Enjoy this delicious homemade lobster cake recipe made with fresh lobster, peppers, onion, and seasonings from Red's Lobster Pot in Point Pleasant, NJ. And read about how their family run business recovered post-Superstorm Sandy.
Thank you to Kitty for taking the time to talk to me about Red's Lobster Pot. It's always a joy to visit this restaurant and sit down to a lobster roll. Red’s Lobster Pot is located at 57 Inlet Drive in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey.
Do you remember when the Stronger than the Storm campaign offered me the opportunity to write a piece for their website at the beginning of the summer? I was incredibly honored to contribute to such a well-known cause for my home state.
I visited Red's Lobster Pot to talk to the owner, Kitty, about how Superstorm Sandy affected her home and restaurant and obtained a recipe for their Lobster Cakes. I happily submitted my post to the staff of STTS and was told the post would run between the end of July and the beginning of August after an editorial team reviewed it.
After July turned into August and August came to near its end, I decided to e-mail my STTS contact to get status on my post. One e-mail became two and I hadn't received a reply on either. I tried to contact them through Twitter and still nothing.
I went onto the website to see if the post had gone live without my knowledge, but it hadn't. I have given up. I find it completely unprofessional of this organization to offer such a wonderful opportunity to local bloggers and then not even have the courtesy to answer an e-mail on whether or not the post would be published.
Considering the content is still my own (I read the blogger release a million times to make sure I wouldn't be sued for using my own words in my own blog post), I am sharing my STTS post here on my blog.
I chose today to post it since my cousin and I are having girls night down the shore and will once again be visiting Red's for some tasty seafood and a waterfront view from their deck. Their deck is open until the 21st of this month, but the indoor restaurant will be open until October 19th.
About Red's Lobster Pot
Red’s Lobster Pot has been open in Point Pleasant, New Jersey for 20 years. Last year it took a major hit by Superstorm Sandy, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. If it wasn’t for the kindness of strangers, Red’s Lobster Pot might not be open today.
Red’s Lobster Pot was opened by Marty “Red” Stillufsen, his wife Louise and their daughter Kitty. Red was a lobsterman and originally provided the restaurant with lobsters that he caught. Red’s still supports local industries by purchasing seafood from local fishing boats as well as buying locally grown ingredients.
The sign outside of the restaurant states “from boat to plate” and they’re not kidding! Lobster pots are stacked up by the water’s edge on the side of restaurant. You can watch the fishing boats travel in and out of the docks from the restaurant’s outdoor deck seating.
Superstorm Sandy's Aftermath
After Superstorm Sandy, Red’s was left with major destruction and clean up. The restaurant suffered a devastating amount of flooding with water levels rising up to the indoor restaurant’s entrance steps. Furniture was left floating in an area of the restaurant. Everything was covered in a layer of muck and slime.
The restaurant’s losses included two out of three commercial kitchens, storage, part of their deck, window panels, and overall debris. The restaurant was rank and moldy from the flood waters and, if things weren’t bad enough, Kitty was dealing with the loss of her home.
Kitty and her parents were living a nightmare. Flood insurance only covered so much. Not knowing where to start with recovery, the Stillufsen’s were about to throw in the towel on their restaurant business. The family took a break from clean up efforts. They regrouped, refocused and even though it took months of cleanup and equipment replacements, things were starting to look up for the restaurant.
Kitty credits the volunteers sent to help the people of Point Pleasant Beach for Red’s ultimate recovery. The volunteers and restaurant staff pulled together and got Red’s back up and running again. Kitty said that in that moment, she was truly proud to be from New Jersey.
Red's Lobster Pot Lobster Cakes Recipe
If you're not local and love fresh seafood dishes, Red’s Lobster Pot was kind enough to share the recipe for their Lobster Cakes. Now you can enjoy a taste of the Jersey Shore at home!
Red's Lobster Pot Lobster Cakes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. lobster meat diced
- 1 red bell pepper finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper finely diced
- 1 bunch scallions finely diced
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 3 tbsps. fresh dill chopped
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup mayonnaise low-fat or regular
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 3 tbsps. Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tbsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 pint Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Dice vegetables and place in large bowl. Mix in mayonnaise and egg. Add all seasonings. Add lobster meat.
- Add Panko bread crumbs and mix just until mixture comes together. Additional Panko bread crumbs can be added as needed.
- Form mixture into 8 oz. cakes. Place in fridge to harden.
- Before cooking, coat both sides of lobster cakes with Panko bread crumbs and sauté, both sides, until golden brown.
- Serve with lemon wedges on the side, if desired.
I was able to visit Red’s one afternoon to speak with Kitty face-to-face and have lunch on their deck. The service was great and the food was spectacular! I will definitely be visiting Red’s again soon.
All photos included in this post are my own personal photos aside from the lobster cake photo in the recipe card. That is from Red's Lobster Pot's Instagram page.
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