World Port Seafood and Omaha Steaks invited me to Portland, ME to see behind-the-scenes as to how they give their consumers that true sea-to-table experience with their whole and split tail lobsters. Being a New England girl, I jumped at this amazing opportunity because Maine is a destination that is known for its lobsters.
I even remember as a child driving up to Maine solely to enjoy a fresh lobster lunch or dinner with my family. If there’s a place in this world to get lobster, it’s Maine. I’ve always enjoyed the delicious and fresh lobster that I’ve had from World Port Seafood and Omaha Steaks, so I was intrigued and very interested to see up-close and personal the full circle experience.
World Port Seafood and Omaha Steaks work with Ready Seafood up in Portland, MA to supply them with their fresh Maine lobsters. Since Maine is the lobster place, it’s only fitting that World Port Seafood and Omaha Steaks source from there. John and Brendan Ready are brothers and the co-founders of Ready Seafood. They grew up in Maine and began harvesting lobster as kids. They took their passion for the lobster industry and transformed it into one of the largest lobster wholesale companies in the industry. I absolutely loved hearing that they partner with a New England lobster company up in Maine because this is exactly where you would want your lobster to come from. Ready Seafood is committed to bringing their customers superior quality, sustainable and traceable lobster products, which makes them a perfect partner. Omaha Steaks and Ready Seafood are both family-owned and run businesses that care deeply about their customers. There’s a love and passion and dedication on each side that is really incredible to see. You can tell it’s more than just a business, it’s family and what they do matters. They want to bring other families the freshest food possible and have them enjoy it together. I love this!
I knew I was in good hands, so I was ready to experience Portland, MA and see how both companies make everything come together from the sea to the table!
I’ve never been on a lobster boat before, so when I found out I was going to be joining the Captain on an excursion into the waters of Maine to see how the lobsters are actually caught, it was exciting. I knew this would be something I wouldn’t forget! On the morning of our boat ride, the sky was perfectly clear in Portland as I accompanied Captain Curt from Ready Seafood out on the Casco Bay. Not that it’s surprising to hear, but the weather doesn’t stop a lobsterman and they’re out there regardless of the weather. They’re out at 4AM and back to port around 3PM and believe it or not, within that time frame check about 300 traps! It was incredible watching the process. It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s hard work and dedication and patience. Not every trap as a lobster, so you need to keep going. With every lobster caught, you need to measure it to make sure it’s not too big and not too small. There are rules and regulations in the state of Maine that all lobstermen must follow and abide by. Watching Captain Curt work was extraordinary and I loved learning that he’s also a Marine Biologist, so his commitment and passion to protect Maine’s unique ecosystem was evident. Ready Seafood responsibly harvest their seafood, which is wonderful and something that really impressed me.
I’m excited to say that we caught a few lobsters! I even got to hold one (thankfully Captain Curt put elastics on the claws!) right after it came out of the trap!
After I headed back to port, I was able to get a tour the Ready Seafood’s facility with John Leavitt, who is in change of Ready Seafood’s Sales and Development. The facility was impressively big and was run like a well oiled machine. Their live lobster wholesale facility features a 100,000 lbs. capacity Purge Tank and a 150,000 lbs. capacity Packout Tank. Not to mention, their spray room gives them an additional 58,000 lbs. holding capacity. Lobsters are graded by hand and with their new mechanized Maralec grading system, and their unique two tank-one touch system ensures the lobsters are only handled once before shipping.
What I loved learning is that the seafood is frozen the day it’s caught, which keeps it at peak freshness. This freshness is evident when you bite into a lobster you get from World Port Seafood or Omaha Steaks, and you taste the superior quality and the freshness. They only sell cold water lobster because they believe it’s a more premium and classic lobster experience. It is sweeter and firmer in the tail than warm water lobster. I’m telling you, they have it down pat! This is the biggest reason why I love getting lobster from them. It tastes like it just came out of the sea!
But the best part for me? The most endearing and special part of this entire experience? It’s bringing it home for my family. It’s sitting down together with my 5 kids and my husband and enjoying the deliciousness together. It’s the celebration of good food, food times and good company. World Port Seafood and Omaha Steaks are committed to delivering the very best – and they do. They care about the families that enjoy their food. They want families to be brought together and be together around the table. They bring such joy and love and passion to families. Thank you to World Port Seafood and Omaha Steaks for caring so much about where your food comes from and making sure it’s the highest of quality and the freshest. This New England girl is going to eat this lobster and feel so proud that it comes from Maine!
