HAVE A CRACKIN’ GOOD FATHER’S DAY!

Stew Leonard’s Fresh Lobsters Arriving Daily from Maine

Norwalk, Conn. – May 15, 2025 – Give Dad the royal treatment this Father’s Day with a feast that’s truly fit for a king! Fresh, live lobsters and succulent lobster tails—arriving daily from Maine—are the perfect centerpiece for an unforgettable celebration. There’s no better way to show Dad how much he means than with a mouthwatering, sea-to-table meal!

 

“Nothing beats a fresh lobster with a few ears of our local sweet corn,” says Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of Stew Leonard’s. “Even better, my family loves knowing that for every lobster our lobstermen catch, they throw two back into the ocean! As they always say, ‘It’s for my grandkids!’ A delicious meal that celebrates family—that’s my favorite way to spend Father’s Day.”

 

More than 150 lobster boats leave the docks in Deer Island, Maine, every morning to navigate the cold, rocky waters of the Atlantic Ocean to catch lobsters to be sold at Stew Leonard’s.  The lobsters go from those boats to Stew Leonard’s on the same day.  Stew Leonard’s sells nearly 1,000,000 pounds of lobster and more than 200,000 lobster rolls each year, making the farm fresh food grocer a go-to destination for shoppers looking to recreate a New England-style lobster dinner at home.

 

It takes 5 years for a lobster to grow just 1 pound, so properly cooking and cracking these valuable crustaceans are important skills, but easier than most people think! 

 

How to Steam a Lobster

(Source: Lobster From Maine)

Steaming lobsters yields tender and more flavorful meat.  Plus, it’s harder to overcook a steamed lobster!  Here are the steps you’ll need to take when preparing lobsters at home. 

 

  • Choose a pot large enough to hold all the lobsters comfortably; do not crowd them. A 4- to 5- gallon pot can handle 6 to 8 pounds of lobsters.
  • Put 2 inches of seawater or salted water in the bottom of a large kettle.
  • Set steaming rack inside the pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
  • Add the live lobsters one at a time, cover pot, and start timing. A 1 ½ lb lobster should be steamed for about 14 minutes. 
  • Halfway through, carefully lift the lid and shift the lobsters around so they cook evenly.
  • Lobsters are cooked when their shells are bright red and the meat has changed from translucent to white.

 

How to Crack a Lobster

(Source: Lobster From Maine)

There’s a reason that restaurants give customers a bib when they’ve ordered lobsters!  Cracking a lobster is a messy process…but for lobster lovers, the hard work is worth it! Here are step-by-step instructions so you can savor every last bite of sweet lobster meat.

 

  • Twist off the claws.
  • Crack each claw and knuckle with a lobster or nut cracker (although you can also do this by hand). Remove the meat with a tiny fork or with your fingers.
  • Separate the tail from the body and break off the tail flippers. Extract the meat from each flipper.
  • Insert a fork and push the tail meat out in one piece. Remove and discard the black vein that runs the entire length of the tail meat.
  • Separate the shell of the body from the underside by pulling them apart. Discard the green substance called the tomalley.
  • Open the underside of the body by cracking it apart in the middle, with the small walking legs on either side. Extract the meat from the leg joints and the legs themselves by biting down on the leg and squeezing the meat out with your teeth.

 

Stew Leonard’s Top 5 Questions about Lobster

Stew Leonard’s seafood Team Members have heard it all…and then some!  Here are just five of the most frequently asked questions they hear from customers who are purchasing lobster.

 

  1. Will my lobster feel pain when I steam it?

Lobsters have no cerebral cortex, which is the area of humans’ brains that gives us the sensation of pain.  Lobsters feel no pain!

 

  1. How can I tell if my lobster is male or female?

Turn the lobster onto its back and look at the swimmerettes on the underside of the lobster’s tail.  Male swimmerettes are hard and bony while a female’s are light and feathery.

 

  1. What’s the green stuff in the tail?

It’s called the "tomalley” and it’s actually the lobster’s digestive system!

 

  1. What's the red stuff?

It's the roe, the unfertilized eggs of the female. Lobster eggs were once considered a delicacy, like caviar.

 

  1. Is lobster a healthy food?

Lobster is a SUPER FOOD!  It is only 90 calories for 3.5 ounces.  Chicken is 163 calories and steak is 280 calories for the same serving size.  It’s also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and has less cholesterol than chicken.

 

Recipe: Grilled Lobster Tails with White Wine Butter Sauce

Even beginners can recreate Stew Leonard’s chefs’ Grilled Lobster Tails with White Wine Butter Sauce at home (and there’s a great video online with step-by-step instructions!).  Instead of going the standard route of dipping lobster meat in melted butter, spend just a few extra minutes making a white wine garlic butter sauce, and you’ll create something extra special for Dad!

 

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 Stew’s Lobster Tails from Maine
  • 1/4 cup White Wine
  • 2 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 2 teaspoons Stew’s Freshly Chopped Garlic
  • 4 Tbsp. Stew Leonard’s Butter, cubed
  • Kosher Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste

 

Directions:

  • Using scissors, cut a few slits in the underside of the tail to loosen shell slightly. Cut top of lobster shell lengthwise down the center with the scissors, leaving the tail fin intact. Cut shell at an angle away from the center of the tail at base of the tail fin. Loosen the meat from the shell. Keeping the fin end intact, lift the meat and lay over the top of the shell.

 

  • Add the white wine, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, and a pinch of pepper to a small saucepan. Place on a medium heat (350° F) grill and bring to a slight simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. Set aside, cover, and keep warm.

 

  • Season the lobster meat lightly with the salt and pepper. Place the lobster tails, meat side up, on the grill. Grill, covered, over medium heat (350° F) for about 8-10 minutes or until meat is opaque.

 

  • Plate the lobster tails and drizzle with the white wine butter sauce just before serving.

 

 

About Stew Leonard's
Stew Leonard's, a family-owned and operated fresh food store founded in 1969, has eight stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn.; in East Meadow, Farmingdale, and Yonkers, N.Y.; and in Clifton and Paramus, N.J.  Stew's earned its nickname, the "Disneyland of Dairy Stores" because of its country-fair atmosphere, with costumed characters and animated entertainment throughout the store that keep children entertained while parents shop. Stew Leonard's legion of loyal shoppers is largely due to the stores' passionate approach to customer service: "Rule #1 -- The Customer is Always Right"; Rule #2 - If the Customer is Ever Wrong, Re-Read Rule #1." This principle is so essential to the foundation of the company that it is etched in a three-ton granite rock at each store's entrance. The company's culture is built around an acronym for S.T.E.W.: Satisfy the customer; Teamwork gets it done; Excellence makes it better; WOW makes it fun. For more information, visit Stew Leonard's website at www.stewleonards.com.

 

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