California Spiny Lobster Season Returns
There’s a season we celebrate every year, symbolized by an icon cloaked in red who brings joy to seafood lovers on the West Coast. No, it’s not Santa Claus. In fact, there are no claws at all. When the calendar pages turn to October, it signals the start of California Spiny Lobster season!
Get ready to throw on a buoy bib and dig into this uniquely Californian delicacy!
What is a Spiny Lobster?
Part of the Palinuridae family, Spiny Lobsters get their name from the forward-pointing spines that cover their bodies to protect them from predators. While that’s one point of visual distinction, you can also tell them apart from their North American Hardshell counterparts by the lack of front claws, their powerful tails and long, spiky antennae.
Also referred to as Rock Lobster, Spiny Lobsters can be found in warmer seas around the world. In the waters of the Bahamas, New Zealand and South Africa, you can find them under the name Crawfish or Crayfish – a name typically reserved for Freshwater Crawfish in the United States.
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Don’t let the lack of front claws fool you or deter you – the meat yield of the Spiny Lobster, or “bugs” as they’re affectionately called, is generally about 25% more per pound compared to a North American Hardshell Lobster.
Without front claws as a defense mechanism, Spiny Lobsters will use their powerful tails and strong spines as a means of defense against sheepshead, black seabass, sea otters and octopuses. It’s from this muscular section where most of the meat is found.
Spiny Lobsters are also predators themselves. As nocturnal scavengers, they come out of their dens to forage in the rocky areas where they reside to feed on mussels, sea urchin, small fish and sometimes other lobsters.
California Spiny Lobster Season
The season for California Spiny Lobster typically runs from October through March. And, of the spiny lobsters caught in California, as little as 10% stay in the United States. It's a unique treat and Water Grill is pleased to be one of the only places where California Spiny Lobster is on the menu during the season.
Management over the fisheries of California Spiny Lobsters is overseen by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which sets strict daily catch and permit issuance numbers during the season.
Enforcement most often occurs through managing the size of the lobsters that are caught. All lobsters, both commercially and recreationally caught, must be of legal size, which is defined by the lobster having a carapace (or top outer shell) of 3.5” in length.
Spiny Lobsters will achieve this length when they are about seven to 11 years of age. This allows them to reproduce at least once in their lifetime, ensuring the continuation of the species.
Typically caught by lobster traps that slowly move into deeper waters as the season progresses, about 80% of the spiny lobsters that are caught measure at one and a quarter to two pounds. Some have been known to reach as much as 20 pounds.
Like their name suggests, California Spiny Lobsters are caught off the coast of California, with a range as far south as Magdalena Bay in Baja California, Mexico, and as far north as Morro Bay, Calif.
California Spiny Lobster on our menus
At Water Grill, you’ll find live, wild California Spiny Lobster swimming in our saltwater tanks. We prepare them to order, finished on the grill and paired with lobster butter and a grilled lemon. Check out our daily menus and catch this Californian delicacy while it’s in season!
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The Summer For Savory Clams
Who doesn’t look forward to summer? And it’s not just us. Some fish are happier in warmer waters. So are savory clams!
The Savory Clam, sometimes referred to as the Purple Clam or the Purple Varnish Clam due to its vivid purple-hued shell is typically a late-summer replacement for the Manila Clam, which spawns during this time. While their residency in our recipes is relatively short lived, it’s a fun (and beautiful) clam to learn about.
HOW THE SAVORY CLAM IS GROWN AND HARVESTED
We source savory clams from our friends at Hama Hama in the Pacific Northwest. The savory clam is harvested from the waters of Hood Canal in Washington. As substrate dwellers, these clams bury themselves deep in the sand and are both filter feeders and deposit feeders, meaning they are able to filter water for food as well as feed on specks of organic matter that may have drifted down to them.
The savory clam harvesting method is no joke. The harvesters at Hama Hama hand dig each one, and then suspend them in metal cages where they can purge any sand and unwanted material they’re holding onto. However, sometimes there’s something holding on to them.
The Pea Crab is native to the savory clam and can sometimes be quite the surprise when present in a clam when it opens. The aptly named crab is roughly the size of a pea and may be found with the meat inside the shell.
HOW THE SAVORY CLAM CAME TO NORTH AMERICA
Although they were found in British Colombia, Canada in the early 1990s, they’re not a native species to the area. It is believed they were brought from Asia as hitchhikers on cargo ships during the late 1980s. Once they settled, they thrived in the Pacific Northwest waters and spread all the way down to Washington where they’re grown now.
SAVORY CLAMS VS MANILA CLAMS
There’s more difference in these two bivalves than just their temperature preferences.
Savory clams have a sweet, hearty and full body flavor with a celery-like finish, with a texture that is softer than the manila clam – more like mussels.
Aside from the flavor, Savory Clams also have a thinner shell when compared to the Manila Clam, resulting in a higher meat yield per pound.
The Savory Clam also cooks differently. While the key to telling when a clam is cooked is usually that the shell opens, Savories tend to flash open their shell when exposed to heat – even though they may not be fully cooked yet. Typically, Savories take longer to cook but are also much harder to overcook.
The noted difference in flavor can also provide a key difference in dishes. As the director of food and beverage at Hama Hama puts it, they’re “heartier” and can hold their own in stronger sauces and preparations like curry and spicy tomato sauce.
SAVORY CLAMS AT WATER GRILL
For a short time at Water Grill near the end of summer, we like to use the Savory Clams for dishes like the Farmed Savory Clams with Chorizo. Steamed in a saffron broth and served with a crispy French baguette, this dish hits the spot for any clam lover. The Savory’s heartiness makes it an ideal companion to the chorizo.
You can also find savory clams in one of our Guest favorites, the Cioppino. With Dungeness Crab, Jumbo Shrimp and fresh fish in a shellfish broth, this fisherman’s soup originated on the docks of San Francisco but is now loved wherever you’ll find a Water Grill.
As the seasons change so do our menus, so get in to try these seasonal dishes out while you can! You’ll find locations – and reservations – here.
All photos courtesy of Hama Hama Farms
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