Fish & Seafood | Lobster

There are three species of lobster – American, European and Norway – all revered for their gourmet flavour. The American lobster is only found off the east coast of North America, while the European and Norway lobsters are fished round Scottish waters, as well as other European countries.

The earliest records of lobster fishing date back to the 12th century when they were hand gathered using crooks and hoop nets, but the introduction of pots and creels led to more commercial catches. Traditionally creeling for lobsters and crabs has been regarded as an inshore fishery and the most important Scottish centres include Shetland, Orkney, the Hebrides and south-east coast, with their catches mainly being shipped live to the Continent.

Crustaceans, lobsters have a hard shell which is dark green in the living animal and bright red when boiled. They grow by casting their shell (moulting), forming a new, larger one in its place. As larvae, they moult frequently, but when they become adult and settle on the seabed, they only shed their shells every one or two years. A lobster covered with barnacles would be in its old shell and therefore at it prime.

It takes five years for a European lobster to reach an average weight of 3lb but they can live to the ripe old age of 15. They can also grow to around 10lb, but are tastiest between 1lb – 3lb. One Scottish hotel ended up in hot water when it cooked a massive 10lb lobster caught off the Lossiemouth coast. Later it emerged that ‘Crusty’ the crustacean was a local seabed celeb well-known by divers and fishermen who were outraged that he’d been eaten!

Lobster is a low-fat, low-calorie and low-cholesterol food which is delicious enjoyed fresh from harbours and restaurants around Scotland’s coasts.