Serving Lobster for Thanksgiving: Recipes and More

Image from Coastal Living

While serving lobster for Thanksgiving might seem odd to some, lobster is actually a more traditional menu item than cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie.  Lobster is thought to have made up part of the Pilgrim's original Thanksgiving day feast in 1621, along with rabbit, chicken, chestnuts and other foods available at the time.

Today more and more families are choosing to enjoy lobster as part of their Thanksgiving Day feast due to favorable prices and increased accessibility through online shipping services.  If you are considering serving lobster for Thanksgiving, here are some lobster recipes to inspire you as well as wine pairing recommendations and some suggestions on where to order your live lobsters online.  

Lobster Recipes for Thanksgiving

 

1. Lobster with Nutmeg Vinaigrette and Chestnut Puree:  

This recipe, from Todd English, combines the familiar Thanksgiving flavors of nutmeg and chestnuts with delicious, freshly steamed lobster.  The vinaigrette and puree can be made the day ahead leaving just the lobster-cooking to Thanksgiving Day.  Click here for Todd English's Thanksgiving lobster recipe.

2. Lobster and Corn Bisque: 

A warm, creamy lobster bisque is a wonderful starter for an elegant Thanksgiving feast. This recipe, which includes corn, is easy, delicious and perfect for Thanksgiving.  Click here for the lobster and corn bisque recipe.

3. Pumpkin Lobster Mac and Cheese:  

Lobster mac and cheese is always a good idea.  This recipe is simple and savory, while the addition of pumpkin gives it a festive twist. Click here for the pumpkin lobster mac and cheese recipe.

4. Lobster Newburg:  

I am a huge fan of serving lobster newburg at any special occasion.  It is simple to make, a real crowd-pleaser and can be served as a starter or a main course.  Though I have yet to try it, I imagine that lobster newburg would taste delicious spooned over thinly sliced corn bread. Click here for my family's lobster newburg recipe.

What Wine to Serve with Lobster

1. Champagne always goes well with lobster and is perfect for a Thanksgiving celebration.  Blanc de Blanc champagne goes especially well with cream and spice-perfumed lobster dishes like lobster newburg and lobster bisque.

2. Chardonnay and white Burgundy are also a great match for cream-based lobster dishes. 

3.  Finally, dry crisp white wines can go well with lobster. Sauvignon Blanc in particular is often served with lobster dishes.

For more information and specific wine pairing recommendations for lobster dishes, click here and read my previous post on the subject.

Where to buy live lobster online

While there are a multitude of places online that ship live Maine lobster, I recommend the following:

1. Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company : Handcock are a family run company, based in Cundy's Harbor, and have been in the business of shipping live Maine lobster and other lobster products for many years.  You can order their products through their website and also via Amazon.

2. Cousin's Maine Lobster: Cousin's are another family run company with deep Maine roots.  They are a newer establishment but they're making waves in the Maine lobster distribution business and were recently featured on Shark Tank and abc for their online lobster business.

3. Dorr Lobster Co: Dorr are another family run lobster business based in Downeast Maine.  One neat thing about ordering live lobster from Dorr's is that the lobster will come with a special tag on it, which you can use to see exactly where the lobster came from - down to the specific fisherman who caught the lobster.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!