Homard d'Atlantique - American Lobster - Northern Lobster
- Homarus americanus
In Canada, lobster selected by Label One Selection is harvested and processed throughout the Atlantic Provinces (New Brunswick & Nova Scotia,). Landings peak twice a year, once in the period from April to June when the spring season opens, and then again in December after the winter fishery opens in south-western Nova Scotia.
Licensed lobster fishers use small boats relatively close to shore to fish with baited, wooden-frame or plastic-coated steel-mesh traps which are weighted and lowered to the sea bottom. The traps are hauled by ropes attached to brightly painted buoys which mark their location.
Lobsters grow by moulting, or shedding their shell. After a moult (typically in summer), the lobster is soft-shelled and filled with the sea water it has absorbed in the process. Up to two months pass before the absorbed sea water is replaced by new lobster meat. As the shell hardens in the cold waters of the North Atlantic, the meat's texture and taste improve and the lobster acquires a denser, fuller feel.
Often called the King of Seafood, the lobster is the pride of Atlantic Canada. This crustacean has a long body and five sets of legs, including two large front claws, one of which is large, flat and heavy while the other is smaller and thinner. The body and tail and claws are hard-shelled. Live lobsters range in colour from brownish-rust to greenish-brown; all lobster shells turn bright orangey-red when cooked. The white flesh is pleasantly firm and dense with a rich, savoury flavour.
