Lobster Shack

Closed for the Season
Lobster Shack, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Oil on Canvas, 20 X 16

One clear sunny day a few weeks ago, I was wandering around the area looking for subjects to paint. I ended up in one of the more remote places around, a point in the so-called Two Lights area of Cape Elizabeth. In the summer, thousands of people find their way out here because of this place--The Lobster Shack. It serves fresh Maine seafood "al fresco" and it's especially known for lobster. You stand in line to give your order inside and find a place to eat at one of the many picnic tables that are arranged outdoors. To the back of this view, the waves crash on the rocks. So as you wait for your number to be called, you can enjoy an often spectacular view of the open sea. Those of us who live here have these views anytime we want them, but for folks "from away" they are a real draw. The crowds that come here during the summer season are hardly hinted at during winter.
As you can see, no one had been here in some time as the snow was unbroken. I was tempted to paint a gloomier scene with clouds and faint light, but the sun was so brilliant, I felt an irony here in an otherwise desolate scene. Besides, Edward Hopper, who painted in this area would have seen it this way. Would that I could capture what he would have! Anyway, I like the desolation plus the light, the picnic tables all piled up in front and the colors in the snow.
If this scene chills you to the bone, here is a lobster recipe that will warm you, I hope.

Easy Lobster Quiche (Serves 6)

Ingredients: 1 9" unbaked pie crust (store bought OK), 4 large eggs, 2/3 cup milk (can be 2%), 1 clove garlic-minced, pinch fresh grated nutmeg, sea salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste, 1 cup fresh baby spinach-chopped, 1 medium onion-diced, 1/2 cup mixed red and yellow bell pepper-thin sliced, 8 ounces fresh Maine lobster tail and claw meat-sliced, 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese--can be smoked.

Preheat oven to 425.
In medium bowl whisk milk, eggs, nutmeg, garlic, salt and pepper until lightly beaten and well-blended. Add spinanch, onion, peppers and lobster and stir well.
Pour filling into pie crust and sprinkle cheese over.
Bake at 425 for 30-45 minutes until solidified and lightly browned.
Let cool a bit before cutting into 6 slices. Serve warm.

SUPER SIMPLE SEAFOOD

RECIPES FROM MAINE

As long as we’re talking Maine, I will now share with you Maine’s greatest treasure: its seafood. My wife has been cooking for over 50 years; she learned as a child from her dietician aunt, who had one of the first (live broadcast) televised cooking programs. Her cooking is widely admired, as are her techniques, first and foremost of which is what she refers to as her “life’s most creative journey” -- how to get to the best-tasting result with less fuss, time and complicated steps than the original recipe dictates. She particularly enjoys preparing seafoods; fortunate, since that’s what we have in abundance here on the coast of Maine! We serve them at opera parties and art openings, as well as in our home. Herewith, some of my favorite Super Simple Seafood Recipes from Maine.

Freezy Breezy Crab Puffs (makes 48)

Mix well: 1 jar Old English cheese, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder,
½ teaspoon seasoned salt, 3 scallions, minced,
1 stick butter, softened, 1 1/2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

Fold in: 1 can good quality crabmeat, drained.
Separate: 6 Thomas’s English Muffins, and spread mixture on all 12 halves.
Freeze: on a cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap. Then place in freezer bags.
To serve: Cut into quarters while frozen, and broil till bubbly and just brown.


Italian Mussels One Way (2 pounds serves 2 for dinner or 8 as canapés)

Combine in large pot 2-pound bag mussels (those from our good neighbors in Prince Edward Island are pretty darned clean and the steaming will finish the job) and ½ cup of any Italian white wine. Cover and cook over medium-high, shaking from time to time for about 8-10 minutes, until they’re all open.

Drain and discard the tops of shells, arranging the mussels in shells on a cookie sheet.
If you insist, you can make your own pesto sauce from scratch in a food processor. I’ve found the one I think is best in a jar – Classico brand is super. Spread about a teaspoon of pesto sauce over each mussel. Grate about a cup of fresh parmesan (more if you like) and sprinkle over the mussels, then bake at 350 for about 8 minutes, until bubbly.

Italian Mussels the Other Way (same yields as in above recipe)

Combine in large pot another 2-pound bag of mussels and one 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes (the oregano/basil flavored variety) plus ½ cup of chianti (mediocre quality will do fine.) Cover and cook over medium-high, shaking from time to time for about 8-10 minutes, until they’re all open. When serving, spoon sauce from pot over them.

Lobster & Crab Gazpacho (serves 6)

Combine in a large glass bowl, then cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours:

2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes,(2 garlic & onion flavor and 1 zesty jalapeno flavor)
1 quart of V-8, 1 cup of bottled clam juice,
1 tablespoon each lemon and lime juice, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar,
2 tablespoon thin-sliced scallions, 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley,
5-6 ounces of lump crabmeat, 5-6 ounces of lobster meat,
3 dashes Tabasco, sea salt & fresh-ground pepper

Serve with a hearty multi-grain peasant boule or baguette.


Grilled Salmon with Scallion Butter (serves 4)

Mix well and refrigerate: 1 stick butter, softened,1 teaspoon minced curly parsley,
1 1/2 tablespoons minced scallions, dash of lemon juice,
Salt & pepper to taste

Brush: 4 salmon steaks with olive oil and grill 5-6 minutes per side.
Spread: a generous pat of scallion butter over each hot steak to serve.

In Maine, salmon in any form is the traditional Fourth of July entrée, accompanied by conveniently in-season fresh peas.


Pepper Parmesan Salmon Salad (serves 4)

Grill an extra 8 ounces of salmon when preparing another meal. Remove skin and any bones and break the salmon into small pieces.

Whisk together: juice of 4 lemons, 6 cloves garlic, chopped,
1 teaspoon white Worcestershire sauce,
1 teaspoon fresh cracked peppercorns (medley is preferred),
½ cup chopped Italian flat parsley,
Slowly whisk in 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil until dressing is emulsified

Toss: in a large salad bowl 2 heads romaine, trimmed and chopped, 1 cup grated
fresh parmesan, and the dressing.

Serve salad on 4 plates and top with salmon.

Bon appetit!