FRIDAY FISH FINDS

As much as I like fish and seafood, I'm not sure why I don't cook them at home more often. But I'm of a mind to change that, especially now that it's Lent. Not that I observe Lent, or make a point of abstaining from meat on Friday. But there sure are a lot of fish bargains and fish specialties available this time of year. This Friday I was especially eager to leave work. Not just because the weekend was here, but because there was a lobster roll with my name on it! My real name, not Eggy. And from a legitimate business, not handed through the mailbox of the basement apartment "covert operation" of this dude. (Who I'm pretty sure was on the first episode of "Throw Down," so how covert can he be? Maybe it's a Brooklyn thing? The "speakeasy-ization" of fish? We're just not that hip here in the midwest.)

The Underground Lobster Pound: A Purist, An Apartment & The Perfect Lobster Roll - *food curated* from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

I ordered my lobster roll from Lobsta Bakes of Maine, a new favorite haunt since I discovered that Kevin Smith, former owner of Bounty Seafood II, has a new retail outlet in Newtown. Kevin is from Maine, where his family has the original Bounty Seafood (aka I). I figured if anyone around here could make an authentic lobster roll, he'd be the guy. At $14.99 for this puppy with a side of cole slaw, my Friday Find this week doesn't exactly fall into the bargain category. Although if you take into account that the lobster was flown in from Maine yesterday and made fresh today, it's not all that steep in my book. Chunky lobster, check. Just a tad of mayo, check. A little celery, check. White hot dog bun, check - although it was cut differently than the standard off-the-shelf variety (is that a Maine thing?). Lightly seasoned (Old Bay or just s&p?). Clearly the star of this dish was the lobster, which fell from the bun in delectable, recognizable chunks. I confess I removed the leafy greens when eating the roll. Although attractive and fresh, I preferred direct contact between the bun and its savory filling. While I was picking up my lobster roll for supper, I couldn't resist also buying this house-made smoked salmon bratwurst. Where else would you find such a thing, except from a Mainer transplanted to an old German city like Cincinnati? (Well, maybe from some hipster in Brooklyn . . .)