Your email address will not be published. The spiny lobster is often sold as just lobster tails. You basically get a tail, about 1/2 of a lb. Maine lobster has a delicate and sweet flavor, which makes it a favorite for most people. People took a liking to the sweet meat and suddenly, these "cockroaches of the sea," as they were called, became a gourmet item, one that people would travel to New England to eat. They are available all year round. Maine lobsters are generally a greenish-brown or black color when alive. These shellfish are remarkably buttery and sweet and their texture is known for being tender yet meaty and satisfying. These species of Lobsters have a sweet and peculiar taste that differs depending on habitat. Each type has many different sizes so the price is also different accordingly. If you can find a fresh lobster that has been caught recently, its a great choice since it tastes the best. The claws and tails of the lobster are the parts that most people like to eat, but there is a lot of meat in other places as well. The Best, Lobsterman-Approved Ways to Cook Maine Lobster, The Easiest Way to Get Your Hands on Maine Lobster, Diagnosing Cheap Lobster: Mushy Meat, Discoloration, Fake Lobster, and More, The best ways to find and prepare Maine vs Rock Lobsters. Lets look at how to eat lobster at home, as this is the most common way to eat lobster. Removing from heat pour in the rum and add butter stirring until it has melted evenly and turns creamy. Youll likely find rock lobster also called spiny lobster. They can both be used in a number of ways to make a perfect dish. In addition to being called rock lobster and spiny lobster, you can also find them listed as Caribbean spiny lobster, Florida lobster, and langosta espinosa. During the daylight hours you will find lobster hiding in structure. } Here are a few pictures of each Lobster below. Langostinos are in the Anomura infraorder, with and hermit and porcelain crabs, and in the Galatheidae family. Their rarity could also make them more prized on a global scale; while Maine lobsters are only found in Atlantic waters, spiny lobsters are available outside of the U.S. as well, specifically off the Asian coast and in southern Brazil, per AZ Animals, and in the Caribbean Sea, as noted by NOAA Fisheries. Lobster is known for being delicious, but which type is better and whats the difference? Spiny lobsters have the capability to grow up to 20 pounds but are usually harvested when they are between one and two pounds. The largest of these animals can grow as big as 25 inches long and weigh up to 44 pounds, which means theyre the heaviest crustacean on earth. We started teaching English online so we could travel and I could walk in as many bodies of water as possible around the globe. For reasons known only to people from Northeastern American States, they claim that having claws makes their lobsters the best tasting lobsters in the world and that all oth. What sets Maine lobster apart from other lobsters is not just its amazing taste (though that is enough) its also that its not eaten with melted butter. Even though they lack pincers, i.e., they do not have claws, they have a longer and spiny antenna relative to Maine lobsters. The spiny lobster has a hard shell, longer antennae, and longer, spidery-looking legs compared to the Maine lobster. Spiny lobsters have small pointing spines covering their bodies for protection against predators, from which their name originated. Spiny lobsters are mostly found in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the coast of Asia, the Caribbean Sea, and the South of Brazil. "Catching lobsters, for me, is a combination of Christmas morning and Easter egg hunting," Hank Parfitt says, grinning. It may not be as fresh as the lobster pictured above that moments later went into my belly (accompanied by a classic daiquiri) during a recent visit to Lobster Alive in Barbados, but if you close your eyes while savoring that sweet meat, you might be able to hear the sounds of Caribbean waves lapping against the beach. You will often see these antennae sticking out of the rocks well before you can see any other part of the Lobster. We had pinned some down underwater but they ended up being too small. The biggest difference between Maine Lobster and Spiny Lobster is that Maine Lobster have claws and Spiny lobster do not. Make sure you have bowls because as you crack open your lobster, youll get a lot of water running out! Pre-heat the broiler then split the lobster tails, brush with 2 Tbsp melted butter, and broil until just cooked through, being careful not to overcook. As a result of their soft meat and weight, they are considered the heaviest crustaceans globally. Parfitt hails from North Carolina and today he's fully dressed, from head to toe, in a thick neoprene wetsuit. As they age, they can suffer from shell rot and various types of parasites. What spiny lobster is, however, is one of the most so-fresh-it-was-alive-when-I-got-there, thoroughly authentic, experience making dinners you can have in the West Indies. The colder water keeps the Maine Lobsters from tasting too "fishy". Because they are somewhat alike, knowing where they can be found is an important factor in telling them apart. Theyre also known as North American and Atlantic lobsters because they live throughout the icy cold waters of the northeast. Its no secret that we (Mainers) are obsessed with our native crustaceans. For the best taste and texture, youll want to boil your lobster. Advertisement The water temperature is 65 degrees and although the visibility isn't fantastic underwater, the. Well, youve come to the right place. Their shell has green, black, and brown spots. Learn how you can do the same on our Resources page. It would be too easy to be drawn into the debate about whats the tastiest lobster. Back to getting the lobster meat out of the tail. The second thing to look at is the spots on the tail. And of course, lobster rolls are a classic New England dish that celebrates everything that is delicious about Canadian lobster. at the most vs. on a Maine . They can both be used in a number of ways to make a perfect dish. And why is Maine lobster so good? The reason is that clarified butter has had all of the milk solids removed from it. What Size Hooks Should I Use For Rockfish, Magnet Fishing: Everything You Need To Know, Best Image Stabilized Binoculars for Fishing. They are also a little more camouflaged so they can blend into the rocks and reefs that they live in. The average beach price for Western Rock Lobsters . Sometimes, this antenna can be longer than the body. Maine Lobster live in the cold waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean from NewFoundland down to North Carolina. "Mitch's Seafood is fantastic," Masury says. While the bugs can't be found in most supermarkets or restaurants, they can be directly bought online from buyers like Catalina Offshore Products; there are also a few restaurants and markets, like Mitch's Seafood and the Tuna Dockside Harbor in San Diego, that make a point of selling homegrown seafood. The Canadian lobster is the Maine lobsters closest rival. It will go from done to rubber quickly. Last updated by Patrick Bennett on 09/26/2022. They have 1 set of claws and have purple-like markings. The common names of both rock lobsters and Maine lobsters are the first indicator to not only their preferred habitats, but also what makes them unique. They are warm water creatures and migrate to deeper waters in the winter. There are massive differences from both the portions prepared to the texture, and finally the flavor. .mobile-top-content { Discover the Largest Lobster Ever Caught! The Atlantic Ocean, the Coast of Asia, the Caribbean Sea, and the South of Brazil. Of course, as similar as they are, Im pretty sure Maine lobster is still better! Lobster are cannibals. seafood company. When it comes to size, Spiny Lobster take the prize. Pour sauce over lobster and serve the rest in dipping bowls. (Usually, it would be from spiny lobster fisheries near the Florida Keys.) Boothbay Harbor has an actual lobster pier and there are restaurants on it. He'll personally deliver some of them to the Los Angeles International Airport, into the hands of a buyer, who will put a box of crustaceans directly on a freight flight to China. If the overall dish is your goal and not the standout sweet and succulent flavor of naturally buttery Maine lobster, then rock lobster may be a good choice. Copyright text 2018 by Sportfishing Lures. In Mexico, that percentage is estimated to be up to 99 percent. They are usually sold live with their claws bound with rubber bands, but can also be found frozen (definitely not as good as fresh) or cooked. Pound for pound, spiny lobster has more meat than New England lobster does. Which, fortunately, coincides with the short but fabulous Maine summer. Spiny lobsters ( Palinuridae) are a family of crustaceans with about 60 species. Spiny lobsters can live for 50 years or more, while Maine lobsters can live for about 100 years. Incredibly, both lobsters serve as food for humans. font-size:80%; Pull the shell apart, and now you have the amazing, tender meat of the claw. For example, the most common lobster in American restaurants is Homarus americanus, known as the Maine lobster, because it just tastes the best due to the coastal environment of Maine. These traps will stay on the ocean floor for up to two days. It takes them about 2 years to grow to the 3-inch carapace (shell) legal-harvesting size. For us, though, one of the best places to sample some is Scilly Cay. - Spiny lobsters have a smaller size than Alaska lobster but larger than baby lobster, blue lobster. This is why the Rock lobsters at Red Lobster only come in tails. See a Gator Bite an Electric Eel With 860 Volts, See Dominator The Largest Crocodile In The World, And As Big As A Rhino, Discover the Largest Sea-Dwelling Crocodile Ever Found (Bigger than a Great White! Best Portland Hotels w/Indoor Pools Portland to Acadia National Park 15+ Great Winter Festivals, Maine Lobster vs Florida (or Spiny) Lobster. Maine lobsters generally taste better and hold more meat compared to the slightly less-inspiring and usually smaller meat from Florida lobsters. You can enjoy baked lobster as is, or you can add a sauce or stuffing to the meat. Maine lobster is still somewhat plentiful thanks to limits on trapping, but like all crustaceans, they are on a downward spiral. Unlike Hannibal, we recommend pairing this delicacy with a dry ros and not chianti. Place a bed of greens on each plate. Lets begin! They use their strong mandibles to crack the shells of their prey. Parboil your Caribbean lobster until bright red, then put into a 300 F oven with a little melted butter until the sauce below is done. There is an undisputed Poseidon of the sea in the kitchen when it comes to rock vs. Maine lobster, but both have their places. Rock Lobsters also have a more muted flavor compared to the Atlantic Lobster and require more seasoning to get a good dish.