After 20 years in his tank at Peter’s Clam Bar in Island Park, NY, Louie was finally freed from his perch and into the open waters. Louie, a 22-pound lobster, was booted from the tank in honor of National Lobster Month. After years of acting as the restaurant “pet,” Peter’s Clam Bar owner Butch Yamali decided to make the call.
He was a natural choice due to his advanced age of 132 years old. “We really can’t sell him and we really can’t eat him because the meat would be too tough,” Yamali told Food and Wine.
Louie received an official pardon from the town of Hempstead, NY, which “return[ed] Louie to a life that is better down where it’s wetter.” The town supervisor quoting “The Little Mermaid” is iconic in itself, but it could not be for a better cause.
After the pardoning, Louie had an official goodbye celebration. That sounds like the party of the century, tbh. Thanks for the invite, Lou. Yamali admitted that saying goodbye was “bittersweet,” but, “We know he’s in a better place.”
The lobster was viewed as somewhat of a restaurant “pet” by management, but the locals often hoped to eat him. No offense, but who the fuck wants to eat him?
This lobster is a freaking commodity, and honestly idk why anyone would want to take a bite. Yamali has received numerous offers to sell Louie, including a recent offer for $1,000 to cook him up.
Thankfully, Yamali held off and didn’t sell Louie, but I am quite unsure of why anyone would want him. Again, his old age means that his meat is hard af, and this lobster was literally in a tank for 20 years #gross.
Don’t worry about ol’ Louie, though. He was released into the Atlantic Ocean by Island Park, NY. Although it’s not the most ideal spot to let him go, Bob Bayer of the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine told ABC that he should be OK.
“If the water quality is reasonable, that lobster will be fine. They run basically on instinct so it should be able to find food,” Bayer said.
On the other hand, Louie is too old to be hot prey for ocean predators, but he’s still got time to find love.
Keep Louie in your thoughts and prayers as he continues on his oceanic journey, and be thankful that he got this insane pardon and was not consumed by one of the hungry customers.