On the East Coast, Lobster is king. And just last month I found a cheap$kate Lobster Dinner in Levittown, Pennsylvania for 16 bucks! Check out my video below for all the yummy details.
It pays to read the local grocery store ad flyers. This special was from Redner's Warehouse Markets, which ran the week of Father's Day. Holidays are a great time to land grocery deals like this one.
Redner's is a local grocery chain similar to any small town/city markets. I like local grocers because they carry seasonal produce you may only find in nearby orchards, gardens, and ranches or waterways, plus the holiday specials are one of a kind.
Louisiana has Crawfish Season, and in California, Cherry prices drop in early summer, and Avocados are always on sale.
When I saw this Lobster Deal I had to make a video about it. A big 99 thanks to Linda for videoing and co-starring with the Cheap$kate Forager!
Of course, thanks to Redner's Warehouse Markets. It's where I go for groceries when staying in my wife's hometown of Levittown, PA. You can read about their Pennsylvania 50-years plus history here.
How was the $16 Lobster Dinner sale for Father's Day? Darn tasty. The dinner was cooked and ready to heat up. I removed the veggies and whole lobster from the container and steamed them. I would suggest steaming the corn and red potatoes for an extra 5 minutes, then adding the lobster to steam until warm/hot. Of course, you could eat the lobster meat chilled, or at room temperature.
The lobster tail was firm and sweet. Not as tender as fresh-steamed, but still delicious. I liked the claw flesh the best. They were large and loaded with tender, succulent meat.
Pull on the tail to expose the large lobster fillet. I use kitchen shears to cut along the top of the shell, lengthwise, to remove the meat.
While the lobster tail was on the small size, the claws provided as much meat as the tail. I used a nut cracker to get it out. Seafood restaurants often provide a small wood mallet to whack the claws.
All of the claw has tender meat, but it takes a little more digging to get to it.
If you've never peeled a lobster, there are a couple of things to watch for. Like a crawfish, which I grew up eating, the peeled tail meat may have a thin, gritty dark intestine vein along the top to remove.
The lobster claws have a tough, thin, opaque, thumbnail-size cartilage to slide off the meat. The pencil-thin walking legs have small strands of meat, as well. But they do take a bit of work to get at - detach and try squeezing out the meat with a bottle or rolling pin.
The middle body segment, closest to the legs, has a tiny amount of meat to fish out with a small fork or knife tip.
In Louisiana, real local Cajuns detach the head from the tail, and suck the head. A lobster is a bit too large for that, but you can forage for the creamy, green Tomalley in the head/body segments. Chefs prize the Tomalley and add it to a Bisque, Chowder, or just spread it on a cracker like you would Pâté or Caviar.
The Tomalley is the pancreas and liver of the lobster. When you separate the top shell from the body, look for the green goo. It holds a tiny amount of toxins and is usually fine to eat in small amounts. I survived, but you may want to skip it, if you have medical issues.
My lobster's body had bright orange Roe, or tiny lobster eggs that pop with a briny, sweet flavor.
For a clean presentation, rinse the tail meat closest to the body and trim any discolored tail strands.
The corn and red potatoes were steamed, like the lobster, in a broth that tastes of Old Bay Seasoning. That's the way we do it for a Louisiana backyard Crawfish Boil.
The corn was sweet and tender. The red potatoes were soft and well seasoned from the boiling bath.
A sweet Hawaiian Bread Roll was provided - a soft device for sopping up sweet and briny lobster juice.
I've learned to return the day and the day after a holiday sale ends to see if the price has dropped. And this one plummeted to $9 dollars! Since the meal was cooked, I didn't worry too much about spoilage, like iffy uncooked seafood can.
How does this Lobster Meal rate? While not as good as a fresh Lobster Boil, it held up quite well, especially for the price and convience. The meal had the right amout of seafood boil spiciness and salty/black pepper bite.
The $16 Lobster Dinner from Redner's Warehouse Market was a tasty way to celebrate Father's Day, whether you're a dad, or not.
