So Long, Summer
Most weekends in Maine call for a lobster dinner. That might seem like a luxury, but at $5 a pound or less, it’s not that extravagant. We have our favorite source, a guy in a truck who shows up in a nearby parking lot. Year after year, his lobsters are excellent. He sells fish and other shellfish, but the furthest we’ve ventured beyond lobster is steamers.
Our lobster guy usually has soft-shell lobsters. You don’t often see these outside of Maine because they do not travel well. A soft-shell lobster is still an American lobster (homarus Americanus), just at a different stage in its life cycle. A lobster’s hard shell doesn’t grow. The way a lobster gets bigger is to form a new shell under the old and then sheds the old one. The lobster will usually eat the old shell, and the calcium will start the strengthening of the new shell. The younger the lobster, the more frequently it molts. Though soft-shell lobsters have a little less meat, but we find them much sweeter. Definitely a treat all summer long.
This summer, our habit has been to buy three lobsters, one lobster for each of us for dinner, and an extra for Bella the dog. Actually, that’s a joke. Bella’s lobster gets cooked along with dinner and shelled in anticipation of the next day’s lunch.
I start with a simple lobster salad. The knuckles, claws, and tail of one lobster makes enough salad for two generous lobster rolls. The salad needs something crunchy. Usually, I use chopped celery and scallions, but in the early summer, I’ve been known to use radish or fresh raw peas. The tiniest daub of mayonnaise binds it all together. Chopped fresh parsley makes it beautiful.
The vehicle to carry the lobster salad to your tummy is an unglamorous top-loading hot dog bun. These buns are native to New England. When I was growing up in Maryland, the only place I ever saw this kind of bun was at Howard Johnson’s (fried clam rolls!), also native to New England. These are the kind with soft sides and crust only on the top edges. To perfect the sandwich, the outside of the bun is lightly browned in butter.
As summer comes to an end, I’m already missing these weekend indulgences!
Maine Lobster Rolls
Serves 2
Knuckles, claw meat, and tail from a 1½ pound cooked lobster, cut into ½-inch chunks
1 scallion, sliced thin
½ stalk celery, diced into ¼ pieces
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsley
1 Tbsp butter
2 top-loading hot dog buns
To make the lobster salad: In a medium bowl, combine lobster meat, scallions, celery, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper. Add parsley and gently combine.
Melt the butter in a skillet. Coat both sides of the rolls in the melted butter. Lightly brown one side of the buttered bun, about 2 minutes. Turn and lightly brown the other side. Pat the sides with a paper towel to absorb any extra butter.
Divide the lobster salad between the two buns. Serve with potato chips or potato salad. Smile and enjoy!
#IFBC 2013: Seattle, Here I Come!
In less than two weeks, I’m headed to Seattle. I’ll be attending the 5th Annual International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle, Washington from September 20-22, 2013, organized by Foodista.com and Zephyr Adventures.
The theme this year is Food, Writing, and Technology. I can definitely I relate to this theme:
- Food makes my world go around. Eating, cooking, reading about it, talking about it. You name it, it gives me a thrill. Three days of immersion in the world of food? I know that being among 300 other participants that share my passion will be the experience of a lifetime.
- Writing is how blog posts get created. Words and pictures allow me to share the creations of my kitchen and maybe tempt you to try them yourself in yours. Writing is how I comment on the blogs I read, which often sparks a conversation. Over time, these conversations build a connection, and friends with common interests are made across states, countries, and continents. Who knew?
- Technology seems to be the lifeline of the world today. I’ve been accused of being a Luddite, but I have embraced technology in more ways than one. I love learning more about things I’m interested in and exploring new areas. I’ve always been one for paper, things with pages to turn, like books, magazines, and newspapers. The wealth of information available on the Internet blows me away daily. Navigating this technology from my computer, my iPad, and even my phone, is a new way of life.
Though I’ve been blogging for almost four years, this is the first time I’ve ever ventured outside of the comfort of my own home to meet fellow bloggers face-to-face. I’m thrilled and excited, but nervous at the same time.
I’m going on this adventure alone, though I will meet up with a dozen of my “cyberfriends” from French Fridays with Dorie. This group of enthusiastic home cooks has been working their way through Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table, one recipe a week. Along with expanding our cooking skills and taste buds, from afar our group has bonded over successes and failures, in the kitchen and out. I can’t wait to put a face and make a real-life connection with each of the on-line personalities I’ve come to know.
Exploring the blogs of the conference attendees, I’m look forward to meeting other, as of now unfamiliar, bloggers and making some new friends.
The planned sessions look amazing. I hope to gain some new tips and techniques to improve my writing and photography skills to enhance my blog after I return home.
I leave for Seattle in just 10 days, and, so, the countdown begins… Maybe I’ll see you there!
A Plateful of Happiness 