Travelling to the Maritimes means a great opportunity for fresh fish. But we wanted more than a restaurant — we wanted to dig our own clams on Prince Edward Island.
The Tides of PEI
Prince Edward Island sits in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, sheltered from the open Atlantic by Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The tides here are gentler than the famous tides of the Bay of Fundy — which can rise and fall 50 feet — but they're still substantial, and at low tide the red sandstone beaches expose vast flats of sand and mud that are rich with clams, mussels, and other shellfish. We arrived at the island in late September, after the summer crowds had thinned but before the cold set in. The light was extraordinary — that particular quality of Maritime autumn light, low and golden, that makes everything look like a painting. A local fisherman named Gordon, who we met at a campground in Charlottetown, offered to take us clamming the next morning at low tide. We said yes before he finished the sentence.
"Gordon showed us how to purge them in saltwater to remove the sand, then steamed them with butter and white wine over the camp stove. They were the best clams we've ever eaten."
Digging for Dinner
Clamming is not complicated, but it requires knowing where to look and what you're looking for. Gordon took us to a stretch of tidal flat about a mile from the campground, where the sand was dark and wet and pocked with small holes — the telltale sign of clams below the surface. The tool is a clam rake, which looks like a garden rake with longer, curved tines. You drag it through the top few inches of sand and feel for the resistance of shells. When you find them, you dig with your hands. The clams are usually four to six inches down, and they're surprisingly strong — they clamp shut and hold on when you try to pull them out. We dug for two hours and came up with about forty clams — more than enough for dinner. Gordon showed us how to purge them in saltwater to remove the sand, then steamed them with butter and white wine over the camp stove. They were the best clams we've ever eaten.
The PEI Lobster Supper
No trip to Prince Edward Island is complete without a lobster supper. The island has a tradition of community lobster suppers that dates back generations — church halls and community centers that serve whole lobsters with chowder, mussels, and all the fixings for a fixed price. New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, in the small town of New Glasgow, is the most famous. We arrived at 5 PM and waited in line for forty-five minutes, which tells you everything you need to know about how good it is. The lobster was fresh that morning, the chowder was thick and rich, and the mussels were steamed in white wine and garlic. The price was around $50 per person, which sounds like a lot until you see the size of the lobster on your plate. It's the best food value in the Maritimes, and possibly in all of Canada.
Beyond PEI: Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
The Maritimes are more than PEI. Nova Scotia has the Cabot Trail, one of the most spectacular coastal drives in North America, and the town of Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with some of the best seafood restaurants on the East Coast. New Brunswick has the Bay of Fundy, where the tidal range is the largest in the world. At Hopewell Rocks, you can walk on the ocean floor at low tide and kayak among the rock formations at high tide — a six-hour window between the two states. It's one of those experiences that makes you feel the scale of natural forces in a way that's hard to describe. We spent three weeks in the Maritimes and could easily have spent three months. The people are warm, the food is extraordinary, and the landscape is unlike anywhere else in North America.
