Disclosure: The author travelled to PEI as a guest of Tourism PEI.
You’re right: Someone had to tour Prince Edward Island in search of PEI’s best lobster meals, and (she happily admitted) why not me?
I was uber-excited to be invited by Lobster Fishers of PEI and Tourism Prince Edward Island to sample lobster recently on Canada’s Gentle Island. The invitation included the mandatory question, “Are you allergic to seafood?”
Not being so afflicted, I couldn’t wait to join three other foodie journalists bound for a crustacean extravaganza. And yes, although I did sample some other delights (quahogs or Malpeque oysters, anyone?), I dutifully chowed down on lobster everything, from boiled lobster to lobster grilled-cheese sandwiches. I also learned how to cook (and eat) the beast!
So, where should you go in PEI to prepare, eat and otherwise enjoy the tasty crustacean? Here are my four top recommendations—it was not easy narrowing them down, I can tell you. Oh, I also recommend a great place to stay in PEI’s capital city, Charlottetown, our home base for our five-day trip.
Before I begin, do note that it’s not too late to enjoy lobster in Prince Edward Island this year! Yes, there are two lobster seasons on PEI: May to the end of June, and August until October. So grab some friends, top up your gas tank and do a PEI road trip!
My husband Eric and I once drove from our home just west of Ottawa to Charlottetown in 14 hours. It’s an easy drive, and Google Maps says it’s 1,340km from Parliament Hill to Charlottetown.
And perhaps there’s no better time than September to admire PEI’s early-fall seaside views, stroll beaches, bird-watch and cycle the Confederation Trail (with East Coast Paddle Adventures, which rents bikes as well as standup paddleboards and kayaks). You could also hike to Greenwich Beach, part of Prince Edward Island National Park, where there’s a not-to-be-missed interpretation centre.
I offer these ideas because, of course, you’ll need to do some exercise after all that lobster—n’est-ce pas?
Best PEI Boiled Lobster Dinner
Lobster on the Wharf
Seafood Restaurant and Pound Market
Charlottetown Harbour
I was famished when our Lobster PEI host, Steve Larkin, guided us from our hotel to the Charlottetown harbourfront. He took us first to the on-site lobster market, where people can buy live lobsters that have been sorted by their pound weight into tanks (you can have them shipped home if you don’t plan to eat them right away).
Here, I met my first calico lobster. It was mottled bright orange and brown, instead of the normal brown and green. According to the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine, this pigment variation is 1-in-30 million occurrence—it’s even rarer than the 1-in-2-million blue lobster variation. Luckily for such rarities, they are kept for show-and-tells like ours, and not eaten (Note to self: Mum was right. It’s more than okay to be different.)
With energy waning, we headed to our seats at a table overlooking the boats and blue sea of Charlottetown’s harbour. Gorgeous. All of us ordered boiled lobster.
Our server claimed that the 1.5 pound lobster offers the best-sized portion and the sweetest meat. He believed that 1 pound is too little and 1.75 pounds or more is only a better choice if you have a hearty appetite.
The next question: What to eat with it? A list of sides tantalized us, but when we asked our server what constituted a typical PEI lobster dinner, he said without hesitation, “That’d be potato salad. And coleslaw. Oh, and we can’t forget fresh rolls.”
Done. Four of us chose precisely that.
The meal was absolutely fabulous. We all got bibs, a tool for cracking and another device for extricating meat from the legs, plus instructions on how to split the shell and pry out the claw, tail, body and leg meats.
Pine furniture gives Lobster on the Wharf a homey, honey-coloured ambiance. For all the world, we could have been in a good friend’s kitchen.
Best PEI seafood cooking experience
Culinary Bootcamps
Culinary Institute of Canada
Charlottetown
Want to learn how to chop a lobster without chopping off your hand? Then take a Culinary Bootcamp from erudite, fun chef Erin Henry at the Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown.
Our group joined 12 other students in a morning class. We split into separate groups, and not all of us cooked lobster (I prepared mussels Rockefeller).
After a brief intro, everyone set to work. My companions were a mother-and-daughter team, and this was their third visit. Now, that’s a great recommendation! We started dicing, slicing, sautéing, stirring, pouring mixtures into ramekins and popping items into the ovens. I loved every minute, including stirring my mussels Rockefeller over a gas stove. I know that chefs love gas stoves, but using one was an intriguing new experience for me.
The dining room itself was a treat. Jutting out over the harbour, with wonderful windows, it made me feel as though I was on the ocean.
Top marks all round for an educational, fun and non-intimidating experience. And the fresh lobster spring rolls proved sublime.
Tastiest PEI lobster grilled-cheese sandwich
Gallant’s Seafood Market
Stanley Bridge
“Rock bottom never tasted so good,” claim Tyler and Carson Gallant, co-owner/operators of this spectacular, albeit rustic, market. You know you’re eating freshest of fresh at this two-table spot, where locals rush in to purchase a meal from “the boys.”
Our tasty feast included quahogs (pronounced “qwo-hogs,” instructed Carson), Raspberry Point oysters, soft-shelled clams and other seafood must-trys. Being on a lobster tour and all, my friend Carol Horne and I also split a lobster grilled-cheese sandwich. Now, that’s sheer indulgence: the fat of PEI’s famous butter, local cheese, fresh bakery bread and lobster.
I love simple places to dine where local entrepreneurs such as Tylor and Carson can explain everything about where a meal was caught—and how to prepare it.
Tip: You can meet the boys at the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market, too. It’s open on Wednesdays from mid-June to October 3 this year. It’s also open every Saturday, year round, from 9am to 2pm. It’s a great spot to support local bakeries, chocolatiers (got your attention, did I?), farmers and artisans, and to put together a picnic lunch.
PEI Lobster Festival
PEI Lobster Festival
Souris
Well, yes, this particular annual lobster festival has come and gone (it was on June 24 in 2018). However, I mention it so you can bookmark it for another summer. And here’s the good news: several other foodie festivals are coming up on the island, including the PEI-wide Fall Flavours Festival (August 31 to September 30, 2018) and the PEI International Shellfish Festival (September 13 to 16, 2018).
Tip: The Souris Lobster Festival is fun because it’s really local. Where else can you compete in a lobster roll competition? One of my colleagues ate four rolls just to taste test them (or so she claimed). After sampling, tasters voted for the roll of their choice.
The master chef who coordinates this festival, and who organizes a delicious sit-down lobster dinner for more than 500 guests, is none other than Michael Smith. He owns The Inn at Bay Fortune, home of the daily FireWorks Feast, a special delight for carnivores. Yes, Michael definitely understands cooking meats on a barbecue. Don’t miss the farm tour, where organic techniques are explained.
Best Charlottetown Hotel
The Great George
Charlottetown
I’ve stayed here three times, so you can perhaps intuit that I love this boutique hotel, where 17 historical buildings have been restored to serve as lodgings. Service is top notch and the food delectable (a scrumptious breakfast is included), and there’s a free happy hour for guests every day at 5pm. Another reason to stay at this hotel is its proximity to such great spots as the Confederation Centre of the Arts (until September 15, you can see the exhibition Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience, artist Kent Monkman’s highly controversial, gender-bending interpretation of Indigenous life and the colonial settlement of Canada).
Katharine Fletcher is a freelance writer, author and visual artist. See her website for information on her local guidebooks. She also invites you to like her Facebook artist page.
Disclosure: The author travelled to PEI as a guest of Tourism PEI.
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