Creating Luxury in Everyday Life
From Spain to Maine, lobster is a love language.
words by kat west
We arrived in San Sebastian midday, and the city was bustling. Mr. West and I walked along the main thoroughfare that bridged the old town to the beach with excited anticipation. We were off to explore the resort town located on the Bay of Biscay in Spain’s Basque Country.
The bright sun bathed the scene in technicolor hues of cobalt blue skies, tourmaline green waters, and white-hot beaches punctuated with fuchsia pink flowers and giant palm trees. Kids toted surf boards to the beach, bicyclists whizzed by on the superhighway bike lane, businessmen in suits were taking meetings at sidewalk cafes, and the beloved pintxo (tapas) bars were already pouring their signature Txakoli wine for merry makers.
San Sebastian is a veritable foodie heaven. This area is known for its world-class gastronomy and boasts one of the highest concentrations of Michelin stars per capita. You could spend weeks exploring all the pinxto bars, restaurants, cafes, and gelato shops and still not have enough time to sample all the amazing culinary delights of the region. We had been before and were feeling like seasoned veterans, navigating the maze of little streets and picking out the spots less touristy that the locals frequented most.
In our conversations, we kept hearing about a very special restaurant called Elkano, about 30 minutes along the coast in a small fishing village called Getaria. Its chef, Aitor Arregi, was the second generation to run the seafood grill, which started out as his grandmother’s grocery store, and today is Michelin starred—and No. 24
on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Its claim to fame was grilling whole turbot to perfection over a wood fire.
I was determined to go and somehow, Mr. West wrangled a reservation.
We arrived in Getaria just before dusk, and the light was perfect. The warm summer glow paired with briny sea air set the stage for a spellbinding dinner. Unbeknownst to us at the time, we were greeted at the door of Elkano by Chef Arregi who warmly welcomed guests and encouraged us to embrace the Cantabrian Sea-inspired menu.
The dining room was light and airy with crisp place settings but lacked the rigid formality and pretense you might expect. We poured over the tasting menu and marveled at the selection of delicate baby peas, marinated stone bass, smoked mackerel, kokotxas (cod cheeks) three ways, spring mushrooms and ceps, scorpion fish and, of course, the grilled turbot. I can assure you that each dish was more fantastic than the last.
About halfway through the meal, Chef Arregi came to our table, introduced himself and asked if we were enjoying ourselves. Spotting my American accent, it was soon revealed that we were from Maine and the whole conversation took a wild turn!
We were from the land of lobster. I am not sure who was more excited, Chef or us, but very quickly it became apparent that the humble lobster was most beloved by Chef, the entire Elkano team and in fact, all Getaria.
And since we were from the land of the lobster, Chef was going to bring us a very special lobster dish: marinated lobster and its grilled head.
I was assured it was a delicacy. I must admit the head was not a part of the lobster I had ever explored previously but alas, we were there for a food adventure.
The dish was stunning. Luscious lobster meat marinated and grilled so simply that it seemed hard to believe that some magical spell wasn’t cast over it. The head was earthy and rich with a slight smoky funk. How was it that we had never experienced lobster like before? I was bedazzled. Smitten. We’d been romanced by a crustacean that is so plentiful right in our own backyard, it was hard to believe that we didn’t indulge more often.
Three years later, our love for luxurious lobster endures. I often reflect on how easy it can be to take for granted the bounty right on our doorstep. As a native Mainer, I am a lifelong fan of lobster. But unexpectedly seeing the level of profound recognition, the deep appreciation and respect for fisherman that bring it to our shores, and the creativity and innovation bestowed by a Michelin chef, was a revelation. Aren’t we lucky?
As we head into the summer season, my mind turns to all the amazing ways we get to enjoy lobster right here in Maine. Be it enveloped in buttery, flakey pastry at TWELVE, or crowning a pop-over with black garlic butter at Sur Lie, or New England style with mayo and lemon butter at Luke’s Lobster or even delivered fresh from Sopo Seafood Market—
we are grateful to have fallen in love with lobster, again.
