Plate tectonics

Lobster at Blue Water Grill

Lobster egg hatches + about 7 years

MCLOON’S WHARF SPRUCE HEAD, ME
In boats often named after fishermens’ wives, crews set traps on the ocean floor in the early morning. Four to seven days later, they return to haul them up. It takes 7 to 11 years for a lobster to grow to an edible size, so a 4.5-pound lobster could be 20 to 25 years old. Once a lobster’s caught, its claws are banded and it’s placed in a seawater tank on the boat, which returns to shore in midafternoon.

IN TRANSIT (an hour and a half)
The lobsters are hauled 81 miles by truck to the wholesaler.

2 days later

WHOLESALER: DOUTY BROS., INC., PORTLAND, ME
The wholesaler examines and sorts the lobsters and stores them in holding tanks. Within a day or two, they are sent in refrigerated trucks filled with seaweed and often with a refreezable ice pack—70 to 300 are transported a day.

IN TRANSIT (5.5 hours)
They are trucked 317 miles to the distributor in downtown Manhattan.

THE DISTRIBUTOR: THE LOBSTER PLACE, CHELSEA MARKET (2 days)
The Lobster Place sorts the crustaceans once more, puts them in a 38-degree water tank and usually within two days, packs them in boxes with seaweed for transport in a refrigerated truck.

7 years, 4 days, 7 hours later...

THE RESTAURANT: BLUE WATER GRILL
The lobster is stored in a refrigerator and that day, a diner will order it either steamed and served with butter on the side; broiled with bread crumbs, parsley, garlic and butter; or deshelled and grilled with a marinade. The larger lobster, such as a four-and-a-half-pounder, requires careful handling. Carrying it by the claw or tail can damage the lobster—and the chef’s hand. 31 Union Sq West at 16th St(212-675-9500)