Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

To Serve Lobster

Photos by Salt Water New England

I have a question for the community.  We will be driving to Camden, Maine from New York for a wedding and we want to eat some lobster along the way.  So maybe it is actually two questions.  Where is the best place to go?  And how do readers like their lobster - in rolls, from the shells, or something else?



     




 

35 comments:

  1. A lobster roll from Red's Eats!

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  2. I like lobster just about any way I get it: steamed, boiled, lobster rolls, Thermidor, bisque, whatever. Broiled is probably the bottom of the list because it can be dry, but drawn butter can compensate.

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  3. Served cold, ‘cleaned’ out of the shell and claws, served on a piece of butter lettuce with a dollop of mayo, creme fraiche, a squirt of lemon juice and plenty of fresh dill mixed, and a slice of toast on the side. Preferably with a glass of Chablis…

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  4. I avoid the cold lobster salad roll (dressed with Mayonnaise as in picture one) and ask for hot lobster roll which is just lobster bun and butter as in picture five.

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    1. Me too. Have always loved lobster and thought I'd eat it any way it was served. We had a cold lobster roll in Boothbay a couple of Octobers ago and will never eat one again.

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  5. If you haven't, find a Cantonese/Hong Kong style Chinese restaurant with a seafood/lobster tank, try either sautéed lobster with ginger and scallions or salt and pepper lobster.

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    1. Both excellent, also exploding lobster...

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    2. In my experience, lobster at Chinese restaurants is terrible. They let them swim in their own filth until they die, months later.

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  6. Lobster rolls are more convenient and less messy, probably better for a stop on a trip. If you have the time and can handle the mess, lobsters steamed in salt water are my favorite.

    We used to live in Portsmouth, NH and are in York sometimes during the summer. Off the Boat Lobsters in York sells steamed lobsters, fresh clams & oysters among other things, from a stand on a dock. Very fresh, well-priced, but you need to take it somewhere to eat it (we steam the clams ourselves). No tables, no seating, and not a place to get lobster rolls.

    Red's Eats, pictured above, is in Wiscasset. Serves up massive and excellent lobster rolls, and has seating behind. Expect a long wait during peak hours, that photo probably doesn't capture the entire line.

    There are a lot of other places to stop along the way. We prefer smaller/less crowded.

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    1. I agree with Andrew. I've had lobster at Red's Eats, and it was very good. He's right, they were massive. But, we waited in a very, very long line on a hot day and they did come out with water for the waiters-in-line. I like Red's, but really most anywhere in Maine has great lobster. We've stopped at several places and all were very good and memorable. If you want to wait to say you ate at Red's, go for it. Or try any other place which are also quite good. Enjoy

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  7. Courtesy of Yankee Magazine - choices in every state on your route: https://newengland.com/today/travel/new-england/places-to-eat/15-best-new-england-lobster-shacks/

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  8. Monhegan Fish House.
    In the rough, but really there is no bad way to have lobster.

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  9. Give McLoons in South Thomaston a try.

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  10. I love shellfish, but lobster is overrated. Like Beaujolais nouveau, people have convinced themselves that it's better than it is.

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    1. You’re right. In my estimation lobster is overrated. Crab meat has more interesting flavor and texture. It also responds better when cooked with spices, if that’s your preference.

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    2. I’m just curious, who thinks Beaujolais Nouveau is so wonderful?

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    3. To each his own, but what other seafood is so delicious completely unadorned?

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  11. I've never met a lobster I didn't like! Love cold lobster rolls and hot lobster rolls, however I'm not that fond of shredded lobster that some places use in their sandwiches. Eating whole lobsters can be a mess but some restaurants will give you the "lazy man's" version and remove the meat for you.

    We enjoy going to places with docks where the lobsters come in fresh off the boat and you can sit outside at picnic tables. There are many such places, but one that pops into mind is the Five Island Lobster Co. which has whole lobsters and also rolls. It's 13 miles southeast of Bath so, if you're traveling up Highway 1, it's not that far off the beaten path.

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  12. Abbott’s Lobsters, near New London in Noank, Conn. Delicious. Easy off, easy back on I-95.

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  13. I love lobster rolls! Cold lobster meat, with just a tiny splash of lemon, on a toasted New England roll. Perfect. We do a coast of Maine trip with our boat and we are sure to hit every lobster shack along the way! --Holly in PA

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  14. Some years ago took a week vacation to the Maine Coast, just touristing around, got back and a friend asked what I did. Said I ate lobster. He asked, what elase? Said I ate more lobster. Asked, but what did you do for entertainment? Said you haven't been listening.

    NCJack

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  15. Drove by Red’s today at 1:00 and the was 1/3 longer than your photo. Try McCloons, south of Rockland for great lobster and crab rolls in a small harbor setting. Can you enjoy you lobster eating next to a very busy highway?

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  16. Seconding (Or thirding for fourthing at this point) McLoon's in South Thomaston. Was there a week ago, I got the steamed lobster and my fiancee got the lobster roll, butter only. Both out of this world. The ambiance there is also amazing. Every time I'm in Midcoast, it's the one must food stop.

    As for lobster rolls, the Connecticut hot buttered roll really is the only way to go. The mayo and other garnishes in salad rolls take too much away from the taste of the lobster for my personal tastes. Abbott's Lobster in the Rough is good but the pinnacle of the CT lobster roll is Two Little Fish in Misquamicut, RI (Yes, I know the irony of the best CT roll being just cross the border in RI). Get them to go and go to the rocky point at Weekapaug and eat them there.

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    1. CT/RI style lobster roll all the way. Resist the mayo.

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  17. Jeez, when are they going to build a second bridge in Wiscasset?

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  18. Now I am hungry for lobster!!

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  19. Dreaming of Maine and biting into a delicious lobster roll.

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  20. I live near Portsmouth, NH and think the best lobster rolls come from Geno's in Portsmouth or Rye Harbor Lobster Pound in Rye - where you have to also get their "fluffy chowder" which is clam chowder with big chunks of buttered lobster on top.

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  21. I am really surprised about McLoon's. After reading the article in Yankee Magazine mentioned by Patsy, we tried their lobster rolls. We both thought they were well....sorry....disgusting...covered in some unidentified oily substance? Koala gold? Vegetable oil? I don't know what. We stand by our favorite lobster roll place...Osier's Wharf in South Bristol, Maine. As good or better than Red's but no line and closer to the open sea. My best lobster memory? Before it changed hands...the Jordan Pond House Lobster Salad...a cold platter of very fresh lobster meat on a bed of lettuce with a lemon carved our to contain a dollop of homemade mayo and of course a popover and home made lemonade...Heaven!

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  22. Favorite lobster roll is at the Wharf in Corea although there are so many great places in Maine it feels a bit precious to single out just one. Those in the second and eighth photos look too mayonnaise-y for me (and I hope that isn’t celery I see!) but the seventh seems spot on.

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  23. Bring money. Standard lobster rolls are $20-25. Red's is a ripoff, MDI and Camden are thronged with tourists. My advice is get off the beaten path. Go to the peninsulas--Port Clyde, Friendship, Bristol, Owls Head.

    Whole lobster boiled in sea water is my fave, lemon butter to dip.

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    1. Owls Head = Primo, it is a must.

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    2. Owls Head = Primo. Not a lobster shack, but an amazing Bay/Ocean/Farm to table. Never, ever disappointed. The chef actually raises some of her own livestock and an amazing, gracious dining experience.

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  24. If it swims, I'll eat it. Except for octopus. I love it, but they are too smart to eat. So I no longer do....

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