Nova Scotia offers the perfect lobster-to-go

By Christoph Strotmann Jan 3, 2012, 3:06 GMT

Halifax, Canada - Visitors flock to Canada in order to see all manner of wild creatures, from elks to eagles.

The real stars of the East Coast of Nova Scotia are not as spectacular but they certainly are tasty. Lobster is the lure here and fortunately for tourists the firm-fleshed shellfish is not just a delicacy for the rich.

The prized crustaceans are on offer at snack bars as well as en vogue restaurants. Indeed 'lobster' seems to be on the menu everywhere.

The larger supermarkets offer customers the chance to yank a specimen with a rod straight out of a freshwater tank into the shopping trolley.

The sign of the lobster is Nova Scotia's second coat of arms, adorning anything from flags, tea-towels, glasses for spirits and an assortment of cuddly toys.

In most European countries, lobster is regarded as a delicacy par excellence, whereas the Nova Scotians view it as a basic foodstuff.

It is cheap and easy to find and will more often than not be dished up with a side-serving of humble fried chips. Naturally ketchup is available on request.

The culinary permutations are down to the imagination of chefs and cooks throughout the territory. The meals on offer include lobster sandwich, lobster enchilada, lobster pancake and lobster soup. The TV dinner version is of course lobster-flavoured potato crisps.

The creatures are an enormous factor in the local economy.

'A total of 35,757 tonnes of lobster were caught in Nova Scotia in 2010, which amounts to 70 per cent of the total Canadian catch,' said Krista Higdon of the Nova Scotia Fisheries Board.

Some 80 per cent is exported to the United States but also farther afield to Europe, Asia and South America.

Tourists love lobster too. 'Most of the people who come to Nova Scotia make a point of eating here at least once,' said Higdon.

These days, around 10,000 people in Nova Scotia live from farming lobster.

And then there is Captain Brian Plant. In the winter he works in the oil industry and forges trails through the pack ice for northern Canada-bound trucks. In the summer months he enjoys a calmer panorama as the boss of Cape Breton Lobster Adventure Tours.

For more than 20 years he has been taking tourists out on Bras d'Or Lake to inspect the lobster traps.

Instead of simply snatching the creatures and selling them on for cash, he shows guests from Europe, China and the Arab world how the crustaceans should be taken out of the water and lets them marvel at what large and finely-formed beasts they are.

After a brief explanation he tosses them back into the water. 'Lobsters on a plate are very healthy and tasty but letting them stay alive amounts to good business too,' said Plant.

Culturally speaking, it is nigh on impossible not to notice these shellfish in Nova Scotia. There are lobster festivals and songs about lobsters. In children's books, the heroes are not rabbits, mice or bears but lobsters.

A traditional lobster meal at the town hall or local community centre is a regular get-together event for Nova Scotians, and many restaurants offer 'eat as much as you can' deals with lashings of lobster, mussels and other seafood.

For those who don't like such mass feeding events or are simply too busy to attend, there are lobster delicacies to be had at a well-known chain of fast-food restaurants - depending on the season.

McLobster is an ideal between-meals snack. For those who develop a taste for the speciality, shops at Halifax airport offer travellers the chance to grab a lobster - dead or alive - before boarding the plane home.