P.E.I. plans to break record for world's longest lobster roll

The great P.E.I.-New Brunswick lobster roll war is on again.

After Shediac, N.B., claimed the new record for assembling the world's longest lobster roll sandwich in July, Island fishermen have now accepted the challenge to break that record at September's P.E.I. International Shellfish Festival. 

• Shediac sets new record for longest lobster roll at 106.2 feet
• World's longest lobster roll record in question

The battle began last fall after P.E.I. fishermen put together what they thought was a record-breaking lobster roll 23 metres long. But the previous month, Shediac's Lobster Festival had actually built one 26 metres long — but neglected to update its website. A friendly rivalry emerged, with each vowing to top the other in coming years.

I'm one of the most competitive people you'll ever meet, fiercely competitive.— P.E.I. chef Ross Munro

"We are up for it!" said Melanie Giffin with the P.E.I. Fishermen's Association in Charlottetown, confirming detailed planning is already underway. 

P.E.I. chef Ross Munro will return as chef in charge. 

"I'm confident we're going to crush the record."

'Good aim'

In July, Giffin and PEIFA president Craig Avery travelled to Shediac to witness the creation of its contender, where Avery and Mike Boudreau with the Shediac Lobster Festival pretended to arm wrestle over the bread oven.

Shediac's achievement? This time there was no mistaking the large red numbers on the festival's website and social media — 106.2 feet, or 32.4 metres. 

P.E.I. now plans to top that with a 35-metre (116-foot) lobster roll. 

"We wanted to kind of incorporate this being 2016. We had to beat 106 feet, so we figure if we add at least 10 feet on that could be a good aim for us," Giffin said. 

Shortcomings 

Last year, the P.E.I. lobster roll turned out shorter than the 30 metres organizers planned. 

"You actually have to kind of overestimate how much dough we need, because it takes a few inches off each end of the dough to connect them," revealed Giffin. 

Chef Munro plans to try some techniques — which he refuses to share publicly — and admits he's been planning since last year's controversy. He'll use dough donated by the City of Summerside and Water Street Bakery. 

"I'm one of the most competitive people you'll ever meet, fiercely competitive," he said. "I'm always up for a good challenge!"

Another challenge for P.E.I. organizers this year is finding a new venue to bake one long, continuous lobster roll: they can't use the Charlottetown Seaport as they did in 2015 because there will be a cruise ship in port. 

The new venue must be close enough that volunteers can walk it to a tent on the Charlottetown Event Grounds on the waterfront, Giffin said. Founders Hall or the gym at the naval base are potential "kitchen" options so far. 

Setting the record straight

Right now the record-setting is all for sport — Guinness World Records only has a category for longest sandwich. That record is 735 metres, set in 2011 in Lebanon. 

The PEIFA now has a request to Guinness to create a lobster roll division. 

"They told me [they'd have a decision in] about 12 weeks, so that brings us right up to about two weeks before our attempt," said Giffin. "It would be great if they did." 

• P.E.I. fishermen build 23-metre long lobster roll
• ​​Roll with it: Where to find P.E.I.'s best lobster roll

'Take pride'

The PEIFA looking for 60 lobster boat captains — there are more than 1,200 on P.E.I. — to carry the roll, and for donations of lobster for the contest, rather than purchasing it as they did last year. 

"We're really hoping that the Island, in terms of the entire Island, will take pride in that and maybe donate some of the meat," Giffin said. 

Last year it took about 10 hours to bake the roll, 32 fishermen to carry it to the tent, almost 57 kilograms of filling using 34 kg of lobster meat mixed with 11 kg of mayonnaise and 11 kg of vegetables.

The roll fed about 400 festival-goers last year.

Here's a fun fact: the entire sandwich must be consumed for it to count as a record. Last year, organizers gave portions away for free. 

The lobster roll challenge will happen at the 2016 shellfish festival on September 18. More info here. 

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS I The cat came back — 19 months and several snowstorms later 
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS I P.E.I. Fishermen's Association wants separate minister for fisheries