During Nova Scotia’s warm summer months fans of the fish flock to the tiny village of Hall’s Harbour to select and have prepared in the on-site cook shack, a sample of the world renowned Bay of Fundy lobster. The “Lobster in the Rough,” experience is heightened by devouring the delicacy while seated on a waterfront patio, the perfect stage for observing the highest tides in the world. At low tide the wharf is high and dry. Fishing boats wait patiently on the harbour bottom until the tide rises as much as an inch a minute to the 40 foot high tide mark on the wharf!
The buildings which are presently known as the Hall’s Harbour Lobster Pound, date to the 1820’s. They have served in former years as a school house, church, meeting hall, general store, way station, customs office, blacksmith’s shop, etching studio and shipyard. Today the Hall Harbour Lobster Pound serves as one of the largest lobster holding facilities in Canada with a capacity of up to 65,000 pounds! It features state of the art technology including refrigerated water, trick tray and floating pool holding system. From the facility, lobsters are packed and shipped wholesale across North America, Europe and Asia.
We arrived just before the lunch hour and started our tour in the gift shop. The menu is listed on a large blackboard located behind the cashiers stand. The signature dish and speciality here is whole steamed lobster which is priced by the pound (small, medium, large, extra large and jumbo). Once you’ve selected your preferred size walk over to the water tank and point out the critter you’d like cooked. Once the lobster has been weighed in and paid for guests grab a grey tub and hustle over to the cook shack where a smiling chef drops your lunch-to-be in a hot steam bath (approximately 25 minutes later and you’re ready to eat)!
That afternoon we sat on a sun-soaked patio overlooking the shallow harbour and enjoyed an unforgettable al fresco lobster feast which included: whole steamed lobster served with lemon wedge and melted butter, creamy lobster mac n cheese, crispy onion rings and sweet lobster roll. A finger-licking-good lunch made memorable by claw crack and oceans whisper.
