Whether You’re on the Coast of Maine or Your Own Back Deck A little planning, a lot of butter, and everyone pitching in — that’s the whole secret. There are certain meals that simply taste better outside, with a view, and shared with people you love, and a lobster fest is at the very top of that list. Whether we’re up in Maine or hosting closer to home, we are always chasing the same thing: the freshest lobster we can find, prepared simply, and served in a setting that feels relaxed rather than fussy. Some of our very best summer memories have come from exactly this kind of gathering. When we travel, we look for the same kind of place every time — casual, right on the dock, where the lobster practically walked from the boat to your plate. For more than twenty years, our go-to spot has been Boothbay Lobster Wharf which many of you will remember as The Lobstermen’s Co-op. It has changed its name over the years, but never its character. It’s still the kind of place where you order at a window, sit at a picnic table, and watch the water while you wait, and it remains one of the freshest lobster dinners we know of anywhere. But you don’t need a coastline to pull off a proper lobsterfest. Some of our favorite ones have happened on a back deck or a picnic table in the backyard, looking out over nothing more exciting than the neighbor’s yard, with a big group of family and friends. Yes, cooking lobster for a crowd is more work than a quiet dinner for two. But here is the trick: get everyone involved, from start to finish, and the work turns into half the fun. Here is how we divide the labor. First, someone needs to be in charge of cooking the lobsters themselves — a big pot, a rolling boil, and a timer, since overcooked lobster is a genuine tragedy. Next, someone handles the corn, husking it and getting it into its own pot or onto the grill. Someone else is responsible for gathering the sides — a good potato salad or coleslaw, a green salad, some crusty bread, whatever your family tradition calls for. Someone needs to be on butter duty, melting down high quality butter into little dishes for dipping, because there is truly no such thing as too much melted butter at a lobster fest. And someone should be setting the table, which includes the details that make the whole meal easier: a basket of plastic bibs, a stack of hand wipes, and plenty of extra napkins, because this is not a tidy meal and it shouldn’t try to be. Don’t forget the beverages, chilled and ready before anyone sits down. And finally, just as important as all the cooking, is your cleanup crew — assign it ahead of time, so nobody is stuck scrubbing lobster pots alone while everyone else has wandered off to watch the sunset. We’ve put together our full Lobsterfest Supplies List to make all of this even easier to plan — everything from pot size to bib count to plates and napkins. Get our Lobsterfest Supplies List here → Now, if you’re short on time, short on helping hands, or just don’t feel like wrangling live lobsters, there is a wonderful shortcut: set up your lobster fest exactly the same way, but serve lobster rolls instead of whole lobsters. Use the lobster roll recipe we shared in our last post — toasted brioche, a gentle swipe of mayonnaise, and big chunks of lobster piled high — and simply purchase picked lobster meat instead of cooking it yourself. We’ve had wonderful luck with Atlantic Edge Lobster in Boothbay Harbor, whose fresh-packed lobster meat is genuinely some of the best shortcut lobster we’ve found. However you choose to do it, whether it’s a full lobster boil on the back deck or a lobster roll bar with store-bought picked meat, the goal is the same: good food, good company, and an experience that leaves everyone smiling. Have a favorite lobster fest tradition of your own, or a go-to dockside spot you swear by? We’d love to hear about it.
Entertaining
Celebrating July 4th and the Simple Joys of Summer
Independence Day has always felt like summer’s sweetest exhale. A moment to set everything else aside and simply be—with neighbors, with family, with the people and places that make ordinary life feel like something worth celebrating. It’s a day to be thankful for all the good in our lives. Enjoy the simple joys of summer. Here at Shookhill Secret, that is exactly what we are leaning into this year: the simple traditions, the thoughtful hosting, and the particular kind of joy that comes from slowing down just long enough to notice how good things really are. Local Traditions Worth Savoring Every town has its own Fourth of July personality, and we think that is one of the loveliest things about this holiday. Maybe yours means a small-town parade—children wobbling past on streamers-wrapped bicycles while grandparents hold their folding chairs a little tighter and someone always, always shows up with an iced coffee. Or perhaps it is a local ballgame, fireworks blooming overhead as the whole community tilts their faces toward the same sky. And if big crowds are not your thing—perfectly fine. Spread a red-and-white blanket on the lawn, tuck some wildflowers and lemon slices into mason jars, pour yourself a very cold glass of lemonade, and call that a celebration. Because it is. The point, as we have always believed, is never really how you celebrate. It is who is with you when you do. Hosting with Heart (and Without the Fuss) If you are opening your home or backyard this weekend, we want you to remember one thing: relaxed is elegant. The most memorable gatherings are the ones where guests feel genuinely welcome—not impressed. Build your menu around what is beautiful and local right now. Grilled corn slicked with herb butter. Watermelon from the farmers market, sliced thick and served cold. A big pitcher of thyme lemonade that looks as good as it tastes. (Need help pulling it all together? Our Hosting Essentials guide has everything you need to stay one step ahead without missing a single moment of the party.) Set up the yard simply—cornhole, badminton, bubbles and sidewalk chalk for the little ones. Keep a cooler easily accessible, stocked with sparkling water and whatever makes your guests feel taken care of. And for dessert, a warm peach cobbler, a DIY ice cream bar, or a pre-arranged s’mores tray never fails to bring the whole evening together beautifully. A Celebration for Everyone We have always loved Eleanor Roosevelt’s words on this: “True patriotism springs from a belief in the dignity of the individual, freedom and equality not only for Americans but for all people on Earth.” That sentiment sits with us every year on this holiday. This Fourth of July, we are holding space for all the ways people experience what this day means—and making room, always, for joy, for connection, and for gratitude. So light the sparklers. Serve that cobbler or crisp. Pull someone you love a little closer and toast to the good stuff—community, belonging, and the particular sweetness of slowing down to celebrate life, right here, together. That is, we think, what summer is really for.