When I read that a crack down on exports to China would result in cheap lobsters just in time for Christmas, I couldn’t resist a trip to the Sydney Fish Market to check it out.
I’ve never bought a lobster before – at $50 to $60 each, they’ve always been out of my price range. Today though, I picked up this magnificent fresh (not frozen!) Eastern Australian Rock Lobster (cue B52 music now) for just $33. It even has its own little tag, telling me it was caught in NSW.
Fellow Aussies, look out for these in December, there’s a bargain to be had!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Wow look how brightly coloured it is! What a treat.
That might just be on the cards for a special Sunday lunch.
Thanks for the tip.
BOY OH BOY, what an incredible treat, and the colour is so surreal! Do savour just one bit for me, please!
:-) Mandy
Wow a fresh one at that price? I might have to head down to the fish markets too. Thanks for the tip!
Wow what a lovely lobster, well the Australian version anyway as we don’t catch the kind with the big nipping claws.
I think the lobster name came about because when we started to export to the US our Australian name for this tasty critter “crayfish” was too similar to the US crawfish, which in Austrlaia we would call a yabbie.
As I understand it almost all the Austalian lobster sold in the US is frozen tails it realy doesn’t matter too much as you can’t see the lack of claws.
Cheers M
Celia yes it is good news but I have just caught mine, bragging, but you know if more people buy them here when the prices are fair, then the market will look at keeping them home rather than send them away. Hopefully…..
I just made lobster ravioli for the lean times when there are no longer lobsters in our pots. I will put my recipe on my blog, just getting back into the groove of blogging.
Oh my, I hope we can find them here on the Coast…..how absolutely stunning and beautiful it looks…and my favourite of ALLLLL time!!! You have made my mouth water so much!!! Big hugs to you oxo
Lobster is too expensive for me too, at home, but we had a delicious whole lobster meal while in Canada – so I envy you your treat!
What a handsome crustacean he is! What are you going to do with him? ….with a little home made mayonnaise and a slice of fresh bread and a bunch of home grown salad…. and wriggle your toes in the sunshine with happiness… fantasies from the sheepskin slippered (not Uggs) one here x
Wow…., that’s the pretties lobby Ive seen for ages. Oh I wish I lived in Sydney when I see things like this…., I’ll be keeping my eye out all the same in the fish shops here.., who knows, I might be lucky.
While I do sympathise with the lobster fisherman, I have to be honest – with these prices, lobster is on my Xmas menu this year!!
I heard about the problems with China as well. I’ll keep an eye out for the delicious critters. I have never bought a lobster, perhaps now is the time.
Love the B52’s….rock lobster…love shack!!!
This guy looks divine! Look forward to your recipe! Yummy! xx
He really is beautiful! I love the bright red- and without the huge claws of US lobsters- he looks more well proportioned.
What are you making with this delightful creature?
I’m quite sure there’s another one of those global “lost in translation” things going on here with the price, as I’m not about to pay $33 for any single thing meant to be eaten. I think if I did, I’d lay it on the coffee table in the living room and sit and stare at it for a long, long time – which in the case of this beauty would be the thing to do – it must be the most perfect lobster I’ve even seen!
What a beauty. He/she? looks unreal, as if he’s been varnished!
I have never had lobster but always wanted to try it. I love crab, prawns and langoustines so I’m sure I would love it, but it is always so expensive.
Having just read ‘Julie & Julia’ by Julie Powell (still want to see the film), her account of preparing live lobsters rather put me off. I’d have to buy ready cooked and get someone else to do the dirty work!
hopeeternal
‘Meanderings through my Cookbook’
http://www.hopeeternalcookbook.wordpress.com
Thank you all! The lobster was absolutely delicious – we had it with homemade tartare sauce – mayonnaise made with one of our eggs, with chopped nasturtium capers added. Our dear friends Kevin and Carol and their boys joined us for dinner, and we had a feast – lobster, Tiger prawns, sushi and nori rolls, Japanese eel (actually from Japan!) and Pete made a risotto with carnoroli rice, fresh fish and scallops. It was the best night we’ve had in ages (although that’s often the case when we’re with Kevin and Carol).
I’ve had lobster before, but it was always drowned in sauce or cheese – it was such a treat to try it cold and served simply with good mayo – it’s very rich, sweet, tender meat. I hope all of you in Aus can manage to track some down – there was some talk in the papers that the price might even come down to $20 a lobster!
Doc, it is a lot of money, but it’s also a great treat! Our seafood can be quite expensive, even though it’s usually extremely fresh. Lobster over here (as Moo the marine biologist points out, it’s not what the US knows as lobster) is the food of the wealthy, so when it sneaks into the budget of the rest of us, we can’t resist the temptation to indulge! :)
Roz, you have every right to brag – catching your own is as fresh as it gets!
Hope, this one was already cooked (but not frozen and defrosted), but the live ones actually weren’t much more. I wasn’t game to have to cook it either!
That’s a pretty cheap crustacean. It could actually convince me to try and make my all time- most- delicious- meal- of- my- life dish. Oh the pressure! (It was a lobster pasta eaten in Italy).
I think I am going to have the B52’s in my head for the rest of the day.
I love crustaceans of any sort and he looks beautiful. I was telling brother, who isn’t a very adventurous eater, this morning about the wonderful taste of seafood. A few years ago I knew someone who grew up on the east coast of Canada and would have his father fly fresh lobster to him straight out of the ocean. I would get 3 or 4 lobster from him when he did this. It was so good to have fresh lobster. Now, I can still get fresh/live lobster, but they’re farmed. I love seafood period. I actually made stuffed calamari the other night. I’ll have to post my recipe for you because it was delicious.
What a great Christmassy treat! Lobster is usually waaay out of my budget, but maybe we’ll find some wiggle room with these special prices.
Here’s very photogenic..almost too good looking to be eaten!
That is so gorgeous it doesn’t look real! I’m not a big fan of crustaceans but I’d be really pleased to provide this for others on Xmas day. Is it OK to freeze it yourself once you buy it or should you really eat it straight away?
Yummmm! I LOVE lobstah (as it is pronounced in New England). It’s funny how different they look in Australia compared to Florida or Maine.
Brydie, I spent all of yesterday with the B52s in my head as well. :) And I’m resisting the urge to head back to the fishmarkets…
Cat, that would be amazing to be getting lobster so fresh! Look forward to seeing your stuffed calamari recipe!
Chef, I hope these make it to Canberra. If the papers are correct though, they’ll be a glut in Australia this month…
Cindy, he or she was gorgeous (I think it might have been a she), best thing we’ve tasted in ages!
Sarah, this is the first lobster I’ve bought, but I would be disinclined to freeze it. Firstly there’s a chance it’s already been frozen, and secondly, I’m not sure how the texture of the meat might hold up?
Preppy, we pronounce it lobstah as well!! :)
OK you found my weakness…seafood. *drools uncontrollably*
Hehehe…will make a mental note.. ;-)
Hi Celia. Just wanted to pop back to let you know I posted my Stuffed Calamari recipe. If you or any of your readers are interested, you can find it here: http://catscrapfever.blogspot.com/2010/12/stuffed-calamari-recipe.html
I have never bought a lobster either cause of the expense. Oh how I miss the Sydney fish markets. I used to live right next door too!