Saint John to Halifax, Nova Scotia

Accommodation: Four Points Halifax Hotel

This morning we went on our bus through the countryside to the seaside town of Shediac, where we boarded a chartered boat for just our group, to learn more about lobsters and to enjoy a lobster lunch.

Yesterday we had learned of the carapace or hard shell that covers the lobster and what the fisherman measures to see if the lobster is big enough to be a keeper, or be returned to the water.

Our guide told us all about the parts of the lobster before we dined on one. The legs on the lobster are small and it takes some work when eating a lobster, to get the meat out. Lobsters use these legs to walk.

Lobsters use their front claws to catch food and battle predators and other lobsters. The larger claw is known as the crusher. It is used when fighting to crush its prey. The smaller one, sharp and pointed, is used to break apart food. Females have smaller claws than their male counterparts.

The lobster tail helps a lobster to move around in the water. When the lobster needs to escape, it forcefully contracts its tail and rushes backwards. They have been clocked going backwards at 24 kilometers our guide said. Females have larger tails than males. You can tell the female by the larger fan at the end of the tail.

The lobster feeds on herring and mackerel and the hair in their small legs serve as taste buds.

The best way to cook a lobster is to boil water and put about a 1/2 cup of salt in for each gallon of water. Place the lobster in the water and boil for the number of minutes per pound that is recommended. (See the photo below). Once the lobster is boiled, plunge it into cold water with the same salt content. This loosens the meat from the shell to make it easier to eat.

Before we were served our lobster, the guide gave us a crash course on how to attack a lobster to eat it.

The first thing you do is articulate the claw leg by pulling it back and down. Then you take a cracker sideways on the claws to crack them open. Then you twist the tail off. The body…you squeeze between your hands and crush it. I never eat that part of the lobster, nor do I eat the green or red stuff inside. He said both are delicious and the green can be spread on crackers like a pate. The green is called tomalley, a combined organ that functions as liver and pancreas. The red substance is called roe and are the eggs of the female lobster.

We were served a whole chilled lobster for lunch with potato salad and cold slaw. I usually like my lobster served hot with lots of melted butter, but I must say, this was perhaps the tastiest lobster I’ve ever eaten. It was juicy, with just the right amount of salt, and so tender.

After our boat ride and wonderful lunch, we rode the bus to Halifax, where our trip began 10 days ago, and enjoyed dinner with our new friends once again.

It was a great day and the weather has been beautiful!