What is your favorite fancy seafood meal to enjoy? Most people answered this question with one of the most notorious sea-creatures known to man – lobster. However, we think you should take another look at the options. When it comes to seafood, lobster is actually not that great.
Yes, I said what I said. Lobster just isn’t that wonderful, it’s not that fancy, and it’s overpriced.
Despite the fact that America has an entire restaurant chain dedicated to this insect-like ocean-dweller, it’s not the best seafood you can order (sorry Red Lobster, but your cheddar bay biscuits are really where it’s at.). In fact, even some world-renowned chefs will tell you the same thing- lobster isn’t that great.
“The most overrated seafood to me is super-fancy seafood — I don’t get why it’s been decided that certain seafood will be held in overly high regard. Lobster is, and can be, really delicious, but everyone thinks it’s this super-fancy ingredient, and it once was very cheap and considered a low-class option. It’s good when you eat it chilled or steamed with butter, but there are other things you can do with it when you don’t have to regard it as so precious.”
DUNCAN BIDDULPH, EXECUTIVE CHEF – Thrillist
A pointless meal
Have you ever had a lobster roll? It is a New England favorite, and it always ends up costing way more than what it’s worth. Lobster rolls are basically rolls filled with meat and way too many toppings, served in a creamy sauce. You honestly never taste the lobster. So why do we keep paying exorbitant amounts of money for it?
““Yes, great lobster rolls are out there … but if I’m going to pay $30 for a lobster roll, it had better contain the meat of two whole lobsters, plus come with a cab ride home.”
Boston.com
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Lobster isn’t Worth the Fandom or Cost
We’ve been tricked into thinking this is a luxury food item but is it really? When the first European colonists arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, there were too many lobsters to count. In fact, there were so many that they would pile up two-feet high as they washed ashore. Because of the vast amount of these critters, they were used as everything from fertilizer, to bait. But, most of all, the settlers considered them to be an embarrassment.
Once called “sea cockroaches,” the lobster was considered to be a blight. It was probably by accident that someone discovered they could eat one and live.
Kindel Media – Pexels
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“Lobster was also known as the poor man’s meal because the overabundance of these guys made it easy for people with no money to get their protein. In fact, these crustaceans were fed to prisoners, apprentices and slaves.“
Spoon University
In the 1800s, thanks to trains and industry, it was able to be canned and sold to a larger market. It was a new item to many people who had never heard of the it, and as such, demand increased.
“This made fresh lobster become even more popular and, because of this new demand, in the 1880’s restaurants and markets were able to mark up the prices. So by World War II, lobster was considered a delicacy and, as a result, what was once a poor man’s food became only affordable for them richer peeps.“
Spoon University
Save your Money
They really do look like sea insects. Have you ever tried to cook one at home? You need an entire toolbox to be able to reach the “good” meat. By the time you eventually finish it, you have burned off all the calories you just consumed. It really is a great workout.
So there’s one positive note. But in reality, just save your money. The fancifulness of lobster was an ideal that got passed down through industry. It’s not really that great. Of course, this is just my humble opinion. Whats yours?
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Sources:
- “Lobster sucks: famous chefs reveal the most over/underrated seafood.” Thrillist. May 22, 2014
- “New York writer calls lobster rolls ‘overrated’.” Boston.com. Amanda Hoover. August 14, 2016
- “How Lobster Went From Prison Food to an Expensive Delicacy.” Spoon University. AmiLin McClure.