Melted butter is optional, but you should definitely bring a hearty appetite (and possibly a bib!) to the 20th annual Key West Lobsterfest. Yes, the eagerly anticipated crustacean celebration is coming up soon — Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 11-14, to be exact.
Lobsterfest 2016 kicks off with a mouthwatering Lobster Boil that also includes shrimp, corn, sausage and potatoes. (Photo courtesy of Key West Lobsterfest)
As always, it features a mouthwatering schedule of events and takes place shortly after the Aug. 6 start of the Florida Keys lobster season.
In case you’re a Keys lobster novice, here are a few facts about the unforgettable delicacy. Known as spiny lobsters, the crustaceans found in Keys waters are clawless — but their bodies are full of sweet and tender meat.
Many “foodies” savor them steamed or boiled with the aforementioned melted butter (maybe dusted with a little grated Parmesan for extra zip?), while others enjoy their lobster baked and stuffed, blended into rich chowder or chilled in a creamy mayonnaise salad.
Lobsterfest activities kick off at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, with an irresistible lobster boil at the Sunset Tiki Bar & Grille. As well as lobster, the yummy feast includes shrimp, andouille sausage, crawfish, corn on the cob and new potatoes. Plus you can enjoy live entertainment and libation specials.
Friday’s schedule features a three-hour “Reef & Ritas” sail and snorkel trip beginning at 1 p.m. (and who can resist an afternoon enjoying the clear blue Keys waters?). You can top off the day with the lively 8 p.m. Duval Crawl — featuring stops at a dozen watering holes in Key West’s historic downtown.
Artist Sandy Guthrie (right) fits Christian Arias with a lobster cap during a previous Lobsterfest on Duval Street. (Photo by Rob O’Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)
The festival’s undisputed highlight is the tastebud-tempting Key West Lobsterfest Street Fair. It’s set for noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, in the 100 through 500 blocks of the island’s famed Duval Street — and it’s definitely worth planning to spend the entire afternoon or evening there.
While strolling the street, you can sample offerings ranging from tantalizing appetizers to traditional dinners with all the trimmings. All lobster served is caught by Keys lobster fishermen, and dishes are prepared by chefs from top local restaurants. (And to make it even better, Lobsterfest events benefit a scholarship fund for local high school students.)
While you’re wandering through the street fair, you can browse and buy vendors’ art, crafts and merchandise — and rock to the sounds of a free outdoor concert. The music runs from 1 to 10:30 p.m. with performances by Alphonse, Bubba System, Cool Breeze and The DurtBags on a stage at the intersection of Duval and Greene streets.
If you’re still craving seafood on Sunday, check out the lobster brunch at Tavern N Town at the Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel. (Reservations are required, so be sure to make one.)
Lobster, bacon and tomato make for an amazing breakfast “Bennie” at Key West’s Blue Heaven. (Photo courtesy of Blue Heaven)
And in case the mention of brunch didn’t clue you in, here’s a newsflash: lobster isn’t just for lunch or dinner any more — particularly not at Blue Heaven.
Blue Heaven is located in the heart of Key West’s Bahama Village neighborhood, on the site of a boxing ring where Ernest Hemingway once refereed local matches, and diners enjoy Caribbean and seafood specialties in a lively courtyard or indoors in a funky historic building. Breakfast with the roosters (free-range Key West poultry roaming the courtyard) is also deservedly popular.
One of the most requested breakfast dishes is the BLT Benedict, but this is not the traditional BLT featuring bacon, lettuce and tomato. The “L” in this case stands for lobster — fresh, sweet Florida lobster.
The dish is composed of soft poached eggs, grilled tomato slices, chunks of lobster meat and crispy bacon. These luscious ingredients sit atop a toasted English muffin covered with Blue Heaven’s fresh lime hollandaise sauce. And as any lobster lover can tell you, it just doesn’t get any better than that.
Want to know more about Keys seafood and other island chain cuisine? Until you can come down to savor it for yourself, click here.
