The McSeagulls Maine Lobster Experience

Now, if you are like all of us here at McSeagulls, you probably have seen the chart below about
"How to Eat a Maine Lobster".
You have probably seen it dozens of times on restaurant placemats , on websites, in tourism materials etc. and we are sure that you have paid close attention to the instructions every time because they were created to "HELP YOU" to not look like a tourist when visiting our great state, RIGHT?

Well, not necessarily.........

We cannot sit idly by and allow this injustice, to our friends and guests, to happen any longer. We have decided that it is our duty to finally expose what many of us believe to be a well organized conspiracy that was designed solely to serve the "wicked twisted" sense of humor of some
Native Mainers who will forever remain nameless.

Now, we can't deny the fact that we have occasionally had to hold back a few giggles while watching a "first timer" trying to figure out how to properly dismantle a Maine Lobster. Let's face it, they are a puzzling looking creature and can be a bit challenging until you get the hang of it.

What the instructions below don't mention is the fact that there is a lot of "stuff" inside a Maine Lobster and if you are not careful......... Well, let's just say that we have seen our share of romantic dinners ruined over a " Tomalley Shower". Over the years we have witnessed thousands of
"lobster virgins" fall victim to the misguided instructions that you see below and we would like to walk you through each one for your protection,
(and perhaps more importantly, the protection of anyone sitting opposite you at your table)

How to Eat a Maine Lobster

Meat is found within the claws (large front claws and side body claws), the tail, and within the body where the claws are joined to the body. The tail offers the most meat and is saved until last by many lobster lovers. How does one eat a Maine lobster? In one word ... SLOWLY ... you'll want to savor each bite!

Twist off the claws.

1. Twist off the claws. Separate the pieces of the front claws at each of the joints. Editor's Note: (Note that the lobster in this illustration is belly side up. We would like to suggest a "golden rule". Whenever possible, position your lobster so that the belly is down toward your plate)

Separate the tail from the body.

3. Separate the tail from the body with a twisting motion.
Editor's Note: (OK people. This is the numero uno offender. This will give the uninitiated a face full of lobster juice almost every time.
Downward PLEASE!

Remove the tail meat.

5. Using a fork or your finger, force the tail meat up and out of the other end. Beneath the outer top layer of meat is the digestive tract which should not be eaten. Remove the meat covering from this tract (which looks like a vein) and discard the tract. The outer meat may be eaten.
Editor's Note: (I don't know about you but anytime that I am being instructed to force "ANYTHING" with a sharp fork pointed at the palm of my hand.... You get the point. Instead, place the tail, bottom side down, toward your plate and, using both hands, squeeze the sides inward, (like you were gripping the handlebars of a runaway bicycle), until you hear it crack. Then, still pointing the shell downward, grasp each side of the shell and pull open to finish separating the shell.

Crack the body.

7. Remove the smaller claws from the body. There is meat in the body at the points where each claw was attached.
Editor's Note: (See number 4)

Crack the claws.

2. Crack the claws and claw pieces with the nutcrackers. Use the pick as needed.
Editor's Note: (Please do your fellow diners a favor by not choosing this point in the process to "SHARE" your lobster with them. Crack gently and slowly so as not to cause a "clawruption".)

Break off the flippers.

4. Break the tail flippers from the tail.
Editor's Note: (observe "golden rule")

Unhinge the back.

6. Unhinge the body shell from the body. Remove the "tomalley" (green substance) which is actually the lobster's liver.
Editor's Note: (Ok, this one looks reasonably safe as long as you are not too agressive)

Eat the small claws.

8. There is some delicate meat in the smaller claws. This can be obtained by breaking apart the claw sections and squeezing out the meat with one's teeth.
Editor's Note: (This looks it would be as difficult as sucking a pea through a drinking straw. Do yourself a favor and seperate each section at the joints before attempting this manuever)

All of McSeagulls "Lazy Lobster"
dishes are prepared using, cooked to order, "fresh from raw" lobster meat.

Until now, if you wanted "out of the shell" Maine Lobster Meat you had to start with previously cooked and picked meat or previously cooked, picked, and frozen meat. Or if you felt ambitious, you had to partially cook a live lobster enough to loosen the meat from the shell and then shuck the partially cooked meat out of the shell. If you are a home cook or a chef that could be a little frustrating but we have "put up with it" because it was all that was available.
UNTIL NOW!

Try to imagine if someone said that if you want to prepare a dish with any other meat, like chicken or beef for instance, that you would have to start with precooked chicken or beef. Would you be happy that many of the natural flavors and juices were lost in the first cook?

Thanks to a revolutionary new process that now makes it possible to enjoy whole raw lobster meat in it's truest form, our Lazy Lobster dishes start with fresh picked raw lobster meat.

We can even offer you the prized lobster leg meat which has NEVER been available before and is a rare gourmet treat.

All of this means that you get to experience ALL of the flavors that can only be achieved by starting with fresh raw lobster meat.

Maine Lobster has just reached new heights as a superior gourmet treat. There is NO finer Maine Lobster Meat available anywhere.

We hope that you enjoy this truly unique approach to serving the finest and freshest tasting Maine Lobster Meat.

You will never look at Maine Lobster the same way again.

We do not use previously frozen, precooked, lobster meat.

We hope that clears some things up for you.
ENJOY YOUR MAINE LOBSTER!!!

McSeagulls Maine Lobster Pesto Melt Featured in Portland Magazine

Our Famous
"Lobster Pesto Melt" was featured in Portland Magazine
in an article that was a tribute to
New England Chefs and their innovative
"Out Of The Shell" approaches to creative new ways to prepare and enjoy Maine Lobster.