The much-anticipated lobster and snow crab season!

Our fondness for our favourite clawed crustaceans runs deep! While these foods weren’t always met with enthusiasm, they’re now seasonal delights that are eagerly awaited at the first sign of spring, signalling the start of lobster and snow crab season. We gather together to enjoy these flavourful seafoods that herald warmer weather and good times!

From under-appreciated to highly coveted: increasing popularity over the course of Québec’s history

We’ve been eating lobster here for a very long time, but it wasn’t always viewed as the luxurious specialty it is today. According to the Indigenous Tourism Quebec website, long before the advent of commercial fishing many Indigenous peoples of the Gulf of St. Lawrence fished lobster during the summer months as a staple food rather than as a delicacy.

This Radio-Canada article (in French only) reveals that in the 17th century, lobster was so unappreciated (and so plentiful) that it was served every day to the French indentured workers who arrived in New France, until they eventually demanded it be served no more than three times a week because they couldn’t stand it anymore!

As for snow crab, the fact that fishing for it was considered too arduous meant that this seafood took a long time to make its way onto our tables. According to Tourisme Bas-Saint-Laurent, snow crab fishing in Québec only began in 1960, with its popularity surging in the 1980s thanks to the Japanese (yup!) who raised its profile among Québecers and internationally!

Snow crab: tender meat is the ultimate reward

The ten-legged snow crab is a seafood delicacy prized for its tender, delicate meat. Purists enjoy it plain or, at most, with a light squeeze of lemon, while the more adventurous dare to cook it in a thousand and one ways.

When is the best time to enjoy it?

Although snow crab is available year-round in frozen or processed form, it is savoured at its best fresh, starting in April. It’s at its peak right at the beginning of the season, but enthusiasts happily indulge in it right through June, depending on the catches of our expert fishers.

Meaty lobster full of flavour

Québec lobster is coveted for its firm, salty and tasty meat. Usually served weighing between 1 to 2 pounds, this crustacean is sure to fill you up, and the reward is definitely worth the effort. It’s so popular that nearly 14,700 tons of lobster are caught each year in our coastal regions.

When is the best time to enjoy it?

The lobster fishing season lasts about 10 weeks, so you’ll find it easily from mid-May to mid-July.

Where in Québec are these intriguing sea creatures fished?

Québec snow crab and lobster are found in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. The main regions where these crustaceans are fished are Bas-Saint-Laurent, Côte-Nord, Gaspésie and the Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Here’s a list of great spots to enjoy this seafood

In the spring and early summer, any good fish store will have a good selection of these delicious, freshly caught crustaceans (live or already cooked).

For a more turnkey experience, step into one of our many restaurants that expertly prepare this sumptuous seafood while in season (and sometimes year-round!). Why not order a whole lobster or a full set of crab legs, enjoy a fisherman’s platter featuring a variety of seafood, or treat yourself to a ‘guédille’ (Québec-style lobster or snow crab roll) or a specially topped ‘poutine’…

Here’s a list of great places to indulge in top-notch seafood. Please note that this list is only a small sample! For even more suggestions on where to stop for seafood-inspired culinary experiences, contact our destination specialists who have recommendations for all of our beautiful regions.

Bas-Saint-Laurent

• Restaurant du Phare, in Rimouski
• Restaurent L’Espadon, in Rivière-du-Loup

Côte-Nord

• La Galouïne Auberge, in Tadoussac
• Chez Julie, in Havre-Saint-Pierre

Gaspésie

• Paqbo, in Percé
• Capitaine homard and Au Goût du Large, in Sainte-Flavie

Îles-de-la-Madeleine

• Auberge La Salicorne, on Île de la Grande Entrée
• Restaurant Eva, on Cap-aux-Meules Island

Montréal

• Café Miracolo
• Pincette – Bar à homard

Québec, city and area

• Ophélia and La Gaspésienne 51, (in French only) in the city of Québec
• Quai 1635, in Cap-Rouge (and another location in Lévis)

Try your hand at crab or lobster fishing

Fishing for these incredible crustaceans is far from a leisurely activity. Our fishers are experts who work hard to bring us these divine products. They operate in full compliance with the principles of sustainable development, including annual quotas, designated fishing seasons, catch-and-release rules, etc.

A few tourist activities have nonetheless been designed to offer a glimpse of these feats and a chance to observe (and sometimes even taste) this marine wildlife.

In Gaspésie, Exploramer showcases the biodiversity of the St. Lawrence. Test your abilities to haul in lobster, whelk and rock crab traps at sea, and then play oceanographer, observing and handling these species with care.

In the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, you can board the Mécatina IV for an authentic commercial lobster fishing experience, courtesy of the crew at Interprétation Pêche en mer.

You can also visit the Innu community of Unamen Shipu through the packages offered by Tourisme Winipeukut nature. A great activity for learning all about their culture is traditional Indigenous lobster fishing, in season, in the Eeyou Itschee James Bay region.