Canadian Gift Guide

I’m moving to the East Coast of Canada in a mere two weeks! I have to say, as stereotypical and cheesy as it sounds, one of the things I’m most looking forward to is eating fresh seafood. When I was very young, I actually lived out east and as such, am one of the few prairie girls I know that relishes seafood beyond fishsticks or popcorn shrimp (although they are gateway items). However a recent househunting trip out east reawakened my love for seafood. Honestly, I don’t know what I’ve been eating for the last twenty years, but it tasted nothing like the deliciousness I consumed the other week – lobster mashed potatoes, tarragon fishcakes, fresh mussels, beer-battered shrimp and fish, gahhhh it was all DELICIOUS.

Ahem. Anyway. My parents have insisted that every time I come home, I better have some lobsters in hand. The convenient thing is, the lobster fisheries out there are fully prepared for this, and have handy airport-friendly shops and boxes that make it easy for you to take some live or precooked lobsters with you on the plane.

One of our nation’s major seafood harvesters is Clearwater, who also happen to have a pretty handy, comprehensive website. You can order a wide variety of fish and crustaceans directly from them, or send them anywhere across the country as a gift. Can you imagine opening the door to a lobster dinner? It’s *almost* as good as being able to walk to your Sobey’s and get a fresh lobster that’s been in the tank for an hour, instead of a week. Just sayin.

What I was really looking for on the Clearwater website however (and was pleased to find), was the Clearwater eating kit. If you’ve never tackled a lobster or crab, then you’re probably unaware that this is a meal that requires you to work to unlock the delicious, tender meat inside. One eating kit is just $7.95 and will easily service two people. It includes a cracker (similar to a nutcracker), two tiny-pronged forks to help coax the meat, bibs to save your lobster-dining finest clothing, and a guide to eating your lobsters. You can also pick up extra individual pieces, plus stainless steel butter warmers – an essential for all seafood!

The Clearwater website seriously has tons of options to surprise a loved one with a feast. Consider hosting a romantic dinner date for an anniversary or birthday (or send one to the door of your parents or in-laws on their special day). Or order one in for a proposal to remember.

And if you hate seafood well, you probably didn’t click on this post anyway.