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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 28 ,2 01 9 | 16 CAMBRIDGE 90 Main Street cornerstonefurniture.ca 519.740.9991 /CornerstoneHome /cornerstonehomeinteriors We stock more sofas than any store in Ontario. Be amazed! CORNERSTONE HAS SO MANY SOFAS! 165 sofas in stock with thousands of product combinations, offering variety, quality, versatility and affordability. THURSDAY APRIL 4 5pm -8pm STONEY CREEK CAMPUS FOR SKILLED TRADES Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Programs SATURDAY MARCH 30 10am-1pm FENNELL CAMPUS All Programs TUESDAY APRIL 2 5pm-8pm INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED HEALTH SCIENCES AT MCMASTER Health Sciences Programs JOINUSATOPENHOUSE! mohawkcollege.ca/openhouse 3 Campuses in Hamilton Eighteen years ago, Oakville cried out for fresh seafood, and The Mermaid and the Oyster answered that call. Now, almost two decades later and rebranded as The Mer- maid on Kerr Street closer to the lake, Denise Glazier and Dean MacLean are still at it, this time providing an eat-in menu of fresh fish, classic lobster, oyster andfish, classic lobster, oyster andf scallop dishes to a loyal clientele, in addition to the take-out fish mar- ket fare that made their reputation. Fresh is the name of the game. "We get all our fish in daily, already filleted with the heads and tails cutfilleted with the heads and tails cutf off so there's no fishy smell in here," Glazier says. "And when we run out, we run out that day." This includes a live lobster tank, fresh oysters (which they are known for) and some frozen lobster tails, both East Coast and Cuban - an unusual find in this area. Everything on thefind in this area. Everything on thef menu is made in-house daily, in- cluding the popular Mermaid Chowder and Lobster Bisque. Most fish sold at The Mermaid is Canadian, from East Coast Can- ada, and so is Dean MacLean, pro- fessional oyster shucker and shell-fessional oyster shucker and shell-f fish expert who grew up in PEI.fish expert who grew up in PEI.f MacLean can shuck up to 450 oys- ters an hour and has the competi- tion awards to prove it. He's also ex- cited to teach anyone interested, so who better to ask about fresh shell- fish, especially oysters and lob-fish, especially oysters and lob-f sters? What should people look for when selecting a lobster from a tank? First, is it an Atlantic lobster or a Maine lobster? Atlantic lobsters are hard-shelled and Maine lobster are soft-shelled and filled with more water. If you crack a claw and a lot of water comes out, you've paid for water, especially if you bought the lobster by the pound. At The Mermaid, they stick to Cana- dian Atlantic hard-shelled lobster. To tell which it is, pick it up be-To tell which it is, pick it up be-T tween the body and tail. If you can pinch it slightly, it's Canadian. Fresh Canadian lobster is avail- able all year, except for two weeks when the lobsters are moulting. Al- so, look for a lively lobster that's moving, not limp. Finally, select one with a firm shell because that means it's full of meat, just prior to moulting. A recently moulted lob- ster has more water in it. The best lobster to find is a one with barna- cles on it - that means it's an old shell. What's the most humane way to cook a live lobster? Drop the lobster, head first with bands off, into rapidly boiling salt- ed water. It kills the lobster instant- ly. What's the difference between a Canadian lobster and a Cuban lobster? First, you won't see a Cuban lob- ster for sale, just the tail. The Cu- ban lobster is a spiny lobster that doesn't have a knuckle or claw and lives in warm, salty water, so the tail tends to be the majority of what MERMAID AND THE OYSTER ANSWERS THE CALL FOR FRESH SEAFOOD SHERRI TELENKO stelenko@hotmail.com FOOD AND DRINK See - page 17