In the 1970s, then-president of Mexico Luis Echeverría visited the remote fishing village of Huatulco, slated for touristic development soon after that.
The people of the village prepared a dinner for the president, in an apologetic tone for being so humble and poor, all they had to offer him was lobster.
I think it’s down to preference, as even the warm water Pacific lobster is the premium menu item on hotel and seafood restaurants in tourists towns in Mexico, and even in the United States west coast.
I’ve had the Pacific lobster many times, but only one time did I have the northern Atlantic one, and it is more meaty, but flavor-wise I did not detect a dramatic difference.
Granted, in the wrong hands, or if it’s frozen, lobster doesn’t taste like much of anything. I’ve made that mistake before, of ordering something like that in a random restaurant or a tourist trap.
But you know what I really prefer? A heap of Dungeness crab, cooked in butter, wine and garlic. Then add lemon. Yikes.
Crab is 10X better than any lobster I’ve ever had. I’ve had flown in live lobster from Nova Scotia on a group buy. It was OK but not worth the price.
On the other hand, I’ve pulled up Dungeness crab in Sooke Bay and cooked them on the dock and been eating it 15 minutes later. Frickin’ excellent. Even without garlic butter, crab is just awesome.
If you drive down Baja California, with Ensenada behind you as you keep going due south, you will start encountering a few stands and roadside restaurants here and there that always seem to have crab burritos on the menu. Some of these are thick with meat, also all the usual finely-chopped vegetables found in shredded beef machaca common in northern Mexico cuisine.
When crabmeat burritos are on the menu, I know I’m south of Ensenada, near the boundary with that mythical, mystical, wild desert Baja. That sensation and flavor combo go hand-in-hand in me.
EDIT: these places also usually make some killer huevos rancheros, too, some places accompany them with side helping of chorizo made with abalone or sea-snail.
In the 1970s, then-president of Mexico Luis Echeverría visited the remote fishing village of Huatulco, slated for touristic development soon after that.
The people of the village prepared a dinner for the president, in an apologetic tone for being so humble and poor, all they had to offer him was lobster.
Warm water Pacific lobster tastes pretty bad. I made the mistake of ordering it once thinking it was like northern Atlantic lobster. It is not.
I think it’s down to preference, as even the warm water Pacific lobster is the premium menu item on hotel and seafood restaurants in tourists towns in Mexico, and even in the United States west coast.
I’ve had the Pacific lobster many times, but only one time did I have the northern Atlantic one, and it is more meaty, but flavor-wise I did not detect a dramatic difference.
Granted, in the wrong hands, or if it’s frozen, lobster doesn’t taste like much of anything. I’ve made that mistake before, of ordering something like that in a random restaurant or a tourist trap.
But you know what I really prefer? A heap of Dungeness crab, cooked in butter, wine and garlic. Then add lemon. Yikes.
Crab is 10X better than any lobster I’ve ever had. I’ve had flown in live lobster from Nova Scotia on a group buy. It was OK but not worth the price.
On the other hand, I’ve pulled up Dungeness crab in Sooke Bay and cooked them on the dock and been eating it 15 minutes later. Frickin’ excellent. Even without garlic butter, crab is just awesome.
If you drive down Baja California, with Ensenada behind you as you keep going due south, you will start encountering a few stands and roadside restaurants here and there that always seem to have crab burritos on the menu. Some of these are thick with meat, also all the usual finely-chopped vegetables found in shredded beef machaca common in northern Mexico cuisine.
When crabmeat burritos are on the menu, I know I’m south of Ensenada, near the boundary with that mythical, mystical, wild desert Baja. That sensation and flavor combo go hand-in-hand in me.
EDIT: these places also usually make some killer huevos rancheros, too, some places accompany them with side helping of chorizo made with abalone or sea-snail.