East Coast Charlie's Gourmet Blog

Nantucket Steak and Lobster Kabobs

2007-05-22T13:31:00.000-04:00

Howdy folks! I'm writing to you from the kitchen here at East Coast Gourmet (they always let me in if I promise to stay out of the way) and I have to say, the chef's are really buzzing around—very excited for another fabulous summer season to get underway! If you're like me—from these parts of New England—you know full-well that this past winter was a pretty tough one—with all those Nor'easters dumping more snow on us almost every week it seemed—we up here at East Coast Gourmet are ready for some summer sun and, of course, the finest fresh SEAFOOD around. There's some serious brainstorming going on up here at East Coast Gourmet—yes, I've been eaves dropping again, listening to the chefs go on and on about new recipe ideas, secret ingredients, and spectacular ways they are planning to prepare them.

Father's day is just around the corner, (June 19th)a day to honor that special dad, and we've got a variety of perfect seafood gift ideas that are sure to please any guy on your list!

Send Dad one of our fabulously rich and delicious Maine Lobster pies, or entire lobster dinner and be sure to include a crock of New England Clam chowder or Lobster bisque to make your dad smile with lip-smackin joy!

The History of Father's Day—It didn't start at Hallmark!

Sonora Dodd, of Washington State, first had the idea of a "father's day" while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909 and wanted a special day to honor her father. Her father a civil war veteran was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart, raised the newborn and his five other children alone.

The original date chosen for the holiday was June 5, Mr. Smart's birthday, however the celebration was postponed until June 19, the third Sunday in June, because there was not enough time to prepare for a proper celebration.
At about the same time in various towns and cities across America other people were beginning to celebrate a Father's Day. Some accounts credit Mrs. Charles Clayton of West Virginia, as the founder of Father's Day, although most histories give credit to Mrs. Dodd.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day, but it never became official until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the presidential proclamation that set aside the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
SO, Remember dear old Dad with an East Coast Gourmet spectacular Seafood feast and order up something today!

What Dad doesn't love steak and lobster. Here is a great surf and turf recipe Dad will love!

Nantucket Steak & Lobster Kabobs
2 pounds sirloin
6 large cooked lobster tails
1/2 cup beer
1/2 cup salad oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons snipped chives (2 tsp. dried)
1 1/2 teaspoons snipped parsley (1/2 tsp. dried)
1 teaspoon snipped basil (1/4 tsp. dried)
1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 each lemon wedges

Cut sirloin in 1 1/1/2 inch cubes. Cut lobster tails are large in thirds, leaving the shell on.

Combine beer, oil, lemon juice, honey, chives, parsley, basil, and pepper. Marinate beef and lobster in marinade for 1 to two hours.Thread meat and lobster alternatively on skewers. Grill the kebabs, turning and basting with marinade, over hot coals for 15 minutes or until lobster is tender when tested with a fork and beef is done as desired.

Serve with lemon wedges.

The Hunt is on for Diver Scallops

2007-04-18T19:40:00.000-04:00

Charlie called the other day and asked if we would meet him for lunch at his favorite seafood spot on the water, which of course, we agreed to—as he knew we would. When we arrived we found him, and you're not going to believe this, sitting outside, in a wetsuit, drying his hair with a towel. Flippers, snorkel and mask were sitting on the roof of his truck and we actually had to take a double look to make sure this was our Charlie. As we walked up closer to him, we could tell he was busting at the seams to tell us about the latest culinary craze, Diver scallops! Charlie had just come from the boat of divers and couldn't wait to tell us the story of these succulent, sweet sea morsels. He left us to go grab his reserved table in the restaurant while he went to change out of his wet suit.

Traditionally, Charlie began; fishing vessels drop rake-like chains into the waters off the coast, to as deep as 900 feet, and dredge up the ocean floor to harvest scallops. Unfortunately, he says, this method harvests more than just scallops—It hurts the shellfish population.

Diver scallops, he explained, are just what the name implies, hand-picked by divers that select only the big ones and leave the smaller ones until they have a chance to grow. And, because they are hand picked, have less grit than the dragged ones. Divers simply jump into the water and swim down to the ocean floor and, one by one pick the biggest scallops. The divers carry a mesh scallop bag with them and once the bag is full, they signal the boat to lift the full bag and send down an empty bag.

We were speechless! Trying to picture Charlie; our big guy, in full diver gear, swimming along the ocean beds below, picking out the best scallops, was not just a bit amusing but down-right astonishing.

As you know, Charlie continued, scallops are sorted by their size. Sea scallops are available in U-10 (less than, under, 10 per pound) 10/20, 20/30, 30/40, and 40/50 per pound. The harvesting season runs from November 1 to April 15, "but as long as boats go out at least three miles from the shoreline, scallops can be harvested (dragged method) year round", says veteran scallop diver Tim Hunt from Deer Isle, Maine. He states that these scallops are sometimes gray in color and are often soaked in a preserving solution, which really damages them.

On today's menu, the term "Diver Scallops" would often refer to a U-10 sized scallop but not necessarily guarantee that the scallops are actually harvested by hand. There's no way of knowing!

Charlie warned us that "Menu" terms versus "Market" terms are sometimes misused. There is a code of ethics among the fishermen and seafood purveyors and they would never use the term "Diver Scallops" unless they were referring to scallops harvested by a diver. Restaurants don't necessarily abide by this code of ethics and often mislead customers with what they state on their menus.

Speaking of menus, what are some ways to prepare Diver Scallops, we asked Charlie—our new scuba expert. "There are many ways to prepare these delicate sea morsels," Charlie answered. The most popular way is to coat them end-to-end with your favorite spice blend and then sear them in a hot pan. They cook quickly so make sure that you don't over cook them or they will dry out, lose their juices and crack the spice coating. Because scallops are high in moisture content, it is easier to adhere a coating to them by adding cornstarch to the spice mixture. You can prepare them; skewered with shrimp or Cajun seared with wasabi cream or in a pesto sauce with linguini. Scallops are an excellent source of protein and did you know, have fewer calories than poultry.

Fresh from the sea, our succulent sea scallops, wrapped in bacon are sweet and juicy on the inside with crispy, honey-smoked cured bacon on the outside. These appetizers are a crowd pleaser and a must for your next party!

Easy Broiled Scallops

1 1/2 pound of dry sea scallops
1 stick of butter melted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat Broiler. Rinse and dry scallops. Roll them in the melted butter and place them close in a a shallow pan.Pour any remaining butter over them, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and broil for five minutes. Optional: Try placing a few slices of bacon on top-- add a couple more minutes, until bacon is crisp.

Or...just as delicious, rinse and cut the large scallops in half or thirds, then dip them in a slightly beaten egg, roll them in seasoned bread crumbs, and place in shallow bacon dish. Pour melted butter over them (turning, so they're coated), and broil for 5 minutes. Serve with wedges of lemon.

Feeling the Lobster Pinch. Ouch!

2007-04-13T01:22:00.000-04:00

Good Friday turned out to be a black Friday for Homarus americanus, that's the scientific name for Maine lobster. I headed up the coast along US Route 1A in search of a good deal in York. I was planning to steam half a dozen lobsters for a Good Friday seafood dinner. I took out the old Jeep. It made a rattling sound, so I cranked up the Sox on the am to drown out the noise. How about Dice K sticking out ten in is first start! Here is a quick factoid: York is America's first chartered city (Circa, 1632). If you are ever in York, take a look at the Cape Neddick Lighthouse. "Nubble" Light is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world. You can park for free at Sohier Park. The lighthouse is open to the public. Anyway, there was no lobster! Yup. No lobsters to be found. I continued about another 20 miles or so to Kennebunkport. They only had a few crates and the price was out of site-- nearly 16 bucks a pound for quarters. They did not even have any jumbo lobsters in stock! The folks up at in Cape Porpoise said the same thing.

So what gives? Where are all the lobsters? Lobster prices this time of year are historically high, but not like this, not in 20 years! I called Captain Ed of Lobsteranywhere.com. These guys are expert lobster shippers. They've shipped Maine lobsters and chowder as far away as the North Pole. No kidding. "There's no lobsters. It's as simply as that," explained Ed. Empty lobster pounds and the fact that lobstermen aren't catching them are the major reasons for the supply crisis.

In anticipation of seasonal changes, lobsters are pounded or held in fenced in seaside enclosures. Dealers hold their inventory and sell when prices rise in the winter. Lobster pounds in Canada and Maine did not stock enough this fall. It's just like the stock market: buy low, sell high. You don't want to get stuck with inventory when the boats bring in a new catch. Higher than normal lobster sales in January and February also depleted the pounds. Late stormy weather did not bring in any new stock. Capt. Ed says that high winds are the worst for fishing. The huge demand for lobster in Europe for Easter dinner also made the clawed creatures as scarce as those silly Webkins.

Still, the weather has not cooperated. Colder-than-average waters have made it difficult to fish. You see when the ocean temperature is too cold lobsters do not move around much looking for food so it's unlikely they will visit any traps. Let's hope for sunnier days. Since there's no lobster, we'll make it a good Friday with a pizza party.

Super Shrimp Pizza

1 prepared crust or 8 ounces pizza dough (from your local market)
1/4 cup prepared pesto
1/2 lb. 41/50 count shrimp shell on
(Shrimp sizes are expressed in counts per pound. The smaller the count, the larger the size of the shrimp.)
1 bell pepper, stems and seeds removed, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. fresh basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup of goat cheese

1.Bring salted water to a rolling boil. Add shrimp with shell on. Boil no more than two minutes. Remove from water and run under cold water. Peil and devein. Put shrimp in a bowl of ice cubes to stop the cooking process.

2.Spread pesto on pizza dough round.

3.Top with mozzarella. Arrange shrimp and peppers on pizza and add the goat cheese.

4.Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Charlie's New England Chowder

2007-03-21T08:26:00.001-04:00

All set for our weekender just need a few things from the market to tide me over till the Friday. Now I know this is a journal and not a grocery list but I guess while I’m at it….. I need bread (the crusty kind) …. Ya know, you would think that compiling a grocery list would be easy for me, but I so rarely prepare my own meals that I am in a loss. Agh barnacles, there must be something I have a hankering for. I suppose I could call the gang down at East Coast Gourmet to get some ideas or I could just make up a batch of my dear friend’s clam chowder. Boy I love that recipe, in fact it reminds me of East Coast Gourmet clam chowder.

Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks (reserve tender leaves) trimmed, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 (10-ounce) cans chopped clams in juice
1 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
1 pound Maine potatoes, cut into 1/2- inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pan Toasted Croutons:

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté until softened, mixing often. Stir in the flour to distribute evenly. Add the stock, juice from 2 cans of chopped clams (reserve clams), cream, bay leaves, and potatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring consistently (the mixture will thicken), then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook 20 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are nice and tender. Then add clams and season to taste with salt and pepper, cook until clams are just firm, another 2 minutes.

For Pan Toasted Croutons:

Melt the butter in a large skillet and toss the bread cubes in the butter until browned and toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Signing off, East Coast Charlie

South End Lobster Salad

2007-03-16T07:28:00.000-04:00

Today I am readying myself for a short weekender. A bunch of the lads at East Coast Gourmet have decided to check out a boat show and have invited me to come along. I so look forward to even the tiniest of trips. Gives me the opportunity to see and taste new things. Now, I know that a boat show probably won’t have a great deal of Gourmet delicacies on hand but it is the stretch that I am interested in. You never know what you’ll find in one of those “off the road dinner”. Why in fact, just last year, I was heading to Boston when I found this quaint dinner off the side of the stretch. The menu had the usual and then I spotted it. The South End Lobster Salad. Boy was it the best, in fact I raved about the deliciousness of it so much that the owner just would not hear of me leaving without her recipe.

Sounth End Lobster Salad

Delectable lobster, gently poached and served on a bed of greens with a Dijon balsamic vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 large frozen lobster tails, thawed
• 1 dozen cups mixed salad greens
• 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• Vinaigrette dressing:
• 3/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Instructions

In a medium sauce pan combine wine and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add lobster tails and simmer until opaque in center, about 10-12 minutes then drain. When cool remove lobster meat from shells and slice into medallions. Prepare vinaigrette by whisking all dressing ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. Arrange mixed greens on four large plates. Top with lobster medallions and sliced eggs. Drizzle several tablespoons vinaigrette over each salad.

Notes:

Serve with fresh crusty bread./ Number of servings: 4

Mmmm…. We may have to take a detour!

Signing off, East Coast Charlie

Maple Popcorn Recipe

2007-03-14T14:33:00.000-04:00

Just finished up my lobster pie form East Coast Gourmet and decided to sit down to my journal before I call it a night. I once again find myself reminiscing past adventures and of course anticipating a new. I must however laugh and bare a smile that extends from ear to ear. When speaking with my dear friends at East Coast Gourmet I was reminded of one of my favorite times of the year the 4th Sunday of March, Maine’s Maple Sunday Celebration. Oh what a glorious time, and sure to be my next road adventure This tasty event allows Maine’s maple sugar producers the opportunity to open their sugar houses for tastings and live demonstrations on how this delectable gooiness is made, from "tap to table." I can’t wait to indulge in Maple Taffy, hot fresh maple syrup concentrate poured over snow and at some of my favorite sugar houses, pancakes are served as a way to sample the syrup. And, If you think maple syrup is just for a short stack, think again! This natures goodness is used in Ice cream, pudding, pie , cake, barbecue sauce, and candy recipes. I must say, I can’t wait! In fact all this talk of maple syrup has got my stomach grumbling for a snack, Maple Popcorn, my favorite. I think I still have just a tad syrup left to make up a batch.

Maple Popcorn Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup real maple syrup
1/2 to 1 cup walnut pieces
9 cups popped plain popcorn

Instructions
Heat maple syrup over medium heat until syrup reaches 236 degrees F. on a candy thermometer. Lightly oil large mixing bowl. Mix popcorn, nuts and syrup with lightly-oiled spoon. When mixture cools, break off and eat.

Yield: about 10 cups/ a batch.

Delicious!!!!

Signing off, East Coast Charlie

Old Pop's Lobster Pie

2007-03-13T13:25:00.000-04:00

May will soon be here and I will once again be off in search of the “ultimate catch”. “Ahh, the sea, she be a callin”, it’s what my “Old Pop” would say. A true “lobsterman” he was. Taught me everything I know. In fact, taught me things I don’t think he ever intended to teach me like the fact that if it were not for the “lobstermen” of Maine like myself, my “Old Pop” and my friends down at East Coast Gourmet, it wouldn’t be possible for the rest of the world to enjoy the succulent taste of lobster year round. Yes indeed. I have learned so much. And, in turn, have so much to share like my “Old Pop’s” Lobster Pie Recipe.

Old Pop’s Lobster Pie

Ingredients:
4 Lobsters, Boiled or Steamed 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pound size
1/2 cup bread crumbs-unseasoned
1 cup crushed crackers (butter crackers taste best)
1/2 cup melted butter (no margarine)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced green pepper
5 medium mushrooms, chopped fine
1/4 cup butter, non melted
lemon juice and lemon wedges

Instructions:
Place butter in pan, sauté onion, pepper and mushrooms until tender. Add remaining ingredients for stuffing, mix well (set aside). Shell lobsters and place lobster meat into an 8x11 baking dish. Drizzle fresh lemon juice over lobster and dot generously with butter. Top lobster with stuffing mix and dot with butter. Drizzle with lemon juice and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes till lightly browned on top. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley!

Sounds so darn good, I think I’ll call my friends down at East Coast Gourmet to send me over one of their world famous Lobster Pies, the next best thing to Pop’s!

Signing off, East Coast Charlie

East Coast Charlie's Seaworthy Facts

2007-02-07T12:18:00.000-05:00

The term for the pincerlike claw of a crab,
lobster or scorpion is called a chela(pro-
nounced kela).

A lobster has no cerebral cortex, the area
of the brain that gives the perception of pain.

The teeth of a lobster are in its stomach.
They chew their food in the stomach between
three grinding surfaces that look like molar
surfaces, called the gastric mill.

Lobsters can regenerate legs, claws and
antennae. In fact they can amputate their
own claws and legs(called autotomy) to
escape danger.

Lobsters are deaf but do sense noise as
vibrations.

In Florida and in the Caribbean, a live spiny
lobster is used as bait to catch cubera snapper,
a fish exceeding 100 pounds.

The two eyes of a lobster each has 13,000
lenses and 13,000 individual nerve rods, and
if it loses an eye, it can regenerate another.

Unlike the American lobster(Maine lobster),
spiny lobsters enjoy each other's company
and share dens. They can also warn other
lobsters of danger by rubbing their antennae
across their carapace(shell), creating a sound
reminiscent of the creaking of doors in a haunted
house.

Among some of the creatures that regularly make
meals of the lobster: nurse shark, groupers, rays,
triggerfish and octopus.

Crabs and lobsters have hairs on their claws and
other body parts that detect water current and
vibration.

Lobsters attack and consume up to 100 kinds
of animals and plants.

At the end of a lobster's second year, it will have
grown to only about two inches long--still smaller
than a jumbo shrimp.

Russian scientists have experimented with a type
of Cesarean section for sturgeon--they remove the
roe(caviar)and sew up the fish to reproduce.

Sturgeon can live up to 100 years and grow to
20 feet in length and weigh 3,000 pounds.

There are 26 species of sturgeon worldwide, but
only a few are commercially important as a source
of caviar.

About 95 percent of the world's caviar comes from
the Caspian Sea, which is the world's largest lake.

Until the late 1800s, the United States produced
90 percent of the world's caviar from sturgeon in
the Great Lakes.

Prior to Prohibition, there was such a large supply
of caviar that New York bars gave it away to entice
patrons to drink more alcohol.

About 25 percent of all seafood sold in the United
States is shrimp.

The United States imports 80 percent of the shrimp
it consumes.

Many species of shrimp, after one or two seasons
as sexually active males, change sex and function
as females.

The shell of the Tridacna(giant clam) is so strong
that it has been made into ax handles with which
to fell trees.

The shell of a sea urchin is known as a test.

Unlike the marlins and sailfish, the swordfish is
equipped with a two-edged sword, not a rounded
spike.

The Latin name for the swordfish means "sword
gladiator".

A 265-pound swordfish once taken off Massachusetts
had a 125-pound blue shark impaled on its sword.

There's an exhibit in the British Museum of the side
of a ship with the sword of a swordfish penetrating
22 inches into it.

Union Oyster House, established in Boston in
1826, claims to be the oldest restaurant in the
United States.

Bluefin tuna have been clocked at 55 miles per
hour, quite a feat since water is 800 times denser
than air.

Spiny lobsters of Florida and the Caribbean make
an annual southerly migration of about 30 miles
each fall. Covering as much as 10 miles a day,
they walk single file in groups of 60 or more,
lightly touching one another to stay together.

An oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day.

Only about one oyster spat in a million survives
to adulthood.

There are more than 25,000 species of crustaceans
worldwide, the largest being the 30-pound giant spider
crab of Japan, with a leg span of 12 feet. The
smallestis the pea crab, which lives on the underside of sand
dollars.

The only commercial fishing vessels in the United
States still powered by sail are the Maryland
skipjacks, sailboats that dredge for oysters.

A 730-pound mako shark caught in the Bahamas had
in its stomach a 120-pound swordfish--with the sword
still intact.

All groupers are born female;some evolve into males
prior to spawning in a process called protogyny.

Since tunas don't have swim bladders and never stop
swimming, estimates indicate that a 15-year-old tuna
will have traveled one million miles in its life.

An anchovy can reproduce when it is one year old,
but some sharks may be 20 years old before reaching
sexual maturity.

Some groups of Native Americans dined on the lump
meat of the horseshoe crab. They also used the shells
to bail water out of their canoes, and fashioned the
tails into spear tips.

Clam shells served as the first bowls and spoons used
by primitive man.

The oldest crab fishery in the United States is
the blue crab fishery of the Chesapeake Bay
area(Virginia and Maryland), dating to the
early 1600s.

Of the canned tunas, the albacore is the only
species allowed to be labeled "white meat"
in the United States.

Chesapeake Bay once produced more seafood
per acre than any body of water on earth.

Chinese tradition holds that oysters can cure
freckles.

In Japan, Gerber's best-selling baby food is
a sardine dish.

Mississippi produces about 80 percent of
the nation's supply of farm-raised catfish.

In the past 60 years, consumption of tuna
has increased about 1,500 percent in the
United States.

The American Indian is credited with creating
the first oyster stew.

The Blue Point Oyster was named for Blue
Point, Long Island in New York.

John Steinbeck's 1945 novel Cannery Row
was about what type of fishery?
Answer: Sardines

Scrod is the commercial name used to market
codfish that weigh less than three pounds, and
the haddock(cod family)may also be known as
scrod when under three pounds.

The tilefish was unknown until 1879, when it
was taken by commercial fishermen off Nantucket
that year and introduced to markets.

The Spanish mackerel can leap 10 feet above
water's surface.

Pickled herring was the first food traded
internationally.

Most popular pizza topping in South Korea: Tuna
In Japan:Squid

In the late 1800s, you could buy ketchup flavored
with lobster, oysters and anchovies.

McDonald's in Norway serves McLak burgers,
made with salmon.

Oysters were first served commercially in the
U.S. in 1763 when a saloon was opened in
New York City in a Broad Street cellar.

About 10 percent of the world's total fish
catch is cod.

Fish farming(aquaculture)dates back to
2000 B.C. in China with the farming of
carp.

About 40 percent of the shrimp eaten in
the U.S. is farm raised.

Pismo clams get their name from Pismo Beach,
California.

There are more than 350 species of crayfish
found in North America.

Although marketed as Chilean sea bass, this
fish's real name is Patagonian toothfish. It's
not a true sea bass, and its name was given
because of its unappealing real name.

In ancient Rome, oysters were so highly prized
that they were sold for their weight in gold.

About 98 percent of the rainbow trout
consumed in the U.S. are farm raised.

During the reign of Emperor Diocletian
(284-205 A.D.), the Roman monetary
unit was equal to the value of one oyster.

The first salmon cannery in the U.S. was
established in 1864 in Washington, Cali-
fornia, on the banks of the Sacramento
River.

Crustaceans range in size from the giant
spider crab with 12-foot leg spans to the
1/1,000 of an inch-long water flea.

In the Bahamas and the Caribbean, conch is
also called "hurricane ham".

Like other mollusks, conchs can produce pearls, and
sometimes produce large pink pearls.

North America is home to about 300 species of
freshwater mussels, one-third of the worldwide
total.

The delectable Florida stone crab has a claw
crushing power of 18,000 pounds per square
inch. It can crush oyster shells.

A lobster sheds its shell, called a carapace,
six to eight times before its first birthday.

The American(Maine)lobster can grow to
more than 45 pounds--about as much as a
four-year-old child.

Fish provide about 40 percent of the protein
consumed by two-thirds of the world's population.

Some female crabs and lobsters can mate only after
molting, putting them at the mercy of the male, who
can choose to either fertilize them or eat them.

Some whales sing songs that rhyme. Whale
songs last  from seven minutes to more than
thirty. Whales are born tail first.

Among the many sounds produced by fish are
croaks, grunts, coughs, whistles and squeaks.

Clam shells during the Depression of the 1930s were
used in Pismo Beach, California, as legal tender.

In 1939, state representative Cleveland Sleeper of
Maine introduced a bill to make it a statutory as well
as a culinary offense to introduce tomatoes
to clam chowder.

It's a wonder you ever get to sit down to a lobster
dinner,  because 99 percent of all lobsters die a few
weeks after hatching.  The odds are 10,000 to 1
against any larval lobster living long  enough to be
eaten by man. For that matter, it has been estimated
that only 1 in 1,000 animals born in the sea survives
to maturity.

The roe of lobsters is called coral.

Tomalley is the lobster's liver. It turns green
when cooked and is considered by some to
be a delicacy.

Lobsters were so plentiful in colonial America
that they were used as fertilizer.

A cull is a one-clawed lobster, usually a victim
of combat.

Lobsters are so slow-growing that in their
second year they are still smaller than a
jumbo shrimp.

A lobster's kidneys are in its forehead and its
teeth are in its stomach.

Lobsters begin life as eggs no bigger than
the head of a pin.

Lobsters may cover a mile each night
foraging for food.

Lobsters can be red, yellow, green, brown
or white, but only about 1 in 20 million is
blue. They all turn the same color when
cooked---red or pink.

Lobsters can live 60 years or longer.

There are other claims to its origin, but one
legend has it that a New England sea captain
gave the doughnut its hole---he thrust a piece
of fried bread onto a spoke of his ship's wheel
so that he could steer with both hands.

The word chowder is derived from the French
chaudiere, a cauldron aboard ships which fisher-
men would combine their catch to make a fish
stew.

All clams begin life as males;some later change
sex to females.

George Washington once operated a ferry and
fishery on the Potomac River, shipping fish in his
boats and selling them along the Atlantic seaboard.

Codfish were depicted on some early coins
of the infant United States from 1776 to 1778.

A single cod can lay up to nine million eggs in a
season, but only one egg in a million will survive
to be an adult cod.

In 1670, the Massachusetts Bay Colony ruled
that the profits from "basse" fishing be used to
build a school that was free for all to attend.
This striped bass fishery built the first public
school in the New World.

The first state Fish Commission was established
May 16, 1856 in Massachusetts.

The first federal fish hatchery was established in
Bucksport, Maine, in 1872 for the propagation
of Atlantic salmon.

Because mackerel is a fish that spoils quickly,
merchants were allowed to sell it on Sundays
despite blue laws in 17th-century England.
Hence the phrase, "Holy Mackerel!"

The custom of serving a slice of lemon with
fish originally had nothing to do with taste.
It dates to the Middle Ages, when it was
believed that if a fishbone was swallowed,
the juice from the lemon would dissolve it.

A 265-pound swordfish was once taken on
rod and reel off Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts,
that had a 125-pound blue shark impaled
on its sword.

The Alvin, a research vessel launched in 1964
by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in
Massachusetts, was rammed by a swordfish
in 1967.

The first scientific effort to tag fish took place
in Maine in 1873 when a number of Atlantic
salmon were tagged and released.

Fishing led to the first practical method of
quick-freezing foods when in the early 1900s
Clarence Birdseye was fishing in a frigid region
of Canada and discovered that the fish he caught
and froze tasted just as fresh as when he caught
them.

The porbeagle shark got its name from two
sources---por from the porpoise because
it rolls on the surface---and beagle from the
dog because of its propensity to sniff out baits.

The first naval drydock built by the U.S.
government was completed in Boston in
1833.

The merchant ship Columbia, setting sail
from Boston in 1787, was the first U.S.
ship to circumnavigate the world.

The Aryan, the last wooden full-rigged
ship built in the United States, was launched
in Phippsburg, Maine in 1893.

Salem, Massachusetts became America's
first shipbuilding center in 1629.

Thomas Edison, an avid fisherman, reportedly
received his inspiration for the light bulb while
on a fishing trip to Wyoming in July 1878.

In 1719, the first fog signal in the American
Colonies was installed in Boston Light, which
was America's first lighthouse.

Master clipper ship designer Donald McKay was
apprenticed as a shipwright in New York City at
age 16, and got his own Massachusetts shipyard
at 34.

Lobsters were so plentiful in colonial New England
that they sold for a penny each, and as late as 1880,
Maine lobsterman received only two cents a pound
for their catch.

The first torpedo boat in the United States was the
Stiletto, built in 1887 by the Herreshoff Boat Yard
in Bristol, Rhode Island.

The first sailcloth mill in the United States, the
Boston Sail Cloth Factory, began in 1788.

The three-masted Grand Turk is familiar to many
Americans because the ship is depicted on bottles
of Old Spice aftershave and cologne. But her role
in American nautical history is far more important.
She was America's first great merchant ship, and
the ship that helped create America's first
millionaire, shipowner Elias Haskett Derby, who made his fortune
importing black pepper into the United States in the
early 19th century.

Eli Yale, in 1672, was the first colonial American
to take part in spice trading, and one of America's
greatest learning institutions---Yale University---was
established by Yale, who made much of his fortune
in the pepper trade.

So great was the pepper trade in the early 19th
century that import duties collected in Salem,
Massachusetts---the U.S. pepper capital---were
enough to pay 5 percent of the expenses of the
United States Government.

East Coast Customer Testimonials

2007-01-01T11:09:00.000-05:00

We believe that our products are second to none, but don't take our word for it, here are some of the comments we have received from our customers:

We loved it- Had such a banquet!!! Everybody trying to guess what was in the topping... I served it, as you suggested with French bread and a salad--It is sooooo rich that it was just perfect. My congratulations to the Chef.

WOW, oh WOW, what a wonderful surprise!! Lobster galore, not a bite eaten that didn't contain a Scrumptious Chunk of the delectable crustacean.
Our sincere thanks to you and your staff.
Sid & Peggy Gandee, Glendale, AZ.

I received a call from my dad gushing about how good the pie was. The conversation was punctuated with accolades like, "lobster-licious," "better than anything that I could have gotten in finest restaurants in Atlanta," "lobster in every fork-full." Thank you so much for such a
wonderful product. The lobster pie is already legendary in my family.
Tanisha. Lewiston, ME

Your incredible lobsters were the undisputed highlight of our annual beach trip. Everyone raved that they had never seen lobsters that big before, nor had tasted anything like them. Prompt delivery, great presentation, great meal!
Ernie Williams, Coastal Living Magazine, Cooking Light magazine.

My grandparents got the pie, and have already eaten it. They said they were like kids with an Ice Cream Cake, loved every bite if it, saved some to have like hash with eggs in the morning. My grandfather was on the phone most of the night telling some other displaced New Englanders about your Web Site and how well packaged and delicious the food was, as well as how reasonable the prices are.I just wanted to drop you a line and say thank you verymuch. Christopher Martel

I was impressed by the amount of lobster meat that was in the pie - never have I seen this before! This was very special to me. Thanks so much!!
Sandra Shell

We received the lobster pie and it was fabulous! My husband and I enjoyed it so much we are looking forward to ordering another one this summer! I believe this will be a great addition to your already wonderful menu of dishes! Thanks again and I will be sending my orders in come July!
Patty Loch Project Manager, Arden Realty

JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT I COOKED THE LOBSTER NEWBURG PIE AND IT WAS AS EQUALLY DELICIOUS AS THE BAKED STUFFED LOBSTER PIE. THE BOTH PIES WERE FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH MY FAVORITE FOOD -- LOBSTER!! MY SON HAS SUCH GOOD TASTE. I'LL HAVE TO ASK HIM HOW HE FOUND YOU -- CERTAINLY NOT IN HIS YELLOW PAGES -- HE LIVES IN CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA. I'M GLAD HE SELECTED LOBSTER INSTEAD OF PERFUME FOR MY MOTHER'S DAY GIFT. THANKS AGAIN.
REGARDS, PHYLLIS RUSSO

We had to write to let you know how much we enjoyed our live Maine lobster. My wife, originally from Rhode Island and a former Bostonian, loves lobster and she can't stop talking about it. Our package included a 5-lb. live Maine lobster, New England clam chowder, lobster bisque, and a 4-piece box of chocolate truffles. The lobster was incredible - huge beyond belief. Its meat was succulent, tender and sweet. We had always heard that lobsters over 2 lbs. were tough, but that's just not true.
The lobster bisque was creamy and full of fresh Maine lobster meat, and the New England clam chowder was the best we've had…even better than the award-winning chowder at Legal Seafood! And, the truffles? The content smile on my wife's face said it all.
LobsterAnywhere.com has truly exceeded our expectations. We've ordered live Maine lobster online before, but your service and quality are superior. You do something most other online lobster retailers don't - you provide that special touch to make a meal memorable. It's nice to know we can enjoy the flavors of New England without having to leave Naples!
Rob Cassese, Naples, Fl.