Home Community Community News Claudio’s Restaurant discovers rare red lobster in shipment from Canada

Claudio’s Restaurant discovers rare red lobster in shipment from Canada

"Clawdia," a naturally bright red lobster, hangs out in the tank at Claudio's Restaurant in Greenport. Courtesy photo: Jan Claudio

Claudio’s Restaurant in Greenport has taken delivery of thousands of lobsters over the past 27 years, but they’ve never seen a live one that was bright red in color.

Until last week, that is.

“Clawdia,” a three-and-a-half pound Canadian lobster, came in on Friday with a regular seafood shipment from Carlson Seafood, surprising a staff that is used to cooked lobsters being bright red, not live ones. According to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, only one in 10 million lobsters are naturally a bright red color. The unusual color is caused by an abundance of red pigment in the shell.

“It’s the darndest thing,” said Bill Claudio in a phone interview. “I’ve heard of red lobsters before; there was one in New York City named Ruby I read about a while ago. But this is our first.”

Sensing that they had something special on their hands, Claudio’s staff kept Clawdia in the lobster tank, refusing to sell her while Bill and Jan Claudio began contacting people, trying to find her a home.

The Claudios reached out to Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center in Riverhead but as of this afternoon have received no reply. The East End Seaport Museum was not able to take the lobster, so they phoned Chris Pickerell, marine program director at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Southold, who is now assisting them in finding a place for Clawdia.

“We want to find a permanent home for it,” says Bill Claudio, “It won’t last forever here in our lobster tank.”

“If we can’t find someone to take Clawdia, we’ll return her to the sea,” said Jan Claudio.

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Katharine is a writer and photographer who has lived on the North Fork for nearly 40 years, except for three-plus years in Hong Kong a decade ago, working for the actor Jackie Chan. She lives in Cutchogue. Email Katharine