176 replies to this topic

[Catriona]

I'm loving this, Johnny.

My parents have a house in the west of Ireland (the other side of the pond to you) and their neighbour is a lobster fisherman. His name is Johnny...

He's brought us back some delicious little beasties from his haul...

[johnnyd]

After lunch we gamely pulled a couple trap strings and got drenched doing it. We had two slickers between us so the Captain toughed it out in his T-shirt. We still had sixty traps to do.

Then we heard thunder, l-o-u-d thunder.

We looked at each other and Jeff said, "Well, I think we should go in now," Understatement of the year. " Maybe I can get out tomorrow and finish up with my Dad," Just then we saw lightning but it was raining so hard we couldn't see where it was coming from. We all switched into clean-up mode and stowed everything in a hurry - neatness was suddenly not important anymore. Jim was not smiling anymore.

Neither was Jeff...



We motored as fast as we could.





Jeff's motor is a 1970 Chevy 252 straight-six, one year older than he is. We huddled under the roof hoping that it would make it into Portland harbor without conking out. That, and the battery, the bilge pumps, etc.etc. We were soaked to the bone.

More lightning. This time the thunder came from Portland, dead ahead. We were going right into it. At this time I began to think about if it was really, really possible to actually get hit by lightning. Well, we were the tallest thing between Clapboard and Mackworth Islands - an area of about three square miles. Hmmm...

What if we were hit by lightning? We would probably get knocked right out of our boots and into the water. The boat would be found later, a floating, charred wreck. Would they find my camera? A record of my final hours? Would Mrs. johnnyd remember to post my last pictures on eGullet??? At this point there is a tremendous flash of light and a click-clackety-BOOM that prompts me to claw open my camera case and take this ridiculous picture:


It's Jeff's GPS monitor showing our position. It's covered in herring spooge. I figure if someone finds the camera, they'll know where we were when we lost consciousness...

[johnnyd]

Finally, Mackworth Island was to our starboard aft and Munjoy Hill began to loom dead ahead (Munjoy Hill is the eastern "promenade" part of Portland's peninsula - more on Portland later, I promise!).

Jeff suddenly got on his phone and through the roaring din of the Chevy at full throttle I could make out "Flash your lights now," and suddenly two little beacons flashed on and off, on and off, from the part of the Eastern Prom where, on a better day, you can pull over and watch the boats go by in the Bay. It was his Dad's car.



At last, we tie up to the dealer and prepare the lobsters for sale. Seconds after I shot that picture, I swear, a lightning bolt hit one of those buildings in the background.

I don't know this fellow's name but I couldn't decide whether he was amused at our sodden state or amused that we were out there at all in that torrent. All I know is that he was amused.





We all agreed the vessel above is a fine choice for the next time we head out.

[markemorse]

Whew, grrrrreat stuff.
Lightning blows.

Edited by markemorse, 07 August 2007 - 01:19 PM.

[johnnyd]

We sell 52 lobsters at $4.10 per pound and keep eight for ourselves. Jeff made $213.20 but paid Jim $100, bought $125 worth of salted herring, $115 worth of sow's ears and paid forty bucks in gas. Granted, the bait expense actually goes to the next harvest result, but still... Those sixty traps we left will help out, I hope.

Not wearing a single dry thread of clothing, we went to our favorite bar and had a few beers. As you may imagine, the story got woolier the more pints of ale that got poured and consumed. You guys get pictures - the straight dealio - and, thank you, dear readers, for accomodating this completely unplanned chronicle of Terror and Bravery... okay, Luck and Stupidity is probably more like it.

Portland, Maine got two and a quarter inches of rain in three hours. Another one of those storms is forecast for Wednesday.

I think I'll stay on shore this time.

[johnnyd]

So out of this lot - about half of the day's haul...



...johnnyd gets these handsome critters,



... who go into this pot of bubbling pale ale to steam,



and then into an ice-water bath for later,



While that was going on, the single-clawed fellow decided he'd had enough and started climbing off the plate onto the cutting table:



sending Mrs. johnnyd into shriek mode!



Sorry, dear, but after what I'd been through it was highly entertaining.



Somebody create a movie title here - C'mon, it's begging for it!

[Carrot Top]

Revenge of the One-Armed Redbug.

And something about the look in his eyes makes me wonder if he's one of those lobsters those furriners dumped outside the B&M plant.

Edited by Carrot Top, 07 August 2007 - 03:12 PM.

[Dejah]

Sorry, dear, but after what I'd been through it was highly entertaining.



Somebody create a movie title here - C'mon, it's begging for it!

Not a movie title, but how about the line from Bogey:

"Here's looking at YOU, Kid"

[Carrot Top]

Mr. Goodbar Grows a Claw.

[gariotin]

"Bugs" is right - if you do any diving around the cold waters of New England, Johnny will attest that they look really insect like as they splurt their way around under water. They kind of curl up and then sproing free to get motion - I loves to eat them, but they are not pretty in their habitat!
Johnny - hope you comment on how the locals felt about the soap opera that preceded the Whole Foods that opened up there this winter. After banning the sales of lobstahs everywhere else in the country, they did allow them to be sold in Portland, but only after installing some kind of freakin expensive tank and special plastic holders to keep them from stressing each other out.

[christine007]

Movie Title:

"Eat me, and die!"

I have a serious and very unfortunate allergy to shellfish.
I still love your blog, cause I love, love the ocean.

[johnnyd]

I steamed the other two lobsters. We had to use hamburger rolls for this classic roll, but one has to adapt, yes?, I am starving after so huge a day anyway.



I used the tomalley as a spread



then poured melted butter over the lobster roll-base and capped it. It was awesome.



That's a lobster roll, baby

[Domestic Goddess]

That's a lobster roll, baby 

I DO SO AGREE! (where's the drool icon?)

[Catriona]

oh my god, that looks so good!

Can I have one for breakfast?

[mizducky]

That's one hell of a freakin' awesome lobster roll. Though it had better be, given what you went through to get its contents.

[Corinna Dunne]

Great pictures johnnyd, excellent blog. I'm really missing Maine lobster now!

Any chance that you will be going diving for sea urchins? And yes, I'm really missing that excellent uni sushi in the Japanese restaurant that you recommended in Portland last year.

[johnnyd]

Fog, a nemesis to boaters, casts a mysterious and beautiful veil on Maine's coast, especially in the summer. There is a local fellow in our neighborhood that has been standing stones of all sizes on the boulders down on the beach. I don't know who it is but I love it when I come across his work on my daily bike ride. They offer a peaceful reminder of our planet's natural rhythms.

[johnnyd]

Boy, I have some catching up to do. All that excitement on monday threw me off my game. That, and the big storm cut off power and I can't get my other desktop to boot properly.

Any chance that you will be going diving for sea urchins?

I have considered going diving - a friend has a proper underwater camera and I have been trying to charm it away from him for this week - still working on it. Also my chums in the seaweed biz [add link] need a diver to harvest this week. So many cool things to do and no time to do it all - I'll keep you posted.

Are you going to talk about the different regional styles of chow-dah?

My take is that tomatos have no business being even near a chowder, yet I caught myself enjoying a spanish-style seafood bouillabaisse [add link]a few weeks ago so I do have to revisit this.

there's been no coverage on eG of the controversy over the proposed new lobster trap line regs that threaten to kill Maine's lobster industry, or at the very least make it much harder for lobstermen & lobsterwomen to earn a living. Maybe it's too political. Or maybe you can throw some light on the issues within the context of a foodblog.

Thanks, Aaron - this is definitely political and the two sides are at loggerheads. I received a fiery email from someone recently on one side that I will add to a brief discourse on the issue.

I fly into Portland International Jetport once a year, on my way to visit some of my favorite folks on the planet for Thanksgiving. They live in the Bath Historic District, one good solid sneeze from the Bath Iron Works. Once a year I get to revel in the aromas of pine and woodsmoke, and pet big dogs, and indulge in some serious old-fashioned pie-making.

Word!

The reason Maine exists was so Missouri could enter the Union. Prior to 1820, it was part of Massachusetts. But Northerners in Congress were not about to admit another slave state without admitting a free one, so Massachusetts split off Maine.

I didn't know that. The separation from Massachussets is well known (and welcomed... to say the least ) around here. One plan for our state quarter was the slogan: "183 Massachussets-free years", and an etching of a seagull on the hood of an SUV. It wasn't picked.

[hjshorter]

Damned fine looking crustaceans, Johnny. Glad you made it in safe from the storm.

[Bueno]

This is one of the best BLOGs yet, in my opinion. Thank you for participating johnnyd! Though, I do wish for more food photos to go along with the phenomenal contextual photos for the food.

[Shelby]

I steamed the other two lobsters. We had to use hamburger rolls for this classic roll, but one has to adapt, yes?,  I am starving after so huge a day anyway.



I used the tomalley as a spread



then poured melted butter over the lobster roll-base and capped it.  It was awesome.



That's a lobster roll, baby 

OH MY GOSH! You can't get any fresher than that.

I have food envy

[johnnyd]

Twice a week or so, I drive Mrs. johnnyd over the SoPo bridge to work in Portland. Our neighbor's cat, Thomas, greets us as we leave every time.



He was found in a dumpster in Old Orchard Beach years ago. Thomas keeps order among the other street cats around here, and is great at tormenting the dog next door who is put out on a leash every morning.

We always stop at our corner gas station cum variety store for coffee and maybe a take-out breakfast item. These places are the life-blood of towns in Maine - everywhere, really - but I've always appreciated their essential place in the community as a source for fuel, fast food, beer, cigs, help with a jump-start, snow plow hire, small boat tips, tall tales, big-fish stories, and gossip.



Wes and Pete are there every morning. They have an opinion on, well, everything, and not always the same opinion, as you can see.

This, I think, is a New England novelty. Set me straight if it's offered elsewhere. Behold the Breakfast Pizza.



This has scrambled egg, cheese, sausage, ham and bacon. Usually there are two or more pies on the pass but we were "late" at 7:45 (the place is jammed at 5 in the morning). I ignored it for a year or two then tried it on a whim. It is the most delicious creation known to man.

[johnnyd]

Hey, don't forget to show us buckets and buckets of fried clams.

There is a place on the way out of town that eG member CSASphinx suggested I try as their fried clams are his favorite: Susan's Fish & Chips

How does one keep track of ones traps? Do fishermen have territories? Is poaching another fisherman's traps common?

That is a mystery. I'll have ask Jeff. We wandered around a patch of ocean off Clapboard Island for most of the day but I was too busy baiting bags to notice any pattern.

On territories, there is a fascinating book out there called The Lobster Gangs of Maine by Anthropologist, James M. Acheson, that delves into the territorial machinations of lobstermen from neighboring towns. Then there is the maxim, "No one 'owns' the ocean," that plays into it all.

Poaching is hard to conceal despite the fact there are thousands of islands and hundreds of square nautical miles of ocean. You'd think you could get away with it. When I was downeast, things would "happen" to a boat or some gear and it never took long to figure out who was behind it. Naturally, repercussions were felt by nearly everybody. There is also that mysterious reasoning that goes along the lines of "Maybe the seagulls took it?"

how do you manage to get those pictures while working?

The force of the foodblog makes one do things one doesn't normally do...

They kind of curl up and then sproing free to get motion

The tail of a lobster is the main propulsion unit. They actually swim backwards.

hope you comment on how the locals felt about the soap opera that preceded the Whole Foods that opened up there this winter

I've been wanting to get a picture of that ever since. Stay tuned.

Though, I do wish for more food photos to go along with the phenomenal contextual photos for the food.

So do I. Still regrouping from my sea saga but don't worry, I've a long list of food-centric objectives and a few surprises. The one thing I've had to delay is my attempt at creating three dishes with my friend, chef Josh Potocki, involving sea snails, or periwrinkles - known around here as just wrinkles.

I found a million of 'em at low tide one day and I thought, hmmm... possibilities here, so I saw my chum Josh and we were going to do something last night but the massive rainfall run-off on Monday makes the shoreline a bit on the unsafe side from a bacterial perspective - even for me.

For those who missed it, check out my trip out to The Bangs Island Mussel Farm in Casco Bay last May. Great pics and a good look at shellfish aquaculture.

[Kim Shook]

As usual, through a fantastic blog here at eGullet, I have found yet another place that I want to visit at length! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful state! I think I might just burst into tears of joy if someone set that lobster roll down in front of me! Kitchen pictures, please!!!

Kim

[Kouign Aman]

I've seen breakfast pizza in England too. I thought it looked good, but didnt have time to buy a slice.
I keep thinking of your friend standing jacketless in the rain with it running down inside the overalls and pooling in his boots. Oh my - c-c-c-c-c-cold.

[johnnyd]

I keep thinking of your friend standing jacketless in the rain with it running down inside the overalls and pooling in his boots. Oh my - c-c-c-c-c-cold.

It was actually okay, temperature-wise - 68-70°F and very little wind - but the rain was coming down like I saw when I was in Brasil. Tropical.

Jeff is a tough one - however, while we were off-loading our lobsters a big pool drained off the roof and down his back. His unprintable comments about his sodden nether-regions had us laughing our asses off.

My boots are still soaked inside. Mrs johnnyd thinks there's a herring stuck in there somewhere...

[Busboy]

Speaking of sea urchins, is there a market in Portland where you can buy fresh urchins? Ever since a friend told me of pulling sea urchins out of the Aegean and eating them from the shell with a dine Greek white, I've a hankering to do that myself. And, as I will be in Portland next week....

[johnnyd]

is there a market in Portland where you can buy fresh urchins?

Charles, there has never been a serious retail market for urchins here in town. They are also out of season. Urchin roe are still growing - it's winter when they are at their fattest. I guarantee the greek urchins are a whole different style to the ones here in the cold water. Had you visited in winter, I could have looked up a few processors who would have gladly given you a handful.


I Stopped off at One Fifty Ate out near Spring Point to shoot the breeze with chef Josh Potocki about the sea snail dilemma. He runs a highly regarded little bakery and lunch spot tucked between Southern Maine Community College and Ferry Village.



The back garden,



He used to work at Street & Company, (33 Wharf St Portland) and more recently, Bar Lola (100 Congress St Portland).





He's pretty psyched to have his own gig now. We are going to revisit the wrinkle affair a little later in the week.

[johnnyd]

Kitchen pictures, please!!!

Snapped and loaded. Will post after my afternoon appointments.

[johnnyd]

My Babies.

Left end: Wusthof 8" chef's knife purchased my first day BOH w/house discount in 1981. Tip broken off by line cook who "needed to borrow it for a sec" on second day. Had it filed down to 7 & 1/4" by crazy sharpener guy from Buxton, ME. two years ago. The name of his business is Never a Dull Moment.

2nd from Left: Brand new Wusthof 8" chef's knife - a wedding present from dear old friend. Nobody touches it w/out serious permission

3rd from left: Reliable 6" utility blade, $4.99 at local supermarket

4th from left: Cheap utility butcher blade for $3.99 at local supermarket

5th from left: japanese fish knife that I bring out when called for

Last: My beautiful SHUN that I bring out on special occasion. No touch-y