Seafood from Nova Scotia's Atlantic shores is widely regarded as the best in the world. Our cold, clean & rocky ocean floor is prime habitat for the very best in wild lobster, crab, scallops, oysters, mussels, haddock, sea urchins, dulse, squid, clams, smelt, eels, mackerel, shrimp & halibut.
Many of the shops shown below sell fresh seafood in season and support SMRA's important work.
We maritimers learn to forage for edible wild plants, berries & seafood at an early age, developing a relationship with our ocean shoreline that lasts a lifetime. These are just some of our coastal delicacies that you can enjoy.
Mussels - Delicious wild mussels are easily collected live from our rocky shores at low tide (see our tide tables), and you don't even have to dig for them! See this link for collecting & cooking wild mussels.
Clams - Families love digging soft-shelled clams on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. If that piques your interest, check our tide tables for low tide time and watch this short how-to video.
Razor Clams - We also have razor clams along our shores. Razor clams are delicious, but too delicate to harvest with a shovel or garden fork. Here's how to catch a razor clam!
Seafood & Beach Plants - For info about foraging other seafood & shoreline plants, see this Sober Island video.
Mackerel - From July to September, mackerel may be caught on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. Folks of all ages enjoy catching mackerel from our wharves, rocks or boats. Our grandkids love it! Here's a column from biologist Don MacLean for fishing advice. See this video for Fileting & Cooking Mackerel.
If you are adventuresome and wish to prepare a seafood delight yourself, information or product may usually be had at the local wharf directly from our fishermen, otherwise, here are some sources of ocean fresh seafood in our region:
Farmed Oysters & Mussels Sober Island Oysters Ltd. Trevor Monroe 108 Mozier Cove Rd, Sober Island NS (902) 885-3040
Wild Lobster & Other Seafood Lobster World 10320 Hwy 7, Oyster Pond Head of Jeddore, NS B0J 2L0 (902) 889-3327
Clockwise from top: Hard-shell boiled lobster, steamed mussels, grilled scallops, sea urchin roe (Chef Anthony Bourdain's very favorite food), steamed clams, steamed snow crab legs, fresh mackerel & Sober Island oysters.
Now, which of the 2 plated lobsters in the above photo is female?
If you picked the lobster on the left, the one with the widest hips, you'd be correct!
