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#NationalLobsterDay in Boston with James Hook & Co.

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It is impossible to spend any length of time in Boston in the summer and not indulge in one of New England’s most lauded sandwich: the lobster roll.

James Hook & Co.
15-17 Northern Ave.
Boston, MA 02210
http://www.jameshooklobster.com/ 

The lobster roll is an institution. There are two (very opposing) schools of lobster roll thought: Connecticut likes theirs hot, drenched in melted butter, and Maine likes theirs chilled with mayo. Boston apparently likes both, for you can find them either way in the city. Having grown up with Maine style, the lightly-mayonnaise dressed cold roll seems more classic IMHO, but honestly, who in their right mind would pass up hot buttered lobster? I’m an equal opportunity lobster enthusiast.

James Hook & Co–a wholesale and retail seafood market

To satiate my lobster roll craving just in time for National Lobster Day on June 15, I head to James Hook & Co., a tiny shanty on the waterfront of the Seaport district. James Hook sells wholesale and retail seafood (live lobsters, crabs, an impressive array of fresh fish) as well as a limited menu of grab and go items like rolls, crab cakes, and chowder. It’s an unassuming trailer on the waterfront of the Boston Harbor. Don’t expect table service, and be prepared to wait in line. Fortunately, the line moves quickly thanks to the seasoned pros working the counter.

Large Lobster Roll, James Hook & Co

Lobster rolls come in large ($23.99) and small ($18.99). For both, a generous helping of chilled, lightly mayonnaise-dressed lobster salad nestles within the belly of a toasted, split-top hoagie roll. James Hook serves a lobster roll in its most unadulterated glory. There is absolutely nothing attempting to compete with the succulent lobster or crusty bread; no herbs, no celery, not a leaf of lettuce–not even butter, which I’ve always thought essential to the bun but I didn’t even miss. (I can’t believe I just said that. Butter is my jam.) It’s just pure lobster heaven. If you’re ever in the Boston area in the summer, treat yoself to this purist lobster roll.

Happy National Lobster Day!

Amanda

Hi! I’m Amanda, and I write about my adventures with food and cocktails at www.lemonbaby.co. I’ve lived in the Northeast (Brooklyn and metropolitan Boston), the Northwest (Libby, Montana) and the South (Charlottesville, Tallahassee and currently Mobile, Alabama). I discovered a love of food as a child, and taught myself how to cook, by poring over (and practically memorizing) Martha Stewart’s Entertaining from 1982 (hate to date myself here, but I’m almost as old as that cookbook). My parents once came home from a night out to find me wrapping snow peas around shrimp. In college, I discovered Amanda Hesser (of NYT and Food52 fame) via her memoir Cooking For Mr. Latte, and, in me, a food writer was born. I spent most of my childhood in Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. After meeting the love of my life and earning my B.A. in English Literature from Florida State University, my sweetheart and I moved to Libby, a town in Northwestern Montana. In Montana, I taught high school English, co-owned a catering company, and wrote a food column, Local Flavor, for the newspaper. After a destination wedding in 2006 and almost four years of gorgeous mountain views, we decided to seek a change of scenery (and a Master’s degree in English for me), and we found ourselves settling on the Gulf Coast. Our son was born in 2012, and we just welcomed a daughter in the fall of 2015. I teach full-time at the university here, and I spend as much of my free time as possible in the kitchen and behind our home bar. We bought 104-year-old house and renovated it extensively, and we can often be found sitting on our front porch with a cocktail in hand. I love to travel, and I can’t wait to share my culinary and cocktail adventures (both near and far) with the Girls on Food readers.

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