I Hart Food (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Portland Is for Lobster - full transcript

I'm Hannah Hart.

Hello.

And I am obsessed with food.

For the past five years,

I've been sharing
my passion with millions.

Let's go.

Now, it's time to journey
through this incredible country

to discover America's greatest,

most delectable foods

and the people
as devoted as I am.

You have introduced me
to a dangerous new favorite,



my friend.

Hallelujah, amen.

There you go.

Join me at the table...

My God..

...for "I Hart Food."

**

Hey, guys.
We're here in Portland, Maine,

and we're ready
to talk about lobster.

Thank you.

Welcome to Portland, Maine,
land of the lobster.

There's lobsters everywhere.

You can barely go two steps
without running into one.

Question, is this job
all it's cracked up to be?



I'm actually asking you.

I mean, they are
completely obsessed.

When I eat lobster,

I go full Daryl Hannah in
"Splash" on it.

You take that lobster,
and you just put it

in your mouth
and just start gnawing away.

Get in that tail.
Get in those claws.

I like lobster any way
I can get it.

Buy it straight from the docks,

and then,
you could make the biggest mess

you want and deal
with it in the morning.

But before we taste our way

through this lobster mecca,

let's first break
down the basics.

The two most popular parts
of the lobster

are the claw and the tail.

That's because they have
the most meat,

but if you ask
anybody from Maine

what the best part
of the lobster is,

it's gotta be the knuckle.

It may seem like
a small amount of meat,

but it's the most succulent.

How else can you eat this
delicious part of the lobster?

On a roll, an absolute
must for Mainers.

Today, for lunch,
we're having a lobster roll.

I've had it before.
It's been fantastic.

Between the toasted bread,
and the mayo,

it's just the best.

I think it's the most delicious
thing I think I've ever had.

Perched on a cliff with
stunning views of

the Portland Head lighthouse,
Bite into Maine

is a local food truck serving

some of the most incredibly
fresh and unfathomably

delicious lobster rolls
in the country.

Owner and lobster enthusiast
Sarah Sutton is

telling us how they do it.

How long have you had the truck?

- This is our sixth season.
- Sixth season?

- Yep.
- Wow.

What kind of meat do you
put in the lobster roll?

We use fresh Maine lobster,
never frozen,

and we use mostly
knuckle and claw meat.

It's the sweeter,
softer part of the lobster.

Sarah is so crazy
about lobster rolls that

she didn't put
just one on her menu.

She put six!

Some of the more unique
flavors include

the smokey chipotle-mayo roll,
an Indian-inspired

roll with an earthy
curry powder,

and a picnic-style
with homemade coleslaw.

With so many varieties,
it's hard to pick a favorite.

Some of those nontraditional
flavors are really fun.

The wasabi is my go-to.

It's unusual. It's great.

Picnic-style with the coleslaw
bed and melted butter

and celery salt,
I mean, you can't beat it.

Now, it's time
for my taste test.

Wow.

I picked the three most
popular varieties --

the traditional Maine,

the Connecticut,
and the Japanese-inspired

wasabi-mayo roll.

First up, the Maine roll.

So what makes this
the traditional lobster roll?

In Maine,
it's always lobster mayo.

- Lobster mayo.
- Yep.

- Nothing else?
- Nothing else, usually.

We kind of did a different spin
with putting the fresh chives

on it, which is actually kind
of controversial.

- Really?
- Yeah.

There's a big controversy
around it?
Yeah. Absolutely.

I think it looks
so pretty, though.

- I do, too.
- The green is so nice.

This is mighty.

You're not fooling around.

**

I think the chives
are a pretty lovely addition.

I don't know.

That's where I stand
on the debate.

Once people have it,
I think they really see

how it adds
to the lobster flavor,

and it just tastes really fresh,
and it looks gorgeous.

I thought that, maybe,
the mayonnaise would kind of,

like, overpower the,
like, lobster taste,

but if anything,

I feel like the mayonnaise
almost highlights it.
Yeah.

I think it's a really good
vehicle to bind it together.

It makes it
a little bit creamy.

It's delicious.

And now, our next contender.

Now that I've had
the traditional Maine style,

I'd like to experiment
with the Connecticut.

Absolutely.

Connecticut-style is just
the lobster meat and butter.

- Pure lobster meat --
- Yep.

...and butter, sounds good and,
maybe, a little bit of lemon.

Yeah.
I would do the lemon, too.
Okay, great.

**

Okay, butter me up.

I have to say that I think
this is my favorite part.

Don't be skimpy on the butter.

Okay.

That is awesome.

Do you like it?

I love it.
I actually -- I mean, okay.

I have a feeling that every time
I try a new one,

I'm gonna say,
"That's my favorite,"

but I actually really,
really like it.

Also, I think
I'm just getting better

at taking bites
from lobster rolls.

That's just, like, perfect.

- That's a perfect bite.
- That's a perfect bite.

I agree.

But how do they get
that delicious butter taste?

Well, in this roll,
it isn't just butter.

It's clarified butter.

Guys, this is
super easy to make.

All you have to do
is melt two sticks

of unsalted butter
over medium heat.

Once it's completely liquefied,
bring it to a simmer.

Then, cook for 45 minutes
or until the milk solids

on the top have browned.

Butter is about 80% fat
and 20% milk solids,

so by straining it
through a cheese cloth,

these parts separate.

Voilà.

And all you have left is that
delicious, buttery taste.

Now, we all love a good classic,

but let's try something
a little less traditional.

Lucky for us, Sarah found
an ingenious way

to put a new spin
on an old favorite.

Here we go, wasabi!

The wasabi infusion takes
traditional mayo and packs it

with a big spicy,
Japanese sucker punch.

I'm a huge, huge fan of wasabi,
Japanese horseradish.

It's so, so, good.

Sometimes, people think wasabi,
and they automatically think,

you know, like,
a big dollop of wasabi

that you'd get
with your sushi or whatever,

and what we do is we add
a little rice vinegar to it,

so it's kind of creamy,
and it's subtle,

but it still has a little bit
of the zing to it.

I'm, like, blown away.

I never thought that I could
taste wasabi

without automatically
getting ready

for that just intense
kick of flavor in the face.

**

I love you all equally,
but if I had to pick a favorite,

I'm gonna say
it's the wasabi.
Really?!

- I've never -- Yeah!
- Yeah, it's good.

I've never had the full flavor

of the Japanese horseradish
with none of the kick.

I mean, it's just --
it's incredible.

You've added these extra flavors
but without overpowering

that still just
delicious traditional roll.

So there it is.

All of Sarah's lobster rolls

were so incredibly
fresh and tasty,

but the wasabi is really
the one that won my heart.

But we're just getting started
tasting Portland's delicious

and unique takes on lobster.

Up next, I'm trying a dish
that is so deeply delectable,

it'll have you coming
out of your shell.

It's this really amazing
profile of flavors

and textures, a little sweet,

a little crunchy,
a little savory.

It's nothing like anything
I've ever had.

So that's for me to try?

- Yeah.
- Okay.

I think so.

People travel from miles
away just to eat lobster

in Portland, Maine.

Eating locally in Maine
means eating lobster.

Lobster, obviously.

We've got the best lobster
in the world here.

It can be simple
and light or complex and rich,

but even though there's
a million ways to eat a lobster,

there's only one way
to catch it.

And you've got to see it
to believe it.

Here, I've got
a present for you.

These are gonna be
your lobstering pants.

Let's head out there
and pull some traps.

All right. Let's do it.

These look amazing,
very form-fitting.

I hear orange is big
this fall.

Captain Tom Martin is taking us

through Portland's Casco Bay,

where 100 boats have
their lobster traps set up

and ready to go,
so let's check in our ours

to see if we've got a catch.

We got two traps on the line,
so we got two chances

to catch something,
so keep your fingers crossed.

We have no idea
what's gonna be in there.

Let's see what happens.
I'm so excited.

All right. We've got lobsters
in the first one.
Yay!

- It's filled.
- There we go.

Watch your fingers, Hannah.

All right.
We've got some potential.

What we're gonna do, Hannah,

is we're gonna measure
the lobster

to see
if it's big enough to keep.
Okay.

From his eye socket
right to the edge of the back

needs to be at least 31/4
inches for us to keep him.
Okay.

So we're gonna hook
this right behind his eye.-

Then, we're gonna watch
closely to see

where this touches
when we drop it down.
Yeah.

If that touches on the back,
he's big enough.

If it touches under the back,
he's too short.

You can see that one easily.

- It's on the back.
- It's on the back.

- We've got a keeper.
- We've got a keeper!

All right. All right.

Let's see if we've got
another one, here.

Right. You're very bold
with your lobster grabbing.

Okay, so...
So this one we're gonna
throw back.

Why don't you go ahead
and grab him right on his back,

behind the claws,

and just drop him nice
and easy over the side.
Sounds good.

- You can do this.
- Sounds good to me.

I can do this.

Goodbye.

You know, I actually think I
would enjoy just coming up here,

picking stuff and just
throwing things back --

- Yeah, right.
- ...into the water.

You could say lobstering
is a whale of a good time,

but the ship has yet
to sail on my appetite.

Back on dry land, I'm ready
for my next take on the lobster.

Next up is a spot that serves
some of the most delicious

and unexpected food
in all of Portland.

Boda is taking Maine's obsession
with the lobster

and combining it with a cuisine

that you wouldn't
normally expect -- Thai.

Boda is really great
at incorporating

a lot of different flavors,

so I think of Boda
as being a Maine version

of Thai-fusion food.

We got an original dish,
the quail eggs.

I like it 'cause
it's delicious.

I've never had a bad meal here.

My wife and I come here,
I don't know, like,

four or five times a month.

Boda is combining local
ingredients, like quail eggs,

apples, bacon, and asparagus,

and incorporating them
into their classic Thai dishes.

Think I can't eat it all?

Just Thai and stop me.

This is a pretty
cool looking spot, you guys.

Co-owner and chef Dan Sriprasert
is going to show us how he puts

a Thai twist
on his Maine obsession,

what else but lobster.

Wait.
What are you mixing up together?

That's great that you
don't boil the noodles.

You're actually just
using the juices --
To cook it.

...from the lobster
to cook them.

Another trick Chef Dan uses
is cooking the lobster

right in its shell,
and there's a reason why.

Lots of seafood can be
cooked in the shell,

and laziness is not
just the reason.

Mussels, clams,
scallops, shrimp,

they all get
an extra bombshell of flavor

if you keep them
in their case.

The flavors of the exterior
get cooked right into the meat,

and it keeps
the moisture in, too.

So in a clam shell, think
before you peel it off,

whether you grill it, sautée it,
steam it or fry it.

Save the work
and don't chuck the shuck.

So how does this
cooked-in-the-shell method

stack up in this dish?

I'm about to find out,
and look, no hands needed.

- So that's for me to try?
- Yeah.

Okay.

I think so.

Okay. here we go.

I think that is really good.

The first thing I can taste
is the ginger,

but the glass noodles
have really absorbed

a lot of the flavor
of the lobster,

just absolutely wonderful.

I really love what you've done
here because this actually is

allowing the lobster
to carry so many

other wonderful flavors
with it.

- So...
- Thank you.

- You crushed it.
- Thank you.

You crushed it.
You crushed it, lobster pun.

There we go.

Yeah!

Boda is amazing,
authentic and unexpected,

all at the same time,

but as much as
I'm loving this lobster,

everyone says
you can't leave Boda

without trying another
creative crustacean.

Boda's manager, Jeremy Sossei
is sharing some food

that I've heard
is shrimp-ly irresistible.

So what we have here
is our apple salad.

See some shrimp with it,
some peanut, onion,

toasted shallot,
and it has a palm sugar,

fish sauce,
lime juice dressing.

This is really supposed to be
a refreshing, cleansing,

easy-eating salad.

The apple's tartness
and the peanut's salt

bring out a perfect sweetness
of the shrimp with every bite.

How about them apples?

That's awesome.

Great, great texture,
great crunch to it.

So you're getting
a little sweet, a little citrus,

peanut, onion
kind of coming through.

It's delicious.
I could eat this all day.

Can I take this home with me?

Can I just -- Bye, guys.
End of show.

But we're just getting
started on the lobster frontier.

Up next, an upscale,
Italian-influenced lobster

dish that everyone
is absolutely obsessed with.

They make the most
incredibly fresh lobster dishes.

It was just so fresh.

It really highlighted
the lobster.

It tasted so sweet.

**

I've got to say,

I'm starting
to become a real Maine-iac

for the lobster
here in Portland.

Everything looks so delicious.

It can't get fresher than this.
You know?

The ocean's, like, right there.

From steamed to rolled,
you can be a lobster purist

or a lobster radicalist.

all I know is it's delicious
any which way you cook it.

Here in Portland, it's no wonder
it's the star of every dish,

but the lobster, well,
it don't come cheap,

though it wasn't
always this way.

Lobsters weren't always known

for the lavish lifestyle
that you think.

In fact, they were once
considered peasant food.

It's hard to believe that kids
on the East Coast used

to be embarrassed
to go to school

with lobster for lunch.

In the mid-1800s,
since lobster was so cheap,

they started serving
it on trains,

which gave people
outside of Maine access

to lobster for the first time.

The second was the chefs
suddenly realized lobster

tasted way better
if you cooked it live,

so with lobster now
being tasty and accessible,

the demand for it skyrocketed,

and suddenly,
it becomes "fancy."

Today, the lobster
is properly luxe,

and even though there are lots
of low-key variations,

our next stop
is elevating lobster

to a whole new level.

Central Provisions
is obsessed with local,

fresh ingredients
and serving them up

in an approachable,
yet upscale, way.

They use all
the wonderful bounty

that you find here in Maine,

from local produce to seafood.

They make the most
incredibly fresh lobster dishes.

It was just so fresh.

It really highlighted
the lobster.

It tasted so sweet.

Joining me for my meal
is Chef Chris Gould,

a lifelong Mainer
and award-winning restaurateur

who's serving me
his signature lobster dish.

All right. This is
your squid-ink spaghetti here.

That's beautiful.

Fresh Maine lobster
and sea urchin.

The star of Central Provisions

is an Italian-influenced
lobster pasta that's infused

with the sweet
and salty flavors of the ocean.

Absorbing all the flavors
in the dish is the incredible

house-made squid-ink pasta,
with its distinct black color

adding a soft texture
and a little salty kick,

The rich ocean zest
is achieved by

adding three different
types of seafood --

first, sea urchin,

then, the sweetest,
most tender part of the lobster.

- You gave me the knuckles?
- Yes.

That is so sweet, literally.

And finally, something
I've never heard of, bottarga.

It's salted, dried,
pressed mullet roe.

It comes from
the Mediterranean.

It adds just, like, a really
nice, rich seafood flavor.

The bottarga, yeah,
yeah, I get it.

It's salty, but it's not
just salt I'm tasting.

But as amazing as the pasta is,
it's the sauce

that makes this dish stand out,
no squiding around.

Bomba Calabrese.

Bomba Calabrese, I mean, I feel
like it's a bomba in my mouth.

The Bomba Calabrese
sauce is a literal spice bomb

made of four different
types of peppers,

jalapeño, serrano,

pepperoncini,
and hot chili flakes.

And the real secret
to the dish is the freshness.

So how long ago
was this lobster alive?

- This morning.
- This morning! That's crazy.

About six hours ago,
five hours ago.

About six hours ago!

He had no idea
what was in store for him.

That's awesome.

- He's on TV.
- Yeah, he's on TV!

You're famous, buddy.

How did you think of this?

It's just every flavor
of the ocean

that you can kind of fit
together that makes sense.

You know?

You've got the salt,
the sweet, the funk.-

Here is a way that I would
never think to prepare lobster.

The lobster is just
so versatile,

but it's not just the meat
that can make a delicious meal.

It's also the shells.

As you know, eating lobster
can be really messy,

but before you throw
out those shells,

you should really consider
making a stock with them.

To make the stock, all you have
to do is sautée carrots,

celery, and herbs
in some butter,

add the shells and water
and bring to a boil.

Then, simmer for an hour
and a half.

It's that simple.

Plus, you've already
paid so much money

for the whole lobster.

You might as well
use every part.

It turns out, there is only
so much lobster a girl

can actually have,

but that doesn't mean
that it's time

to leave Portland just yet.

Next up, I'm tasting
a New England classic

that Maine calls
their official state treat.

So what is Maine's
sweetest obsession?

Is it, A, apple pie,
B, the whoopie pie,

or C, oatmeal raisin cookies?

The answer when we come back.

So besides lobster,
what else is the state

of Maine obsessed with?

Is it, A, apple pie,
B, the whoopie pie,

or C, oatmeal raisin cookies?

The answer is B,
the whoopie pie,

a creamy and chocolaty dessert

that's a favorite
among the locals.

So we're heading
into Two Fat Cats,

a spot that's been a local love
for over 12 years.

So what exactly
is a whoopie pie?

It's basically a devil's food
cake top and bottom,

and in between is sandwiched
some kind of vanilla filling,

and from there,
home bakers and bakeries

have riffed on that in, like,
100 different ways.

We do the pumpkin
during the fall.

We'll also do red velvet
at Valentine's Day.

This summer, we did a zucchini
whoopie pie

with a blueberry filling,
which was amazing.

That sounds phenomenal.

Our batter includes cocoa
powder, which is traditional.

There's flour, of course,

lots of butter
'cause we love butter.

Melted chocolate goes into it,
as well.

So that just kind of ups
the chocolate ante a little bit.

So all you do is you
just want to pull forward,

just level it on the sides,

and you've got the right --

...level of scoop,
and there you go.

Now, they go in the oven
for 11 minutes.

Cool.

We can do about 100 pies
at a time in here,

and this is what they look like
when they come out of the oven,

so they've got
a little dome on the top.

They're flat on the bottom.

That's exactly what
we want to fill them.

They look like
melted chocolate chips.

They do, kind of, yeah.

For her signature
whoopie-pie filling,

she whips up a delightful
Italian meringue

made of marshmallow buttercream,

which includes egg whites,
sugar and lots of butter.

Right on top.

Then, smoosh, gentle smoosh.

Wow, that's so fun.

- Can I try one?
- You go right for it.

- Okay. Here we go.
- That looks good.

- I hope you will like it.
- I hope so, too.

That's great.

Yeah?

Good.

Wow.

It's amazing because
the texture of the cake

is so light and so fluffy.

I mean, it's wonderful to have
it fresh and still warm,

but I really think
it's the filling

that makes this one special.

See, look at this.

Yeah.

If you don't wanna eat this,
then you're wrong.

Portland, you've rolled
and clawed your way

right into our hearts,
and, boy, was it fun.

This is Larry's fun trick
that he likes to do.

I do not want to mess
around with him.

No!

Hey, like a nightmare!

Bye. Never come back.

That's all, folks.

That's all for me, that is.