lobsters are caught off the coast of Chincoteague Island Virginia and kept live in special tanks, ready to go.

Our seafood experience began with a stop by a local lobster operation. Our lobster sales person runs the tanks and sells the lobsters which are caught by her husband, the Captain of F/V Toots. She helped us choose a pair of small lobsters, between 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 lbs each. The lobsters had been harvested the day prior from the deep blue waters off the coast of Virginia. We packed them in a cooler and made our way home.

The reason for our trek was to obtain lobsters to boil, shell and make into lobster cakes. Once at home, they were rinsed, euthanized, and put into a large pot of boiling water. Per the advice of the lobster vendor, we waited until the water returned to a boil after adding the lobsters, then cooked them 11-12 minutes. They came out perfect and the rule is said to apply to 1-3 lb lobsters.

After cooking, they were rinsed, shelled, and the meat rinsed again and drained. The 2 lobsters yielded about 1 pound of meat. It was chopped and used to make lobster cakes, a delicious way to enjoy lobster. Lobster cakes are excellent either fried or broiled. The experience of buying lobsters right from the harvester was enjoyable and nothing beats the taste of seafood fresh off the boat and prepared lovingly in your own kitchen.

The recipe for our lobster meal was simple and delicious.

Ingredients:

Not to be forgotten are the shells. Added to the garden, they help produce the most enormous tomatoes for next season's seafood feast.