Taking on Nova Scotia, One Lobster at a Time | Canada
A TRAVEL STORY OF NOVA SCOTIA’S SEAFOOD
Neither of us have ever been massive seafood fans.
But everything changed on our visit to Nova Scotia.
It wasn’t till we experienced the lobster rolls, the seafood chowder and the fish cakes that we’d begun to realise that the reason we hadn’t been huge seafood fans at the beginning was that we hadn’t experienced it in Nova Scotia.
Since travelling around the province and sampling the internationally acclaimed seafood we quickly expanded our knowledge and our love grew for anything and everything that came out of the Atlantic.
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Once back home with our newly found love of seafood and cravings for more, we started to research recipes to recreate what we’d experienced abroad. There’s nothing better than making a meal inspired by your travels which instantly takes you right back to where you were when you first tried it.
“Canada’s Ocean Playground”
Although Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada, they boast a coastline of 13,300 kms and you’re never more than 60km from the ocean. So if you’re a seafood fan you can’t get it any fresher than here.
As the locals say - “fresh and local isn't a choice - it’s a way of life.”
Described as “Canada’s Ocean Playground”, the province is surrounded by 4 bodies of water; the Gulf of Maine, the Bay of Fundy, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean. No wonder then that Nova Scotia has a glorious reputation for its seafood, including their famous lobsters.
“King of Seafood”
They say if you haven’t eaten lobster in Nova Scotia, then you haven’t really eaten lobster.
This crustacean has made a name for itself since a hefty 50,000 tonnes of them are obtained from the waters of Nova Scotia each year, meaning the Nova Scotia catch makes up for the majority of Canada’s lobster industry.
Often known as the “King of Seafood”, the lobster is the pride of Nova Scotia. So much so they’ve created a lobster trail around the province with over 40 restaurants and lobster-related experiences run by talented chefs offering fresh lobster plucked straight from the ocean.
Indulge in everything from lobster rolls, lobster tacos and even lobster ice cream. Then wash it down with a pint of lobster beer named “Crustacean Elation” from the Saltbox Brewing Company!
The Guinness World Record for the largest lobster ever recorded was caught in Nova Scotia’s waters in 1977 weighing in at 44 pounds!
They annually host the Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl Festival which takes place for the entire month of February. This gastronomical festival is a seafood-lovers paradise and celebrates all things lobster with over 150 lobster experiences.
Heading to Nova Scotia soon? Check out our article “A 7 Day Nova Scotia Road Trip”
We had the privilege of taking part in a cooking class hosted by Canadian celebrity chef Chuck Hughes. He taught us how to make his famous lobster poutine dish which won him the title on Iron Chef America.
Through his passion for cooking and love for his home country, Chuck taught us how incredible and versatile lobsters can be in any dish and how important they are in Canadian culture.
We can’t wait to come back to Nova Scotia when we have the chance.
We spent our time chasing waterfalls, trying amazing local seafood and learning the history and culture of the seaside towns. We’d say you don’t come to Nova Scotia for a fast-paced life of a city, instead, you come for the cheerful smiles of the small fishing villages and for the salty sea breeze off the coastline… and of course, the seafood!
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So come and visit Nova Scotia for yourself, have a taste sensation with their internationally acclaimed seafood and try their famous lobster. You’ll certainly be amazed and will leave craving to return.
Our trip to Nova Scotia was in partnership with Destination Canada, who we went on assignment with to explore Nova Scotia for 7 days, capturing the most beautiful sites, eating the tastiest food and seeing incredible wildlife.
Find out more about Nova Scotia at www.novascotia.com
If you have any questions regarding travel to Nova Scotia or need advice for your up and coming trip then click here.
