Rock Lobster
Who needs Maine lobster when SoCal has its own?
Pull out your lobster pots: California's commercial lobster season opens today. The spiny lobster isn't like those from Maine--they don't have front claws--but the muscular tails provide a sweet and briny meat that we love.
Rated a "best choice" for consumers by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, spiny lobsters are caught from Point Conception to the lower Baja peninsula. Santa Barbara fisherman John Wilson, who's on his 29th lobster season, says it will be a "bonanza" year thanks to El Niño conditions--the crustaceans thrive in warmer waters.
That means more lobster for us and L.A.'s chefs. Chef David LeFevre will serve steamed spinies on his new Sunday clambake menu at the Water Grill. He prefers steaming the live beasts so their flesh easily separates from the shell. For extra flavor, split par-cooked lobsters down the middle and grill for a few minutes. Serve with drawn butter and lemon or a garlicky chimichurri sauce.
Live lobsters cost around $16 to $20 a pound, and can weigh 1¼ to 5 pounds each. Wilson sells his weekly catch at the Hollywood Farmers' Market every Sunday through March. Or head to Berth 55 in Long Beach or Quality Seafood in Redondo Beach, pick one from the tanks, and have it cooked to order for a picnic-table feast.
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