WHEN IN MAINE EAT LOBSTER

The next morning Norm and I were off to Richmond about an hour north of Portland. John Hathaway is the President of a Shucks, a company that shucks lobsters. He takes the live lobsters and puts them in a machine that uses water pressure to separate the meat from the shell. It's probably the most humane way of killing a lobster.

You now have the raw meat to remove from the shell and ship it to restaurants. Many chefs, especially from overseas, don't want frozen cooked meat. In other words, when you order a lobster tail, you are not getting a fresh lobster, unless the restaurant has live lobsters floating in a tank. The same goes for dishes such as lobster macaroni and cheese or lobster Thermidor.

So, for instance, the restaurant will purchase frozen raw lobster tails in the shell that will cook easily (best poached at a low temperature in butter). I watched the process and engaged in removing the shell to get the raw meat. You can easily view the assembly line of packing the lobster tails...or as I named it, the Retail area.

Lobsters can be gotten whole, or halved as well as buying a one pound package of meat from the claws and knuckles. Think lobster tacos and lobster bisque.

I used the meat to make a lobster mac and cheese. I purchased a box of organic semolina macaroni, then went into the deli section for a container of various cheese snack cubes. I had found the lobster meat to be sweet with just a hint of saltiness and with the cheeses didn't need any further herbs or spices. The website is www.shucksmaine.com

If you are up in the Richmond area, John will be able to give you a tour if available. Be ready to don yourself in boots, white coat, gloves and a hair net.

I had trouble donning the boots and had to substitute with plastic bags....good idea to carry with you in case it precipitates.

You can't dine there so we were off to a restaurant called Reds Eats located on Water Street in Wiscasset, a town noted for antiquing. It's a corner shack with tables and chairs to eat outside or take it to go. Upon arriving I saw a very long line of people. This place is just over a bridge and draws most of the attention due to what has to be the best lobster roll going! I think the hot dog type roll is just a vehicle for what has to be a minimum of a pound and a half of lobster meat with no fillers. You get the mayo or whatever you want to put on it on the side. The price that day was about $18 and varies by market price just as most places that sell lobster rolls. Think about the what size lobster you would have to order and the price to get that amount of meat.

They do not cook lobsters or get the raw meat. It is coming from a local place and fresh.

That's not to say that you can't get clams, a crabmeat roll or even a hamburger. I would suggest a side of Deep Fried Zucchini. They don't have a website. The phone number is 207-882-6128.