So, it’s been a few months since we visited Boston, but since then I’ve been kicking around the idea of a post about lobster. But, what finally pushed me to write was not the lobster in Boston. Instead, it was our trip across Nova Scotia and Maine that inspired me to talk about one of my favorite shellfish.

Maybe favorite is a little quick to judge. Though I love lobster, after being in Massachusetts for about 4 months, what I really miss, and what I think is my favorite seafood, are South Carolina shrimp. But, lobster can be a close second.

History and Types of Lobster

So, we’re talking about American Lobsters here, not Spiny, or Reef lobsters. All are great, I hear, but hard to find. You’ve probably heard that lobster was once viewed as the food of the poor, and that lobster was fed to inmates and servants. While that’s totally true, you need to also know that, when served to prisoners and servants, lobster was frequently cooked dead, not alive, or was ground and cooked together, shells, gills, and all. So, not quite the tail and drawn butter presentation we admire.

Next, you need to know that there are two types of lobster available live. When talking about American lobsters, lobsters are graded by the age of their shell. Soft Shell lobsters have recently shed their shells. They have the mildest taste. Hard Shell lobsters are once who have shed their shell this year, but have had enough time for their shells to harden. If you are on the East Coast, these are likely the only lobsters you’ll be able to buy, as transporting soft shells is difficult. These taste the most like lobster, which I enjoy, but might be a more powerful taste than some enjoy.

The traditional way to cook lobster is to boil it, open the shell, and serve beside drawn butter. Nothing wrong with this presentation, at all. It highlights the amazing sweetness of the lobster and is very simple. But, there are so many better ways to eat lobster.

First, you can deep-fry the lobster tail. Not much to say about this, other than it is freaking amazing. It keeps the lobster tail moist and flavorful, but helps with tenderness. Tails are desirable, but they’re not as tender as some people expect. Frying helps.

My personal favorite, though, is to grill lobster. I think this is even easier than boiling and certainly more flavorful.

First, you need to have a great fire, preferably with a good coals and a little flame. You can, of course, do this on a charcoal grill, or even a gas grill, but the flavor will be so much better on a fire. During our trip to Cape Breton and Maine, we stopped at Sorrento Lobster, Inc. and picked up two soft shell and two hard shell lobsters. Well, we sprung a radiator hose leak and were delayed a bit, so Sorrento was an unplanned stop, but… If you’re in the area, Sorrento Lobster is awesome. It’s a huge warehouse that does wholesale lobster sales, but if you show up, they’ll sell you a few for your table.

We left Sorrento and doubled back to the Mountain View Campground in Sullivan, ME for the night. Not lobster related, but man, the sunset here was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.

Once I had the fire built, I killed the lobster with a knife to the head, which is pretty quick and effective. Before putting them on the grate, I covered them with a little olive oil, but no other seasoning or preparation. Chances are the lobsters will fight a little when you put them on the heat: don’t worry, this is a normal muscular response. The lobsters aren’t suffering.

It only takes a few minutes to cook over a good fire: be careful not to overcook the lobster or you’ll have tough claws and tail. I pulled them off after about 7 minutes and they were perfect. My apologies for the smoky picture, but you get the idea.

Of course, not everyone wants to cook their own lobster. While traveling, we had some great lobster dinners. The first was at the Harbour Restaurant in Cheticamp, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Great atmosphere here, and live Acadian music some nights. I recommend the Fisherman’s Best of Both Dinner that includes lobster and snow crab.

We also had a great meal at the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound, in Trenton, ME. Nothing fancy here, but you walk inside, pick out your lobster, and they’ll bag it and cook it outside in a huge pot filled with seawater. Amazingly tender lobster and a really authentic Maine experience.

If you’re in Boston, my favorite lobster restaurant is James Hook and Company. As with most lobster restaurants, you’re not paying for the decor. James Hook is in a small building in a parking lot, with a dining area where you can watch Bostonians and tourists wander by. Last time we visited, we had a few lobster rolls, some lobster mac and cheese, and the Lobsta Bisque. All very good, but the Mac and Cheese was the least favorite. James Hook stuffs the mac and cheese with lobster meat, so not to worry about too much macaroni, but overall we enjoyed the simple presentation of the roll and the bisque.

Earlier this month, Heather and I traveled to Massachusetts for a long weekend and arranged one full day in Boston. Heather visited Boston about a decade ago, but this was my first trip. Our schedule only gave us one night in Boston, so time was of the essence.

We debated a number of possible dinner options, hoping to take advantage of the different variety of seafood available up north. However, we spent the afternoon doing “The Dark Side of Boston” tour and found ourselves quite hungry at the end of the tour. Our tour guide recommended Piccolo Nido, a small Italian spot close to the end of our tour. Our guide explained that Piccolo Nido wasn’t terribly fancy, but the food was excellent. Plus, they make their own pasta. SOLD!

We started with the antipasti Piccolo Nido, an excellent selection of meats, cheeses, and olives. As we settled in with our antipasti, our server, Miguel, stopped in a few times to check on us and we started a conversation about his home in Southern Italy, about Boston, and about Piccolo Nido. Miguel shared stories of his hometown and his time in Boston, our conversation turned to the restaurant. Our server explained that the owner of the restaurant, Pino, is quite a character. The stories flowed from his memory and quenched our thirst for an authentic connection to this place and to this restaurant.

As our plates of gnocchi, topped with a light tomato sauce arrived, Pino arrived. There’s no easy way to explain Pino… He is, simply, a character. As we enjoyed the pillowy gnocchi, delicate and fresh, Pino joined us. With no other diners in the restaurant, we had Pino’s undivided attention. Pino explained that he’s a bit of a shaman, gifted with some sort of a sixth sense and the ability to foretell the future.

As Pino continued to regale us with this stories, our main course arrived. The veal marsala was perfect. Thin veal cutlets, perfectly flattened and tender, browned in a simple wine sauce with fresh mushrooms exploded with flavor. Such a simple dish, you might imagine, but the complexity of a simple dish done well is astounding.

As Miguel cleared our secondi plates, Pino started into the story of how he helped the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. Pino, it seems, predicted the 2007 win and blessed the Red Sox before the series. However, the Sox never returned to thank Pino for his blessing, and their 2007 success disappeared. No matter how strong their team, they just couldn’t clinch the win after 2007. In 2013, Pino and the Red Sox reconciled and Pino again blessed the team, removing the malocchio (Italian for evil eye) and allowing the Sox to win the series again in 2013.

Pino’s predictive and protective services aren’t available only for baseball fans. The Bruins and many other teams visit Piccolo Nido before important games to receive a blessing from Pino.

And, just in case the story seems a bit far-fetched, Pino proudly displayed his official World Series ring, the only ring given to an Italian-born individual:

And, in case you can’t see that in detail:

So, if you find yourself in Boston, you need to stop by Piccolo Nido. If you arrive and there are tables open, don’t ask if you need a reservation. Trust me, just don’t ask. And tell Pino that Eric and Heather said hello!