For John Ingalls, fishing is more than just a hobby. 

Ingalls, who is the 11th generation of his 13-generation Swampscott family, has spent his life in the seaside town. His ancestor Benjamin, who fought in the Revolutionary War, was a fisherman who later died at sea in an anchor-related accident.

The love for the sea, however, continued to Ingalls. His father had friends who were fishermen and lobstermen. 

“I would go with them, and I really enjoyed it,” Ingalls said. 

Ingalls opened the upscale restaurant Palmers on Humphrey Street in 1988. It later expanded to Andover. While preparing soups and handling much of the kitchen prep, Ingalls also headed out to sea to catch fresh fish for the restaurant.

“I got a new boat and would go out and fish and bring the fish into the restaurant,” Ingalls said. “I did it for a long time. I’ve been doing it for my whole life pretty much.”

He said his lobster cakes were “one of our most popular dishes.”

Ingalls still fishes today as well. During the current striped bass season, Inglass said he and hsi son “went out yesterday and we did pretty good.”

“We sold quite a few pounds,” Ingalls said. “We bring that over to Patriot Seafood in Salem, and they serve it to the local restaurants.”

Ingalls said he hopes the fishing tradition continues from his son to his new grandson, Henry.

For Doug Schmidt, he enjoys the sport from the recreational side. There are different regulations for what he can keep and how many fish per day, but Schmidt said he moved to Swampscott in part due to the access to the sea.

“I didn’t have a boat at first. It was just the beautiful access to the beaches and the views and being able to raise a family in a great community,” Schmidt said. “When COVID-19 kicked in I was like ‘let’s get a boat.’”

Schmidt grew up fishing in the Midwest, but he said the Swampscott waters offer a wider variety of species – and much larger fish.

“A big fish on the lake is 18 inches, and sometimes you use that as bait to fish for fish in the ocean,” Schmidt said. 

Whether competing in a Swampscott Yacht Club contest for the largest striped bass or simply relaxing on the water with friends, Schmidt spends plenty of time aboard his boat.

He also joked that some trips end without too many catches. 

“They call it fishing, not catching, so a lot of times you’re just fishing,” Schmidt said. “It’s no guarantee because you get a bite that you’re going to pull something in. It’s just part of the sport, part of the fun of it.”

When Schmidt does catch something, he said he often bakes it with some oil and bread crumbs. He also has recreational lobster pots that sometimes come up bountiful.

Swampscott residents responded to a poll by the Swampscott Tides that their three most favorite summer seafood dishes are lobster rolls (19.6%), fried clams (17.6%) and fish and chips (13.7%).

Ingalls shared his lobster cake recipe with the Swampscott Tides for readers who want to try it at home. 

“It’s really simple to follow,” Ingalls said. “The recipe is easy to cook…I actually made them earlier this week for my wife’s birthday.”

Palmers Lobster Cake

From Chef John Ingalls

Makes 12 (2-ounce) cakes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup diced bell pepper (red preferred)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1–2 pounds lobster meat (claw, tail, or a combination)
• 2 cups oyster crackers, finely ground into crumbs
• Tabasco sauce, to taste
• Worcestershire sauce, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Cornmeal, for coating
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Method

1. In a sauté pan over medium heat, sweat the onion, celery, and bell pepper until softened and translucent. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. In a saucepan, reduce the heavy cream by half.
3. Add the reduced cream to the vegetables and mix well.
4. Fold in the lobster meat and season with Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
5. Add the ground oyster cracker crumbs one-third at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition until fully incorporated.
6. Refrigerate the mixture for about 1 hour.
7. Shape into twelve 2-ounce cakes, or your preferred size.                                 

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Coat each lobster cake lightly with cornmeal on all sides.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the lobster cakes and cook for 2 minutes per side, until lightly golden.
5. Transfer the cakes to the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes, and serve.