My friend Marjorie came from France to Boston to spend 2 weeks of vacation on the East coast. She wanted to try some seafood from New England. The day was gorgeous, so we went to the Barking Crab, a sort of restaurant-tent close to the harbor, with a sort of fun fair look. The place was busy and pretty touristy, but we had an awesome table by the harbor, with the great view over Boston downtown. We had some lobster roll, lobster meat with mayo on a hot dog bun. It sounds like a sacrilege to do such a thing to a lobster, but it’s actually pretty good.
Le lobster roll
Some people say that this specialty was invented in the 20’s, in Connecticut, in a dinner named Perry’s. Some disagree and pretend that the first lobster roll was prepared in Maine, at the Red’s of Wiscasset. It didn’t really matter for us this night. We just wanted it to be fresh and good. A lobster roll is only made of 3 elements:
- bread. A sort of bun, slightly sweeten and toasted.
- lobster. Steamed and served warm. There’s a bit of everything, claws, knuckle and tail. The pieces are pretty big, and most of the time, there’s at least 1 pound of meat (about 450 g).
- sauce – mayo ou melted butter. Not much, no veggie, no spicy taste, just some lemon, pepper and sometimes cives. That’s it!
Manu tried another option: grilled lobster, with a surprising side, a corn on the cob. Super American. As an appetizer, we tried some crab cakes, a sort of beignet with crab meat.
- Cuisine: seafood and fish, cooked on pasta, sandwich or classical dishes. They also have good local beers.
- Price: the lobster roll costs $21 (without the tip), you can find cheaper, it’s definetly a touristy price.
- Coming back ? Yes! The ambiance is relax, the food is fresh and simple. It’s busy, so good for big groups!
- Where: Fort Port Landing, 88 Sleeper Street. Ask for a table by the window, close to the harbor.
- Before the Barking Crab: visit the latest exhibition of the super museum of contemporary art, the ICA, and the walk along the waterfront is really nice.
- After the Barking Crab: have a cocktail at Drink.
If lobster is your passion, watch this great video by American Test Kitchen on how to get all the meat from a lobster.
Looking for a place to eat in Boston or Cambridge ? Check my brand new page on the blog of my favorite places.
