I talked about lobster on CBC Radio in Alberta on Dec. 9. 2010...

(scroll down for my Lobster Mac and Cheese recipe)

It might not be exactly local Alberta cuisine, but fresh Canadian lobster is definitely in season in the Maritimes, and Cinda Chavich, our food and cooking columnist, says it’s the best time of year to indulge.

LOBSTER FOR THE HOLIDAYS – SOUNDS DECADENT

Of course, lobster is decadent on the prairies at any time of year, but with Christmas and New Years coming, it is time to indulge in special treats and I love lobster.

In fact, I was out in the Maritimes several times over the last year – in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick – learning about lobster, and of course eating lots of it.

I had whole lobster steamed right out on a boat, lobster rolls and even lobster poutine.

But when I went to Clearwater in Halifax, I learned a lot about Canadian lobster and why it’s the finest lobster in the world – mainly because it is fished in early winter and again in the spring, but not in the summer months.

FISHING FOR LOBSTER IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER – WHY?

Well, as you can imagine it’s cold and dangerous work setting lobster traps in the ocean in blustery winter months.  But Canada’s lobster fishery management system is very complex, designed for both conservation of the resource and quality.

While they can fish lobster in Maine at any time, including summer when lobster are at the soft shell stage, in Canada, the lobster fishing seasons are staggered.

The Canadian fishing seasons aren’t opened until the lobster get to the hard shell stage. That means they’ve had time to basically grow into their new shells, so they’re less vulnerable when caught and released, and those that are kept are of the highest quality, with the most meat per pound.

It’s the same species of lobster – called Americanus – that’s fished in Canada and the US, but because Canadian fishing seasons are in December and early spring the water is really cold, the lobsters are big, and full of meat. Hard shell lobsters have up to 50% more meat than soft shell lobsters – so bigger meatier tails and claws.

Then, at Clearwater, they have unique storage facilities to keep the lobster at its peak until it’s shipped out.

WHAT KIND OF STORAGE FACILITIES?

It’s quite amazing, really. Clearwater is the largest buyer and shipper of lobster in the world, and nearly every Canadian lobster caught goes through their facilities, before being shipped, live, around the globe.

When the lobsters come in, they’re kept in a big reservoir for 24-36 hours. They’re scanned to make sure they are “fully meated”, and then they go into what’s called the dry land. This is a system Clearwater developed that basically keeps the lobster in sort of suspended animation, until it’s shipped.

The lobsters go into individual storage trays, that are stacked like lobster condos in a huge cold room, with water running over them. Basically they’re alive but the cold temperatures put them into a hibernation state.

They have several dryland operations – the one in Halifax is small, it can hold about 45,000 pounds of lobster. The one in Cape Breton can keep 1.8 million pounds of lobster in dryland for up to six months.

SO HOW DO YOU GET A LIVE LOBSTER?

Clearwater specializes in delivering live lobster to your door, whether you’re a retailer, a restaurant or an individual. Many of their orders are 3,000 pounds but you can have lobster delivered to your home, too. They pack the lobsters with ice packs in special foam boxes with dividers, sort of like wine boxes, and they’re flown in, delivered live, to your door by Purolator. They do a huge business for Christmas and New Years.

Or you can buy live lobster at your local fish market.

Once you get your live lobster home, store it in the fridge, under a layer of wet newspaper for up to 12 hours, then cook it. Don’t put a live lobster in fresh water – some people mistakenly put them in the tub – but that kills them.

After they’re cooked, they only keep in the shell, refrigerated for 1-2 days, so make sure to remove the meat.

WHAT’S THE ADVANTAGE OF LIVE OVER COOKED?

Freshness basically, and control over how it’s cooked. You know the lobster is alive and healthy – you can guarantee the quality. If you plan to serve a whole lobster, it’s definitely superior to one that’s been pre-cooked.

But you can buy the processed lobster meat, which is great if you’re using it in something like a chowder or risotto. Clearwater also has a new system to extract raw lobster meat from the shells, so you can get raw, frozen tails and cook them yourself. That’s a great product, too.

AND THE DISADVANTAGE TO LIVE LOBSTER?

Some people don’t like the idea of cooking them when they’re alive – but it’s really easy.

You just boil or steam them in a big pot of boiling water with a big handful of sea salt. The formula is 1/2 cup of salt per gallon of water.

Drop them into the rapidly boiling water head first, cover the pan, return to a boil, then start timing. An average 1.5 pound lobster will cook in 15-20 minutes if boiled, 20-25 minutes if steamed.

To make sure it’s cooked, tug on an antennae or one of the small legs – they’ll come off easily when the lobster is done. The meat should be firm, white and opaque and the roe in a female lobster bright red – if it’s still green or black it’s undercooked.

WHEN BUYING A LIVE LOBSTER, WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR?

They say the sweetest lobsters are the smaller ones – a 1.5 to 2-pound lobster is really the perfect size for one person.

You’ll see a lot of huge lobsters in tanks in stores or restaurants, and some people think these are the best, because they really are impressive to look at. But a lobster that’s over 6 pounds is probably more than 50 years old, so they really aren’t as tasty as smaller lobsters, and can actually be a little tough. The texture is definitely nicer in a smaller lobster.

When you’re choosing a live lobster at a fish market, pick it up and squeeze the shell – the shell should be hard and the lobster should be lively, putting its claws and tail up. And look at the rubber band on the claws – should say “Canada wild.”

AND WHAT ABOUT THE PRICE?

The price to fishermen really went down with the economic downturn, but unfortunately, the price to consumers has remained pretty stable. When I was in Halifax in October, the price for a whole live lobster was 9.49 a pound. And this week, on the Clearwater website, the prices was $27.50 for a 2-2.5 pound lobster, plus a delivery charge.

At Billingsgate in Calgary, cooked lobster tails were $30 a pound but live lobsters were only $9.95 a pound, so a pretty good price. You might even find them as low at $8.99 a pound at T&T Market.

ANY TRICKS TO EATING A WHOLE LOBSTER?

Well, it’s messy but pretty easy.  Grab the body, twist off the big front legs, crack the claws and legs and remove the meat.

Twist the tail away from the body, then squeeze it until it cracks, then snap off the tail flipper and push the tail out in one piece.

Unhinge the back from the body and remove the green tomalley – basically the lobster liver – and if it’s a female, get the bright red roe, too. Break open the body – there’s meat to pick out of there, too – and pull the meat out of the small legs with your teeth. That’s about it. Some people like to dip their lobster into pots of melted butter – a lemony vinaigrette with buttery olive oil is nice, too.

Just make sure you have lots of moist hand towels and even lobster bibs – eating lobster is a messy business, but it’s fun.

RECIPES?

Well, if you don’t eat your lobster whole, or you buy lobster tail meat, or canned claw and leg meat, you can make a lot of neat lobster dishes.

It’s great in seafood chowder, bouilliabase or even corn chowder. Some people add lobster to their mashed potatoes and for something homey, but really decadent, I like to make lobster lasagna or lobster risotto. You can use canned or frozen cooked lobster for either of these dishes. Add a couple of cups of cooked lobster meat to a creamy tomato sauce when you’re making lasagna. Or make a lobster broth to cook your risotto, and add the lobster meat to the rice at the end along with Parmesan cheese.

But the hottest thing these days is lobster mac and cheese. So I’ve devised a recipe for lobster mac with creamy mascarpone – just the thing for a decadent holiday family indulgence.

LOBSTER MAC AND CHEESE

If you’re going to add expensive lobster to your mac and cheese, it better be a decadent homestyle version. Mine has mascarpone cheese – seriously creamy. Cinda Chavich.

1 pound small pasta (elbow macaroni, bowtie pasta, orechiette or penne)

5 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup flour

3 cups milk (2%)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

4-5 cups grated cheese (I like an Italian mixture of fontina, mozzarella and Parmesan; or use white cheddar, gruyere and fontina or aged Friulano)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

pinch of ground nutmeg or cayenne

1 pound cooked lobster meat, chopped

Topping:

1 cup bread crumbs (Japanese panko)

1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil

salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In another saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted and bubbly. Stir in the flour to make a paste, then slowly add the milk, whisking the mixture until smooth. Bring to a simmer, continuing to whisk to avoid lumps in the sauce, and when it’s nicely thickened, whisk in the tomato past and mascarpone.

Remove from heat. Add the grated cheese, a handful at a time, stirring until melted and smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the lobster.

Mix the bread crumbs with the butter, salt and pepper.

Place the macaroni mixture into a wide shallow baking dish and top with seasoned bread crumbs (alternately, divide between 6 individual gratin dishes.

Bake in a 350F oven for 30 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and crumbs are nicely browned. Serves 6-8.