Wine Pairings With Lobster | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures

FOOD HOLIDAY: National Lobster Day

September 25, 2015 at 10:25 am · Filed under Fish-Seafood-Caviar, Food Holidays, Tip Of The Day

For a long time, National Lobster Day was celebrated on June 15th. But according to The Boston Globe, on August 5th, National Lobster Day was officially declared by Congress to take place on September 25th.

Sponsored by Senator Angus King of Maine, the resolution was agreed to “without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.”

Maine is the largest lobster-producing region in the world, and lobstering is a multi-generational family tradition. There are no corporate fleets, but independent lobster boat owners and more than 5,600 independent lobstermen who work on the boats (the women are also called lobstermen).

Lobstering is an important component of the state’s economy, and care is taken to keep it that way.

MAINE LOBSTERS ARE SUSTAINABLE

Maine lobstermen were committed to sustainability and traceability long before it was fashionable. The industry’s 150 years of responsible fishing practices have earned it the Marine Stewardship Council’s sustainable seafood certification.

Just-caught lobsters at the dock. Photo courtesy Lobsters From Maine.

Maine Lobsters are 100% hand-harvested from small day boats, one trap at a time. Maine banned diving or dragging the sea floor for lobster in 1961.

WINE PAIRING WITH LOBSTER

A new generation of modern chefs has added excitement to lobster meals, by trading the conventional boiled or broiled lobster with drawn butter for more modern flavor pairings: cilantro, ginger, honey and wasabi, for example. Classic dishes like Lobster Thermidor have given way to the far more popular Lobster Mac and Cheese.

Now, what about the wine?

As with many dishes, and especially fish and seafood, the type of wine is best matched to the preparation. Thanks to Lobster From Maine for some of these suggestions, which we merged with our own.

Lobster with Asian Seasonings: Drink Riesling or a sparkling white wine with high acidity, like Cava or Champagne (Prosecco lacks the acidity).

Lobster in Cream Sauce: Lobster Thermidor is our favorite dish, followed by Lobster Risotto. White Burgundy or an oaky California Chardonnay is the perfect match, and also work with Lobster Alfredo and Lobster Pot Pie.

Lobster Grilled Or Steamed With Drawn Butter: Champagne or an oaky Chardonnay is our first choice; or Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Pinot Grigio and Albariño also work, and are more affordable. Lobsters From Maine advises that, if you want to try red wine with lobster, pair grilled lobster with Grenache/Garnacha, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo or a rosé.

Lobster Salad: Vinaigrette requires a high-acidity wine: Cava, Chablis, Champagne, German Riesling Kabinett, Pouilly-Fumé, Sancerre. If the salad is mostly greens with a small amount of lobster, you can try a Sauvignon Blanc.

Lobster Steamed In Beer: If the lobster is steamed in beer (usually Lager or Pilsner), drink the same type of beer.

Lobster in Tomato Sauce: Lobster Fra Diavolo or other pasta with red sauce and lobster calls for Chianti or another high-acid red wine. Tomato sauce has too much acid to pair with most white wines, but if you must have white, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc have the highest acidity of all the white grapes; Chablis has good acidity as well as minerality. The cooler the climate, the higher the acidity, so don’t pick a white wine from Australia, California, South Africa or New Zealand.

lobster-decorated-theseafiregrillFB-230r

A deconstructed lobster salad: lobster meat, cherry tomatoes, red leaf lettuce and droplets of basil oil and balsamic vinegar.Photo courtesy The Sea Fire Grill | NYC.

LOBSTER TRIVIA

It takes lobsters an average of 5 to 7 years (depending on the water temperature) to grow to legal size. They grow more slowly as they get larger. A lobster that weighs 3 pounds is approximately 15-20 years old, and a 25-pound lobster would be approximately 75-100 years old. Some believe that lobsters in unfarmed areas—30 miles off the coast of Maine—can reach as 120 years in age.

Lobsters have different pigments in their shells and come in a variety of colors. Fishermen have been known to bring in blue, yellow, red and spotted live lobsters. Usually, when lobsters are hard-shelled, their shells are a darker color. Also, when you cook hard-shell lobsters, their shells will turn a brick red color and sometimes black, whereas soft-shelled lobsters, when cooked, are a bright red color.

A lobster can be a righty or lefty. The dominant claw is the larger, craggy one and is used to crush shells. The smaller, serrated claw is used to rip, tear, and retrieve the meat within its prey.

The “green stuff” inside the lobster is the liver, called tomale. The waxy red substance in the tomale is the coral, or roe. Both are considered to be delicacies.

The bigger the lobster, the less meat it has in its tail, proportionately. Plus, larger lobsters are less desirable because by the time the center of the meat is cooked, the outside meat is overcooked.

Female lobsters are the aggressors in mating; 42% of Americans consider lobster the world’s most romantic food.

Lobsters kept in tanks or other close quarters become cannibalistic. That’s why their claws are banded.

Maine Lobster Trivia

In 2014, Maine lobstermen landed more than 120 million pounds of lobster—85% of the lobster caught in the United States.

The largest recorded Maine Lobster weighed 27 pounds. These super-lobsters usually end up in aquariums or museums.

The Maine Lobster industry is one of the oldest continuously operated industries in North America, with the first documented catch dating back to the 1600s.

Here’s more lobster trivia.

Please follow and like us:

Permalink

Comments are closed.

FOOD HOLIDAY: National Lobster Day

Search THE NIBBLE Blog

Categories

Links

Archives Calendar

Archives by Year