There is something special about Pembrokeshire lobster and it doesn’t take long to understand why once you spend time on this coastline. Cold clean waters, rugged rocky seabeds and slow natural growth give the lobster here its firm texture and deep sweet flavour. It is seafood shaped patiently by the sea rather than rushed by methods.
In the third part of our Pembrokeshire road trip, Anthony met Danny at Dash Shellfish and later called into Lobster and Mor to experience the full story of Pembrokeshire lobster, from the boats to the harbour café.
Watch Part Three of our Pembrokeshire Road Trip on YouTube as Anthony joins Danny at Dash Shellfish and follows the lobster journey from the sea to the tanks to the plate on the beach at Littlehaven.
Danny started Dash Shellfish in 2006 after returning home from university. A local conversation highlighted a gap in the market for a Pembrokeshire based shellfish wholesaler, and he decided to take the leap.
“Pembrokeshire was crying out for a shellfish wholesaler, so in 2006 I said yeah let’s have a crack at it.”
Early links with quality restaurants helped the business grow, and not long after, Danny bought his own fishing boat. When a shop came up in the village a year later, he took that on too. Today, his own catch and that of a nearby mate’s boat, supply restaurants across the country while keeping the local community at the heart of the business.
Fishing in Pembrokeshire has changed dramatically over the past decade. Crab stocks in particular have seen a significant drop, which has reshaped the balance of local fishing. Despite that, lobster numbers in Danny’s fishery remain healthy thanks to strict controls.
“If it has got a V notch in the tail it has to be returned. There has been no demise in my lobster fishery.”
Minimum size limits, breeding protection and small-scale pot fishing all play a role in protecting the future of the stock. It is careful, responsible work that values longevity over volume.
Pembrokeshire lobster sits at the heart of the coastline’s identity, shaped by the sea, the boats, and the people who work these waters. Sitting down with lobster from Dash Shellfish or at Lobster and Mor is to experience the landscape, the people, and the craft behind every catch.
It is wild, beautiful and unforgettable. It is food that reminds you exactly where you are.
Back at the holding tanks, live lobsters move slowly through circulating seawater. Each week, around 300 kilos pass through the system, heading directly to restaurants across the UK. Some stay briefly in tanks, while others move straight out for same day or next day service.
With the increasing dominance of large national food distributors, independent suppliers like Danny face ongoing pressure. Bulk imports and farmed alternatives make it harder for sustainable wild fishing to compete on price, even though the quality tells its own story.
Anthony reflected on this during the visit, explaining that Faber now works with more than twenty separate fish and shellfish suppliers to maintain choice, seasonality and integrity in the kitchen. It is more complex, but it keeps real producers at the centre of the supply chain.
The journey continued to Lobster and Mor in Littlehaven, where the final stage of the lobster story comes together. This small harbour café sits just minutes from the boats and serves lobster that is quite literally landed the same day.
“This morning, we went out to see the lobster pots being pulled from the sea. It went straight back to production and within six hours I had it in my sub.”
Fresh baked rolls, handmade seaweed butter and simply cooked lobster reveal exactly what Pembrokeshire does best. Sitting by the water, eating something that was alive that morning brings the whole supply chain into sharp focus.
Anthony did not hold back.
“This is one of those lifetime moments where everything is just spot on.”
Lobsters here grow slowly in deep, cold water. Their diet of mussels, clams and shellfish gives the meat its natural sweetness and depth. Rocky seabeds provide shelter while strong tides keep the water rich in oxygen. All of this combines to create lobster that is firm, flavourful and unmistakably local.
What truly sets it apart is the way it is caught. Small boats, traditional pots, undersized returns and careful handling all preserve both quality and stock levels. It is not mass production. It is skill, judgement and respect for the sea.