Lobster For Dinner Tonight (And Green Goddess Potato Salad)

Ms. Bic and I are off to Wyoming and Yellowstone Park this Friday. We'll be gone just one week. It's a first for both of us and we're pretty excited. Since Wyoming is not a big seafood destination, we figure we should get our fill of good Maine seafood over the next few days before we leave.

There was a good piece in the Portland Daily Sun a few days ago on the current lobster situation.

But a drop in demand with the flagging economy is the new variable.

"Lobsters and bologna are the same price," Werner said, incredulously. "We just need to encourage people to get out there and buy them."

The Maine Lobster Promotion Council hopes to stem the slump.

"It's going to be an extremely difficult year, there's no getting around that. Looking beyond that, there are some bright spots," said Dane Somers, executive director of the council.

A new stock assessment report says the lobster population is at an all-time high in most of the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank, although there is low abundance and poor replenishment in southern New England and Massachusetts Bay. Somers said this assessment shows that lobstermen for decades have practiced responsible harvest practices.

"For well over a hundred years, Maine lobstermen have been practicing very strict stewardship," he said.

Well, I did my little part to help the Maine lobster industry this morning. I'm just back from Harbor Fish Market down on the waterfront. I got three small hardshell lobsters for about $15. To go with the lobsters, I'll be making a potato salad with a few Frenchy haricot vert green beans mixed in. It's a great recipe from Gourmet magazine that's become a favorite at our house. The anchovies in it are the secret weapon. A relatively cheap and really good meal! Oh yeah, did I forget to mention a Maine lobster loves a nice chilled Sauvignon Blanc or Muscadet or Pinot Grigio served alongside?

Update 7/1/09: The words "(And Green Goddess Potato Salad)" were added to the original title to make it easier to find the recipe on the blog.