Fresh Shellfish
Live Dorset lobster from our own tanks, and brown crab from local pots. Landed by the small day-boats working the Dorset grounds.
Squid and Molluscs · 7
Fresh Shellfish Squid Fresh squid: whole, or baby cleaned tubes. from £15.00 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Cut Dry Scallops Hand-cut dry scallops, sold off the shell by weight. from £5.50 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Fresh Cooked Cocklemeat Cooked cockle meat, shelled and ready to eat. from £5.00 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Fresh Live Local Clams Live local clams, by the kilo. from £18.95 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Fresh Live Local Cockles Live local cockles, by the kilo. from £14.95 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Fresh Local Live Rock Oysters Live local rock oysters, sold singly. from £1.80 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Fresh Live Mussels Live rope-grown mussels, by the kilo. from £9.50 View options Crab and Lobster · 6
Fresh Shellfish Whole Lobster Live Dorset lobster: the ultimate seafood centrepiece. from £36.00 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Pasteurised Crab Claw Meat Whole claw meat, pasteurised and picked. from £17.90 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Fresh Handpicked Brown Crabmeat Rich brown meat, picked by hand. from £4.00 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Fresh Handpicked White Crabmeat Sweet white meat, picked by hand. from £11.00 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Handpicked Dressed Crab Picked, dressed and returned to its own shell. from £17.90 View options 
Fresh Shellfish Whole Local Cooked Crab Whole local brown crab, cooked and ready to pick. from £8.40 View options Crustaceans · 2
Fresh Shellfish: free delivery across all BH postcodes (£40 minimum order), prepared to order and delivered by refrigerated vehicle, Tuesday to Saturday.
Live and Fresh, Off the Local Pots
This is the counter at its best: lobster from our own seawater tanks, and brown crab landed by the small boats working the Dorset grounds. Pot-caught shellfish is about as low-impact as fishing gets, and it is the bread and butter of the day-boats out of Poole and the harbours around it.
Lobster runs later than people think
The pot-caught season peaks May through October, best of all in July, August and September. But lobster is available through the winter too. The weather decides whether the boats get out to their pots at all, so it is harder to predict and the price is higher. The lobster itself is good.
Crab is at its best September to November
Crab moult over the summer, shedding their shells to grow, and a freshly-moulted crab is half empty and watery. By early autumn the new shell has hardened and the crab has filled out. December to March simply lands in smaller quantities, because winter weather keeps the boats in. The crab is still good.
Look for the shell popping up
Steve's own tell, and the most reliable one there is: if the shell has lifted, the meat pushed it up during cooking, so that crab is guaranteed to be full. Weight is the other test. A good crab feels surprisingly heavy for its size, and a light one is half water.
Storing it properly
Live shellfish needs air. Keep it in the fridge in an open container under a damp cloth, never sealed in a bag or sitting in fresh water, both of which will kill it. Cooked shellfish keeps covered in the coldest part of the fridge and is best eaten within a day.