Everybody Had Matching Towels

The lobster season lasts for four months; it has something in common with the tourist season, as is now being claimed. Following the cuttlefish harvest of early spring, from May until August lobster becomes the prized catch for the fishermen of northern Mallorca who operate out of the four main fishing ports - Pollensa, Alcúdia, Can Picafort and Cala Ratjada.

The season has been pretty good, but there are ripples of discontent on the waters between northern Mallorca and Menorca, the location of the lobster catch. They all have to do with money. In "The Diario" yesterday it was reported that fishermen's income from lobster is back to the level it was three years ago, as low as 30 euros a kilo, while their costs - fuel most obviously - have risen. By comparison, fishermen in Menorca receive 50 euros per kilo. It is nothing to do with differing quality; it is, after all, the same lobster.

The problem lies with the regulation and organisation of the markets on the islands. From Alcúdia comes the observation that whilst there is an association for the fishermen's catch, it doesn't seem to function that well. Moreover, there appears to be a missed opportunity in terms of exporting to the mainland; the Mediterranean lobster, so it is said, is appreciated more than that which comes from the Atlantic.

Lobster is delicious, but it is not to everyone's taste. Or rather, the method of cooking is not liked by everyone. Get over that, and it is a treat. But a question is, where can you actually eat it and where is best to eat it? One of the oddities of local restaurants is the sheer absence of what one might classify as genuine fish restaurants. There is plenty of fish on the menu, and lobster in some cases, but I'm struggling to think of anywhere that proclaims its truly fish credentials. Bogavante in Puerto Alcúdia was one such place ("bogavante" and "langosta" both mean lobster, but different types), but it is no longer. The Miramar remains, and it boasts about its "caldereta", lobster soup if you like. Someone (half Mallorcan) who I know well once suggested I went with a group to Menorca, partly for the lobster. Why go there? I asked. You can get lobster locally. "No," came the reply. There is nowhere that does good lobster. Not even the Miramar, he reckoned.

Lobster is lobster, I would have thought. Stick it in a pan of boiling water, wait a bit and then scoff it down with a side serving of garlic mayonnaise. There's not a lot to it. Ah but the lobster in Menorca is better, I was informed. How can it be? It's the same lobster, and it presumably costs more in Menorca, if the fishermen are getting 50 euros a kilo. Yes, but the caldereta is better. Indeed, Menorca is the place to get caldereta. I'll take his word for it. I have never actually been to Menorca, to eat lobster or for any other reason.

But the mystery as to the lack of fish restaurants remains. Or maybe it's just a reflection of the need to cover all bases that restaurants choose not to specialise only in fish. And were there, then they would probably engage in lobster wars. "Real" lobster here; "authentic" lobster there. But the fishermen of Puerto Alcúdia would still only be getting 20 euros less than their Menorcan counterparts.


QUIZ:
Making a now irregular appearance. What lobster connection does the title have?


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.