Three girlfriends went out for lunch today to a restaurant we had been to twice before. Each time we all ordered the same thing – calamari. We didn’t even know that we each loved squid so much.

This restaurant is by the water, near the wharf in the town of Campbell River on Vancouver Island. It was an easy 40-minute drive for us and well worth it.

We talked about making calamari at home, but our problem was the lack of available squid. Yes, we live by the sea, but the only squid I know being caught is used for bait for other fisheries. I would gladly eat fish bait! If only we could buy it.

We went to a tiny fish shop at the town wharf to see if they might have squid. No luck. They had all kinds of seafood, even lobster from the east coast (we are on the west coast), but no squid. We just don’t have enough of a squid culture here to support a commercial fishery for squid.

But while we were at Crabby Bob’s fish shop, now run by Crabby Abby (who is really sweet – not crabby at all), we had a look around. The seafood was fresh and clean. We were impressed and will probably come back one day to buy some of her product.

Outside the shop on a little patio not in use today because of the rain, we saw a great crab made of wood, a perfect mascot for Crabby Bob’s (or Abby’s).

 

Here he is from another angle.

Watch out for those pincers.