Maine Lobster Season
Although
year round you will find some of Maine's hardiest fishermen lobstering
off the state's rugged coast, there
is a period of time when lobsters are more active, making them a bit
easier to harvest. So, just when is the Maine lobster season?
According to the Maine Lobster Council
the
majority of Maine lobsters are caught between late June and late
December, with the season's largest harvest produced in the fall. But,
it's not just the increased activity of these
crustaceans that make the summer and fall months prime Maine
lobster
season. Other factors contribute...
The waters are warmer and so is the air,
making it easier for the Maine
lobster fishermen to navigate the
waters of the northern Atlantic - to set and haul their lobster traps,
or "pots" as some people call them.
Also, demand for fresh
Maine lobster is higher during
that
time of year, as lobster lovers flock to Maine and other parts of New
England in search of their favorite lobster recipes, or try to
re-create memories of them in their own kitchens and backyards.
When to Buy Maine Lobster
There is no need to wait until the Maine lobster
season to prepare your favorite Maine
lobster recipes, When
the mood strikes, eat
lobster!
Even if you are having a hard time finding fresh
Maine lobster in your
local store, frozen lobster tails are always in abundance, either in
your grocers freezer or
shipped to you from an online lobster store that will usually also ship
fresh live
Maine lobsters.
However, when buying fresh lobster
locally...
At certain times of the year, often during the
Maine lobster season, you will have a
choice as to what types of lobsters to buy.
Types of Lobsters
Lobsters molt. As many as 25 times
during the first 6-7 years of
its life
a lobster will outgrow its shell.
Thereafter,
around every two years a female will outgrow hers, and once a year
the male
will
outgrow his. When this happens, most often in the spring or
fall,
a molting process begins.
The result...
Soft
shell also referred to as new shell or shedders.
You'll recognize them. As their name
suggests, their shells are not nearly as rigid as those of a lobster
that has not recently molted. As a matter of fact, the shells
are so soft that you can often crack them with bare hands.
Not sure which to buy - soft shell lobster or hard
shell lobster?
Ask the question in a crowd and you are sure to
spark a lively debate, as it seems everyone
has an opinion as to which type of lobster produces the
best lobster
meat.
You are likely to hear the argument that the meat
of
the soft
shell is sweeter, but that the meat of a hard shell lobster is more
plentiful, or that...
...the meat of a soft shell is not as robust as
that of a hard
shell, making the soft shell lobsters difficult to use for some lobster
recipes, such as those that call for grilling lobster tails.
The arguments go on and on...
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