ottawa foodies

Hello out there!

I have been reading very regularly but have not posted in a while. Today, I am fixated on where I can get live lobster at a reasonable price. Just before New Years, several stores (Blahs Blahs and Loeb I think) were selling Live Lobster for $6.99 a pound. While I did not expect those prices to continue, the prices seem to have escalated dramatically. One store I was at, was back to $16.99 a pound. Anyone know where Lobster might be going cheaper on a regular basis and roughly what the price is.

Thanks in advance and cheers!

Check out Asian grocery stores with a seafood counter, they usually sell lobsters at around $8-11/lb. Pick ones with long antennas, it means they are fresher.

Depends how much you want. If you want a whole lot it is cheaper to order directly from a Lobster pound in NS or NB and have them ship. I did the math a few years ago and I forget where the break even point was, but it may have been as low as 20 or 30 lbs.

I'll second asian grocery stores. Places like Uni on Montreal in Vanier generaly have good lobster prices.

Peter, In case you did not read the Lobster entry here at Ottawa Foodies.... Link here: ---> ottawafoodies.com <---

Or ...

You can try and slip out of a Boston Lobster Feast in Florida with a ruck sack full of lobsters from the all-you-can-eat lobster buffet.

Check this out : ---> www.bostonlobsterfeast.com <---

and this one as well: ---> ts.rtvpix.com <---

Man oh man, I would be in that Boston Lobster Feast for hours till they dragged me away with a tow truck.

I can see myself in there with the shells just-a-flying and people would refer to me as Bottomless Pete/Homer Simspon at the Frying Dutchman All-You-Can-Eat Buffet.

www.snpp.com

I third the Asian market suggestion
if you are close to the southend, check out my buddies at Pelican Fishery
they have a tank and I know it is cleaned and maintained regularly and have lobsters at a fair price
if you wait for the Spring (and right now, who in Ottawa, can't?)
they bring in canners, 1-1 1/2 pound juicy tendler lil pups)
LaPointe's (RIP JEFF!) has lobsters year round also

MedicineJar - Sometimes in past years we've had a Seafood Feast for Valentines... We've always got our Lobsters (and the other fresh seafood) from Lapointes - Lapointe Fish partly for convenience but also because we usually are ok with the quality.

I thought I posted an article on OF at the beginning of Lobster Season that explained why the prices were so low then (ok maybe not now)... but I can't seem to find it on the Website. I'll dig around some more and see if I can't find it.

Generally, I believe it said with the economic turndown that the sale of Lobster was predicted to be low (Lobster being considered a luxury item), so the price would be lower per pound which would translate into lower prices across the board for the consumer (both local and away). However, if the prices are back up significantly, perhaps the demand is up... or fewer fishermen are fishing for them which has made them a scarcer commodity.

Captain C - As a major lobster lover I too am drooling over those pics. These types of places are very popular in the US South... there are what seems like zillions of them in Myrtle Beach and they call them "Calabash Seafood Restaurants" (named after nearby Calabash NC, which calls itself the "Seafood Capital of the World").

What it does make me ponder however seeing as this is what is known as "Maine Lobster" (vs Key's Lobster or Spiny Lobsters from off the State of Florida) then all this has got to have an effect on Lobster fishing in the Maritimes in general... so as much as I love seafood, I can't help but see this as a case of "over excess" and no doubt wastage. So for that I am not a fan of these types of establishments.

When are we humans going to figure out that having too much of a good thing... is not a good thing?
Just because we can doesn't necessarily mean we should.

And what's with these Godzilla-like Crustacean's devouring automobiles?

This one c/o Crabby Mike's Calabash Seafood Restaurant

Have you ever thought about getting a salt water aquarium and breeding your own lobsters? Might be cheaper in the long run, and you can fatten it up as you desire.

All this lobster talk is making me jones for some shellfish! I'm going lobster hunting, I'll return with any good prices I may come across.

Homer Simpson tried fattening a lobster in an aquarium.

He became attached to 'Pinchy' like a pet and couldn't bare to cook him up.

(The cheapest lobster I ever had was obtained with a snorkel, mask and a net.I was in my teens and would never dare to do that again. Not only because of the moral implications but from where I come from, a lobster fisherman is allowed to shoot you if he/she ever sees you poaching lobsters. It's the law of the land ... I mean .. sea.)

I am wondering if they up the prices for Valentine's Day. Steak and lobster is often served by many. I have noticed that the prices have been fairly consistent at $11.99/lb.