{"id":29840,"date":"2019-10-03T06:30:26","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T13:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=29840"},"modified":"2020-04-15T12:13:32","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T19:13:32","slug":"maine-foodways-and-a-lobster-bake-on-the-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/maine-foodways-and-a-lobster-bake-on-the-beach\/","title":{"rendered":"Maine Foodways and a Lobster Bake on the Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lobster<\/p>\n

The highlight for guests on any of the schooner J. & E. Riggin’s trips is a traditional Maine lobster bake on the beach. But there’s so much more to show and tell before I get to the lobster bake! During the special “Two Annie’s” culinary tour onboard the historic schooner J. & E. Riggin<\/strong>, 24 fortunate foodies savored meals prepared by chef\/co-captain and owner Annie Mahle and guest chef Annie Potts.<\/p>\n

\"fresh<\/p>\n

Emerging from our cozy berths to piping hot coffee and a breakfast spread of locally sourced fruit, pancakes one day, huevos rancheros<\/em> the second, and always fresh-baked bread and muffins prepared on the turn-of-the-century burnished wood stove.<\/p>\n

The Ultimate in Ocean View Dining<\/h2>\n

Fair weather at sea means all meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, are served on deck\u2014the better to appreciate the salty sea air and the natural beauty of Maine’s rugged coastline, as well as witness the workings of a historic windjammer.<\/p>\n

\"breakfast

Guests from California, Texas, Massachusetts, and Florida enjoyed meals on the deck surrounded by the sea.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"

J. & E. Riggin under full sail. \u00a9Elizabeth Poisson<\/p><\/div>\n

An Opportunity to Learn About Sailing<\/h2>\n

After breakfast, guests can assist the capable crew in hoisting the anchor and unfurling the sails. Hoisting the anchor is a task that requires at least five people \u2013 one to water the massive chain as it comes up, four people with strong backs and arms to pump the lever attached to the windlass, plus, one more to sing sea shanties. Sea shanties (or chanty) are work songs sung on large merchant vessels during the age of sailing. Sailors never touched a rope without them and it\u2019s said that some sea captains, before hiring a man, would ask him whether he can \u201csing out at a rope\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The chain is out, so the anchor is dropped.<\/p><\/div>\n

Our sail in Penobscot Bay was favored with fair weather and bright sunshine tempered by cool ocean breezes on the first day, followed by gentle rain at night. On Day 2 of our Maine food tour at sea, we awakened to a misty morning fog gradually lifting \u2014 the kind of atmospheric Maine I envisioned from fishermen\u2019s tales of New England.<\/p>\n

\"Stonington,

Stonington continues to thrive as a fishing town and artistic enclave. \u00a9Priscilla Willis<\/p><\/div>\n

Days are spent on the top deck reading, chatting, playing cards, or simply gazing at the rocky coastline and rhythmic waves of the sea. One afternoon, we are shuttled in the Riggin’s yawl<\/em> boat, Black Beauty<\/em>, to the coastal village of Stonington.<\/p>\n

Day Trip to Stonington, Maine<\/h2>\n

One afternoon, we are shuttled in the Riggin\u2019s yawl<\/em>\u00a0boat,\u00a0Black Beauty<\/em>, to the coastal village of Stonington on Deer Isle to experience a slice of authentic Maine.<\/p>\n

Stonington remains a fishing town much as it was at the turn of the century during the era of cod and mackerel fisheries, of major granite quarry operations, and of booming industry for Stonington. You can see the work of local craftsmen and artisans in the independently-owned shops that punctuate the town\u2019s picturesque main street and savor tastes of local specialties\u2014nosh on acclaimed Stonington lobster rolls or tickle your tastebuds with award-winning Gifford\u2019s ice cream at\u00a0Stonington Ice Cream<\/a>\u00a0and lobster shack overlooking the harbor or get amped on organic, small-batch coffee roasted in-house at\u00a044 North Coffee<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Stonington,

Cute cottage at the Inn on the Harbor in Stonington.<\/p><\/div>\n

Talks and Culinary Demonstrations by Chef Annie Copps<\/h2>\n

In addition to the freshest food possible, the two days at sea featured food-focused talks, a knife skills demonstration, and learning all about the intricacies of Maine lobsters.<\/p>\n

\"Maine<\/p>\n

Chef Annie Copps is the first to tell you that she is not shy, in case you hadn’t picked up on that already. Chef Annie quickly became the darling of the tour with her big personality, approachable style, and engaging sense of humor. She began her talk about Maine foodways by telling us a little about her culinary background which included working with Julia Child for many years. Guests thoroughly enjoyed her insights into Julia Child\u2019s never-dull life and experiences\u2014Julia was a life-long learner and Chef Annie would like to follow her lead.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Learning about lobster anatomy from Chef Annie Mahle.<\/p><\/div>\n

Maine Foodways: Lobster and Seafood<\/h2>\n

Speaking to our group about Maine foodways in broad strokes, Chef Annie opened by asking, ” If you think about New England, and specifically Maine, what do you think of?” The answer was obvious\u2014 lobster<\/strong>, of course. Lobster is a real delicacy especially if you\u2019re not from New England. But Maine is known for all kinds of seafood: mussels, clams, oysters, squid, and fish.<\/p>\n

Chef Annie noted, “we think about New England and the United States becoming a nation in the 1600s when the Pilgrims came over. \u00a0In 1525, when the Portuguese came under Spanish rule, they sailed to the Atlantic coast of Canada and Maine. They knew there were people here because they started making maps of the area. The Portuguese sailors would arrive on their battered ships and there was a nation of indigenous people here who helped them repair their ships and taught them their ways of catching cod and other shellfish. The indigenous people included Maliseet, Micmac, Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy Indian tribes, collectively known as the Wabanaki, “People of the Dawnland”.<\/p>\n

Maine\u2019s first fishermen were Native Americans, who caught salmon and trout. Mounds of shells, called middens<\/span><\/em>, tell us that they also ate clams. When British explorer John Cabot crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1497, he found so many large cod on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland that he could scoop them up in baskets. When word of this bounty reached Europe in the early 1500s, Basque, Portuguese, Spanish, and French fleets numbering in the hundreds began annual voyages. {History of Fisheries in Maine<\/a>}<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There was no refrigeration or ice. Fish were heavily salted and dried, then, taken back to Europe\u2014think Portuguese bacalao.<\/em> Cod fished in the early 1600s were abundant and huge in size compared to today. When cod stocks began to dry up, mackerel and salmon became the mainstay as well as tiny cold-water shrimp.<\/p>\n

Lobster Bake on Deer Isle Beach<\/h2>\n
\"Rocky

Granite rocks on Deer Isle. Granite played a big part in the history of Maine and remains a vital industry.<\/p><\/div>\n

The highlight for guests on any of the J. & E. Riggin’s trips is their traditional Maine lobster bake. It’s an all-you-can-eat feast that includes steak and lobster, fresh veggies, S’mores and more. After anchoring near an undisturbed island (we anchored near Deer Isle) in the early afternoon, the yawl boat ferries you ashore where you can explore the island, help with the dinner preparations, or just chill with a glass of wine and visit with the crew and other guests.<\/p>\n

\"lobster<\/p>\n

How To Do a Lobster Bake on the Beach<\/h2>\n

A lobster bake on the beach is a herculean effort \u2013 you don\u2019t do it for only two people. For a traditional lobster bake you dig a hole about 5-6 feet deep and 10 x3 feet wide. A particular kind of rock is used as they cannot have any cracks or fissures which allow moisture in and makes them explode\u2014in Maine granite rocks, worn by millenniums of wind and water, are abundant and ideal for a lobster bake. The rocks are gathered weeks before because hundreds of them are needed. A fire is built and the rocks are heated up to 500-600 degrees, then, moved to the holes.<\/p>\n