How to: A Traditional Maine Lobster Bake

Post lobster bake I am not sure if we should be happy or sad. 

Happy because we had an amazing feast after a very rough day of sailing or sad because we quite literally may have had the best lobster we will ever have in our entire lives to come. I know this sounds like a bold claim but where in the world do they have better lobsters than in Maine? 

Within Maine they have one particular area that is coveted as producing the best lobsters in Maine, yes you guessed it, Ragged Island. Which is where we had found ourselves. Fresh lobsters are the best, no one will argue that, so we literally had to row out to the lobster boat and they handpicked us the delicious creatures right out of that hours catch. Did I mention that it was 40 knot winds that was funneling into the cove where our boat was moored amongst the lobster boats that RJ and our new friend Derek (worked for the lobster boat) had to row through?

Finally cooking the lobsters in a pile of kelp gathered minutes before and thrown on a driftwood fire is the undisputed best way to cook. Enjoy our photo's highlighting how to do a real lobster bake and hopefully someday you to will get a chance to enjoy!
 

Due to the heavy winds and chop in the harbor we had to carry our dinghy around to launch above the lobster boat and get pushed down wind to meet it.

RJ and the stern man rowing back for the lobster boat.

Not drive thru.

Find a protected cove (important when there are 40 knot winds!) and build two fires. One to cook and one to hang out at. Dig a nice pit in the stone, above the high tide line, and make sure you gather plenty of driftwood before its dark.

Get a real nice bed of coals going, this pit is about 3 feet wide, then gather a pile of fresh live kelp that can stack a solid foot deep on your bed of coals. Layer on the lobster then cover with another 6" of kelp.

Flip them over after about 20 minutes or so, keep an eye on them and move as needed to avoid burning. Lobster are fully cooked when the antenna pulls off easy.

Grab a lobster or two or three and get at it! We utilized the rocks all around for breaking the shells. The meat is unlike a steamed lobster, it is tender and melts in your mouth. No need for butter because they have a slight smokey sea salt flavor and the meat is so soft it is almost hard to pick up.

Last but not least, enjoy the time and experience with good friends.