From Lobsters to Pearls: A taste of Nova Scotia's coastal delights
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On February 2, 2018, Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam faced some competition for Groundhog Day. When Lucy the Lobster crawled ashore at the southern tip of the province, she didn't see her shadow, which predicted an early spring. Lucy quickly became a hero. However, every year since, she has predicted six more weeks of winter. It's time that crustacean was introduced to garlic butter.
Lobster season runs from the last Monday of November until the end of May. Every February, in the lobster capital of Canada, Barrington, Nova Scotia, the town of 6,500 marks the season's peak with the Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl Festival. The province is divided into lobster districts, ensuring that when one area's season ends, another's begins. This fosters sustainability and makes Nova Scotia lobster available year-round. Barrington takes its lobster seriously; the industry has been the backbone of the community since the 1800s. Each Christmas, residents fashion a Christmas tree out of lobster traps. This is one town where children should leave out lobster tails and garlic butter for Santa rather than disappoint him with milk and cookies.
Lobster is ubiquitous in Nova Scotia. Salt Box Brewing in Mahone Bay serves a lobster beer, and at one time, the Compass Distillery in Halifax had a lobster vodka. You can find lobster ice cream, poutine, mac n' cheese, and microwave dinners. There are rubber or plush lobster toys for children, and at the Halifax airport, you can grab live lobster to go that fits under the seat. The Nova Scotia lobster industry generates nearly a billion dollars a year and has a connoisseur's lobster trail with more than 25 restaurants.
The Nova Scotia lobster industry generates nearly a billion dollars a year. (Pictured: Experiencing Canada host Nathan Coleman from The Weather Network)
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As it circumnavigates the province, the trail makes a stop at Peggy's Cove's Sou'Wester Restaurant, where owner John Campbell, when he wasn't out on a fishing boat, spent his childhood serving chowder in what was then his parents' restaurant. They began with five tables in 1967, named after the traditional Sou'Wester fishing hat turned up at the front with an extended back to repel water. The iconic hat is not only a symbol of Nova Scotia; it became a fashion statement in 1957 when Christian Dior of Paris featured the hats with his spring and summer dresses.
But there is more to Nova Scotia seafood than just lobster. It's fitting that oysters abound in the waters around Peggy's Cove, as Peggy is a diminutive of the name Margaret, which has Greek origins meaning "pearl." The odds of an oyster containing a pearl are 1 in 10,000, yet people don't harvest these oysters for a Christian Dior-like necklace. Instead, various oyster species on the half-shell are available across the province. Atlantic oysters are known for their delicate, succulent flavour and mild sea brine. Bring an appetite to Nova Scotia; the seafood here is fresh.
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