Dear Sisters,
Happy, Happy New Year! I hope you had a warm and wonderful holiday season with your nearest and dearest. We rung in the New Year with a tasty Lobster Boil with fresh catch from our local lobsterman! Come on in for a visit to Salty Lou’s and meet the Salty Chicks too!
As I was boning up on New England holiday food traditions this season I was surprised to learn that Massachusettsians are known for celebrating with Chinese take-out. I have to be honest, as a former land-locked farmgirl from the West, I find this tradition sort of UN-fitting. We have attended a few Chinese take-out New Years Eve celebrations. While the mood was festive, the company warm and the food tasty, it just didn’t feel very New England-y!
When my handsome Yankee and I lived out West, we often celebrated with some sort of seafood dish ( or dishes ). Finding fresh, live and local Lobster was nearly impossible in the high desert but it sure isn’t hard to do when you live on the shorelines especially when one of your beach neighbors just happens to be a lobsterman who sells Lobster from his front porch year round!
Rob has been fishing the seas off of Cape Cod Bay for 30 plus years and is the proud owner of Salty Lou’s. You’ll find him fishing 12 months of the year with his faithful sea dog, Lilly Rose ( a golden doodle) by his side.
Pictured here on his fishing boat Resolve with his pooch, Cindy Lou ( RIP ) who inspired the name of his business because of her love for the sea!
The day we visited Salty Lou’s it was in the high twenties! Despite the bitter cold, the sun was shining and we had fun letting Rob show us around his place. My handsome Yankee almost got eaten by a very large crab but he won the battle when he finally put him back down on the ground!
Rob and his partner, Lori keep chickens too! Rob gave Lori the sign for their coop a couple of years ago as a Christmas gift. With a name like ” Salty Chicks” I can only imagine the kind of bantering that goes on in the coop!
The Salty Chicks kept warm inside the coop under the heat lamp while we chatted all things, chickens. They have a nice mixed flock hardy to our cold New England winters.
On our way out, Rob let us snap one more shot of him amongst his Lobster traps and miscellaneous fishing gear! He wears the face of a man who loves his work, doesn’t he? Even though he complained about the cold weather and harsh fishing conditions he sometimes faces as a lobsterman, I can’t imagine him doing anything else.
Here’s our catch just after steaming in the Lobster Pot! We love to serve them with a nice side of melted butter to dip in!
Did you know Lobster is GOOD… AND GOOD FOR YOU?
Lobster stands up against other meat and dairy proteins on the nutritional scale!
Here are some comparisons for you based on 100 grams of cooked edible product.
Lobster is lower in calories, total fat, and cholesterol than chicken breast, beef or eggs!
PLUS Lobster meat contains omega-3 fatty acids, the substances that seem to reduce hardening of the arteries and decrease the risk of heart disease.
Lobster is also high in:
- Amino acids
- Potassium and Magnesium
- Vitamin B12, B6, B3 ( niacin ), and B2 ( riboflavin
- Calcium and phosphorous
- Iron, Zinc and vitamin A
It’s that darned melted butter on the side that makes Lobster a high calorie meal so dip lightly sisters! Lobster needs few embellishments. If you’re in the mood for variation consider trying Dijon mustard, use Lobster meat in seafood salads, crepe’s, or one of our favorites, omelets. You can also season with herbs or tart flavors such as tarragon, basil or thyme.
Healthy compliments to the main course could include clam chowder, baked potato, a rice dish and a fresh tossed salad. Nothing beats sweet corn during the summer months!
It was a mad dash to the cooking finish line to get the boiled red potatoes, salad, dinner rolls and bacon wrapped scallops done all at the same time, but we did it! While our meal wasn’t the lowest in calories it was very high in good local flavor!
As you can see, my beloved couldn’t wait to get crackin’ on his Lobster! We wrapped up the evening with homemade gingerbread cake and watched a movie with Grammy Joy, Nicolette and one of her bff’l’s! Just before midnight we watched the ball drop on TV and toasted in 2015 with a taste of Champagne! Then it was lights out for this crew!
Thanks for letting me share another New England classic tradition with you! How did YOU celebrate?
Until our next shoreline visit~
BEACH BLESSINGS and a very Happy New Year from the Beach Farmgirl!
Deb
Well, I had to fast on Tuesday afternoon with no water after 6 am on New Year’s Eve. But the surgery went well and I’m cancer-free to celebrate 2015. When I was able to eat again, I had a bowl of steel-cut oats with chopped dates. Yum! Dinner was Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower soup I had made after Thanksgiving. Recovery will take a little while. However, I am so happy for you and remember the baby shrimp pan roast at John Ascuaga’s Nugget I had every year on my birthday. It was yummy and your dinner looks wonderful. Happy New Year!
Dear Adrienne,
I’m so happy ( and relieved ) to hear your surgery was successful and that you are cancer free. What a blessing to start the new year with. We used to LOVE The Oyster Bar at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks, NV. Is that where you had the baby shrimp pan roast? Your mention of the Nugget sure brought back some fond memories. The food there was so good! A Happy AND Healthy new year to you Adrienne! Sending extra healing wishes from the East! xo Deb
Yes, the Oyster Bar was always my birthday dinner choice. John had some terrific seafood flown in for us to enjoy. Thanks for the good wishes!
I thought it might be the Oyster Bar! We loved it too… We used to have seafood flown in from Legal Seafood! It was yummy! Thanks for stirring those memories…:)
I’ll take the scallops without Bacon, you can have the Lobster….and your smart to have gingerbread with your lobster as the lobsters are quite “fatty” diet, ginger will block the absorption of fats. Lovely pictures.,,, remind me of pictures I have seen of my cousin and grandfather with their lobster business-souvenir shop . Iive the buoy on the fence! And boy was that a HUGE lobster!
As fir our New Years….we always try to stay aware to see he all drop, but I get so tired of waiting….I fall asleep! The News. Years day….we spend time watching the parade on TV and football or visit with family. And try to eat up all the left overs n the refrigerator so we can Cosman the refrigerator fir a good fresh year. We put away any holiday decorations and start scoring cleaning…. it keeps us from depression bring inside in the winter. And I start. Planning next years garden….start ordering seeds and whatever, preparing for February plantings of seeds….indoors. happy farming preparation! Have a Happy New Year! Stay healthy, stay safe!
Howdy, Susana! Happy New Year! I used to think Lobster was fatty meal as well until our Lobsterman shared his info sheet with us. I was surprised to learn that it’s the butter dippin’ not the lobster itself that adds calories to the meal. Any who! That little known fact didn’t stop us from dipping and enjoying our buttery lobster. I’m with you on the garden planning for next year. My seed catalogs are starting to come in! Blessings to you and yours for a wonderful and prosperous 2015! xo Deb
Lucky you! lobster is one of my favorite meals but in Minnesota we don’t get it very often. No wonder your handsome hubby couldn’t wait to dig in. We didn’t eat Chinese but had chicken kiev, wild rice and left-over dinner rolls. Finished off the end of the old year with peppermint ice cream. We went to be early too. Happy New Year to all.
Peppermint ice cream! Yum! Happy New Year, Bonnie! Thanks for sharing your day with us…Blessings for a most wonderful 2015! xo Deb
Hi Deb,
Happy New Year to you and yours. That lobster looks so good. Unfortunetly, I can not have any sort of fish both fresh water and sea or hard or soft shell. I became allergic to it gradually. One thing at a time. It started when I was in my 40’s and by the time I was 50 I could not eat any of all that that I grew up with. I live in Oregon and when I was young my family (lived in eastern Oregon) would go to the Coast and stay a few days with my Uncle then on to Depoe Bay for Dad to go out on the boat to fish. I got sea sick so could not go. My Mother and I would shop and then have a nice lunch while waiting for Dad. I just loved all that was caught. Even the fish from some of the lakes around out area that we lived was wonderful. Oh the memories. Yum!
Now all it can be is a memory.
Love, hugs, and best wishes,
Kay
Hi Karen, Thank you! What delicious memories you have of your younger days on the coast of Oregon. I’m sorry to hear you have become allergic to sea food though. I learned to fish in mountain lakes and rivers out west and I remember eating pan fried trout and catfish on our family camping trips. Of course, my mom always had plenty of hamburgers and hotdogs for backup just in case the fishing didn’t pan out. Great memories for sure.
Warm wishes for a delightful 2015! xo Deb
We live in Eagle, ID, but next door in Meredian, ID there is a seafood restaurant that serves lobster mac n’ cheese. Big hunks of lobster (I figure is a tail cut up- not little shredded stuff) & bacon bits. I never look at the menu, just order that. To die for!
That sounds like some good comfort food, Annette! I might have to try adding Lobster to our homemade mac n cheese recipe! Happy New Year! xo Deb
Your dinner sounds wonderful. Nothing like shopping for fresh caught seafood. We make an annual trip to the Oregon coast. For us, the treat is dungeness crab. We buy it fresh caught and cooked. And, the fresh shrimp. Happy 2015!
Oh I know the crab you speak of, Syliva. It’s quite yummy as well! Happy 2015 to you and yours! xo Deb
Loved reading of the fresh seafood dinner, I am so jealous. I would love to live at the beach only my dream is the Florida beaches where the weather is warm always! For New Years Day meal being in TN and all our southern traditions, we had to have Turnip Greens, with Hog Jawl (bacon) and black eyed peas with Cornbread on the side. we also watched the Rose Parade a tradition at my house from my childhood. Thanks for inviting us in to read how other parts of the country celebrate. Love your blog and all the Farm Girl blogs!
I live right across the bay from you Sister, and have never heard of eating Chinese for New Year’s! So glad you didn’t adopt what you heard! Everything you served is correct in our house. Happy New Year from Williamsburg, where my sweetie has treated us to a trip through the Colonial Capital and all the fabulous natural decorations.
We’ve got to get together in 2015, Sandi!!! Let’s make it happen! Happy New Year! xo Deb
Happy New Year Deb! This was such an awesome blog post – your pictures had my mouth watering. Oh I would love to come to Massachusetts and each Lobstoer! I cannot even imagine how awesome it must taste! Funny that the tradition there is to eat Chinese on New Years Eve. Here in the South it is black eyed peas, turnip greens, etc.! I still miss the tradition in New Mexico of a big steaming bowl of Pasole and tamales! 🙂 It is pretty awesome how every area of the United States has their own traditions. But, if it were me I’d do like you and stick with the fresh seafood tradition! Oh that lobster looks good! 🙂 But I just plain love fresh seafood. It can’t be beat can it? Hope your New Year is starting out just right. Hugs – Dori –
Right back atch Dori! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. My southwestern part of the family celebrates with black eyed peas and I remember eating them growing up as well. My dad was a Texan!And I agree with you… nothing beats fresh sea food except for a delicious home grown steak! Yum! Blessings and hugs, Deb
Awesome read
Thank you, Mary! xo Deb
I love this post. Awesome photos and fun too. Those Salty Chicks, really got me going – how fun is that. I love lobster, wish I could have it more often. Happy New Year!
Thank you, Kim! I got a kick out of those Salty Chicks too! Happy New Year! xo Deb