Sea to Table – Adding Surf to SRF’s Turf

Sea to Table – Adding Surf to SRF’s Turf

Surf and Turf is a classic steakhouse menu item – a succulent lobster tail paired with a juicy steak. This is a dinner for a special occasion that pushes all the buttons of flavor, luxury and a hint of decadence. We received requests for this supper club staple but finding the right seafood partner was a challenge.

Snake River Farms is now offering steak and lobster packages that match our American Wagyu steaks with high quality seafood. The lobsters are supplied by Sea to Table, owned and operated by the Dimin family.

About Sea to Table

The Dimin’s business started as a high-end seafood purveyor for restaurants, but the family had a vision to reset the seafood distribution model. They developed relationships with commercial fishermen and created a direct channel for chefs to select the perfect seafood for their menus. Once the restaurant business was in place, Sea to Table turned their attention to seafood loving consumers.

We sat down with Sean Dimin of Sea to Table and learned his seafood program aligned beautifully with our quality standards for beef. Sea to Table has systems in place to ensure their seafood is wild caught in domestic waters, sustainable, traceable and free from hormones, antibiotics and GMOs.

“Our lobsters are harvested and landed in the state of Maine. This is an iconic fishery with many longstanding traditions.” says Sean, “You can confirm the origin by checking the traceability sticker on each pack. You’ll find the specific landing location and catch method.”

Sea to Table is a Certified B Corp, which authenticates the company meets verified high standards for social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. The third-party certification process is rigorous and demonstrates Sea to Table’s commitment to supplying the best seafood using socially conscious and environmentally sound practices.

From its people to its practices, to its strong relationships with Maine lobstermen, Sea to Table is an ideal partner and supplier for Snake River Farms’ first seafood offerings. We’re excited to work with Sean and his team to put something special on our customers’ tables.

Caught Fresh, Frozen in a Flash 

The lobsters supplied by Sea to Table, like our beef, ship frozen. According to Sean, “Most fish you buy is previously frozen, whether it’s advertised that way or not. The key to high quality frozen lobster is in the freezing process.”

Sea to Table’s lobsters are caught fresh in the frigid waters off Maine’s shoreline, then flash frozen at extremely low temperatures to capture the flavor and preserve their meaty texture. This is a process that closely mirrors the method used to flash freeze Snake River Farms beef.

Sean notes that lobster meat maintains its integrity exceptionally well when frozen. “Ideally, you thaw these gently overnight in your fridge, but lobster also holds up perfectly with a speed thaw. Just submerge the lobster tails in cold water,” says Sean.

From Ordinary to Opulent 

Just say “lobster” and mental images of gourmet meals come to mind. This might be a candlelit dinner in a white tablecloth restaurant, or a seaside stand with lobster rolls. Strangely enough, the history of lobster in the U.S. started from very humble beginnings.

There was a time when lobsters were so bountiful on the coastline; they were said to wash up on shores in piles two feet high. Lobster was an early food source for the first European settlers in North America. The cheap and plentiful protein was known as a poor person’s food and was fed to prisoners and servants. There is historical evidence that workers had clauses in their contracts to limit lobsters to two meals a week.

In the 1880s, restaurants in Boston and New York City began offering lobster on menus and epicureans began to see the shellfish in a new light. Prices began to rise, and the lobster industry received a financial boost.

By the time World War II began, lobster was a highly prized, gourmet treat. It was plentiful and not rationed like many wartime delicacies. The booming economy created wealth, and the lobster was consumed at an accelerated rate. The once despised crustacean had established itself as one of the most desirable dining pleasures in the U.S.

Lobster Lowdown

There is a secret side to lobsters that make them a bit mysterious. Here are a few lobster facts to chew on: 

1. Amazing Anatomy
   A lobster’s vital parts are not found in obvious locations. The brain is in its throat, the nervous system is in its abdomen, and teeth are in its stomach. Lobsters taste with their legs where chemosensory cells are found.|
   
   The green substance you sometimes find in a cooked lobster is called tomalley and is a digestive gland. The tomalley is edible, and some consider it a delicacy, while most folks choose to remove it.
   
   
2. Under Pressure
   A lobster’s claw is a powerful appendage that can generate pressure up to 100 pounds per square inch. One of the claws is larger than the other. This is called the crusher claw and is used to break open clams, mussels and anything with a protective shell. The other claw, the ripper or quick claw, is used to tear softer creatures like fish or worms. 
   
   
3. Shell Game
   Harvesting lobsters creates a large quantity of shells. An industrious professor at the University of Maine developed a golf ball made with a core of lobster shells. The biodegradable golf balls are used on cruise ships or at courses located near bodies of water.