When can you get fresh lobsters in Maine/ne area?

[oppose]

Is there a season or something? im thinking about taking a drive because i live kinda close but i dunno how that goes.

 

[Andy M.]

Most major supermarkets have them in the fish department. It is New England, after all. Also, every fish market will have them.

Just make sure you get live ones and have a cooler with wet newspaper to transport them.

 

[elaine l]

We have lobsters year round here. I live right down the street from the local fish market. The price is a little steep so I seldom buy them. I was wondering if the season affected the shell? Is it true that hard or soft shell depend on season?

 

[Andy M.]

Lobsters molt, change shells, periodically. When they shed their old shells, the new shell underneath is not fully formed and is still thin and soft.

If you have a lobster with the old shell, the lobster within fills the shell entirely and it's beginning to get too small for him. He sheds it and a new, larger shell is formed. As a result, a soft shell lobster isn't as 'full' as a hard shell. This can be deceiving and you get less meat than you would expect.

On the other hand, a hard shell lobster has a heavier shell so the lobster's weight is a higher percentage shell.

 

[elaine l]

I find the meat in the softer shell to be not as firm which is why I prefer hardshell. Is this a seasonal thing?

 

[Andy M.]

Yes. It is seasonal. It often happens during the summer months.

 

[jennyema]

Lobster is available year round. I noticed that prices had dropped a few weeks ago, making lobster pretty cheap. But prices fluctuate a lot.

 

[GB]

Most people think the best time to get lobsters is in the summer since that is when everyone vacations and goes to all the summery lobster shacks. I have found that the best tasting lobsters come around October or so.