My experience in Maine eight or ten years ago was that the price of a lobster dinner was about the same as it was in Kansas City, around $25. However, almost every place that had that on the menu also offered a two-lobster dinner (not even offered in KC) for an additional three or four bucks. If you had a big enough appetite, that was a pretty good deal.
Yes, I remember even fast food joints (national chains) offered lobster rolls in Maine.
Not a bad deal though, considering how much lobster meat they had. One lobster shack advertised that each roll had more than one lobster’s worth of meat. The line (midday in late June) was over a block long.
There used to be a place right in WDC where they did shrimp boil all day long. Get yourself a bucket and stand at one of the wooden tables and shell away. I think you can still get that kind of deal on the Gulf Coast. There are fish & chip places all along the Oregon Coast. Some are even good. There’s a crab shack just south of Newport, OR that’s very good, very fresh, and reasonably priced. There are two places in Bandon, OR that I hit every year. One is a crab/shrimp house and the other is a F&C shack. Both outstanding.
Too late for this trip, but we enjoyed the general cheesy but casual vibe of OC well enough that we’re considering making it a regular thing. Will keep Lewes in mind, thank you!
It even makes for a good day trip if you’re staying in OC. It’s a nice little town, some good history there. You can catch a ferry to Cape May from there.
My wife and I have been visiting the same beach in Mexico each autumn for the past 3 years. A “shack” is a pretty good description of our accommodations, maybe “nice shack”.
If we want lobster, we put on the snorkeling gear and go get some. If we’re too lazy, the locals will do it for a pittance. I helped one of the local fisherman fix his outboard motor last year and was rewarded with lots of free fish.
It’s absolutely awesome, and I will never tell anyone where it is! :p:D
In absolute terms I think it would have to be somewhere in an emerging economy, the cost of living in the first world makes it difficult to imagine being able to dine on fresh fish for a pittance.
And that’s probably a good thing. The fruits of the sea are a precious resource and it is a dangerous business to extract it and I’ve no problem with the price reflecting it.
Now in relative terms, I found that stepping a little way from the tourist traps gets you a good deal. That’s a good general rule for any food in my experience.
You may think that the Amalfi coast is a bit exclusive and expensive. It certainly can be, but a little while ago we found this little restaurant down by the harbour in Sorrento. Plastic furniture and the old man who owns it catches the fish, brings in whatever is fresh, guts it on the harbourside and his daughters do simple and delicious stuff with it. 5 Euro for a big plate of little sardines, dusted and fried. Utterly magic. So not pennies, but in comparison to the swanky restaurants around it, it is great value and I suspect the same criteria (low overheads, direct supply chain, family run, simple food) will bag you the best, cheapest seafood anywhere in the world.
What part of Mexico? A few years back I did a motorcycle road trip downt he length of Baja. South of Ensenada, until you get near La Paz (avoiding the touristy areas) was about the cheapest seaford I ever recall seeing.
Not that much; there just aren’t enough lobster fishermen to affect the price. The difference is wholesale vs retail.
Lobstermen can sell lobster for $2-4 to a processor. Then it has to be shelled, cooked, marked up, etc. which is why it retails at a restaurant for $15+ a pound.
If they bring a bit home instead, they’ve got high quality luxury meat for $2 tax free.
Nice. We were considering venturing South via Cape May ferry, but got turned off by advice saying you really need reservations during “season” (we are, ahem, not very schedule-driven folk).
