Where can I buy maine lobster? - Chef's Resource (2024)

FAQs

Why is Whole Foods boycotting Maine lobster? ›

Last fall, Whole Foods stopped selling Gulf of Maine lobster nationwide after Maine's lobster fishery lost sustainability certifications from the Marine Stewardship Council and the Seafood Watch program operated by California's Monterey Bay Aquarium.

While warm water lobsters have their own unique qualities and are enjoyed by locals in various regions, Maine lobsters remain unrivaled in their size, meatiness, and flavor. Their cold-water environment gives them a distinctive taste and texture that has made them a beloved delicacy around the world.

Know in the trade as “halves,” a 1.5-pound live lobster is a medium to large-sized lobster yielding approximately 6 to 8 ounces of meat. If lobster is the main event, then we recommend ordering one 1.5 lb.

HelloFresh, the meal kit company, was among numerous retailers to pledge to stop selling lobster in September after California-based Seafood Watch placed American and Canadian lobster fisheries on its “red list” of seafoods to avoid.

And the following year, Seafood Watch, an organization that offers science-based seafood recommendations, added American Lobster to its “Avoid” list. The two events were intrinsically connected: the way that lobsters are caught is entrapping right whales and it isn't helping their already delicate chances at survival.

Florida does have its own unique variety of lobster it just doesn't compare to the sweet, tender texture of Maine lobster.

Is there a a difference in the eating quality between a male and female lobster? Well in my experience, it's very slight - they're both wonderful! The female may have a little more flesh in the tail and the males have slightly more claw meat. Texture wise they're pretty much indistinguishable.

Larger lobsters have more meat, but smaller ones are more tender. Larger lobsters are better for bold flavors and prolonged cooking methods, while smaller ones work better for subtle dishes. Choose according to your preferences, and opt for live lobsters for better freshness and quality.

They found that, on average, male European lobsters live to 31 years old, and females to 54. There were a few exceptions: one particularly long-lived female had was found to be 72 years old. Lobsters certainly do not live forever.

What size lobster for two people? ›

- What you can expect: please note that lobster might loose up to 60% of its weight (shells and the head). 400/600 g: feeds 1/2 ppl. 1/1.5 kg: feeds 2/3 ppl.

lobster, for example, will yield around 6-8 oz. of meat. Since I like to pile my lobster rolls sky high with meat, I usually plan to buy 1.5 lobsters per person (or roll), though you could definitely get away with the '1 Lobster per person' rule- especially if you take the care to dig out the leg & knuckle meat.

Maine lobster season peaks in summer to late fall, but you can enjoy lobsters year-round in New England. How much does lobster cost? Prices will fluctuate based on seasonality and supply and demand. In general, lobsters are less expensive during the summer and fall months.

October, November, and December

Next to late spring, fall is one of the best times of year to buy good, hard-shell lobsters. After Labor Day, all the tourists have gone home, and the lobster landings are at their highest. Lobster prices stay reasonable, rising a bit at Christmas time.

"The biggest thing is the new regulations, there is only so much they can do, and they keep tacking on and on which drives the price up, and the catch down, it is a supply and demand thing," said Bruce Larson, owner of Southern Maine Lobster Company.

Maine lobster industry fights back

The lobster fishery had been under increasingly strict regulations in the years leading up to the boycott by Seafood Watch. Those have included color-coded ropes and the use of ropes that break when making contact with a whale to prevent entanglement.

Hello Fresh, Blue Apron pull lobster from menus after 'red list' warning about whales. Whales can suffer injuries and fatalities when they become entangled in the gear that connects to lobster traps on the ocean floor.

The ways in which climate change is affecting the industry are a subject of ongoing scientific study. The southern New England lobster industry has collapsed as the ocean has warmed, and the waters off Maine logged the second-warmest year on record in 2022.

The lawsuit claims Seafood Watch, a program of the aquarium, urged food sellers and consumers to avoid eating lobster caught in the Gulf of Maine and George's Bank in Maine. That caused stores including Whole Foods to drop the sale of Maine lobster, and eateries across the country like Cheesecake Factory followed suit.