Lobster Lingo - How Well Do You Know About Lobster?

Learn about the parts and anatomy of lobsters and the lingo used in the lobster trade.

What is lobster?

Lobster is one of the most widely cultivated seafood species in coastal areas of many countries around the world. This seafood species is loved by many people because it can make many delicious dishes. Lobster especially has high nutritional value, good for human body development.

Lobster farming requires special care techniques. That partly explains the current value of lobster compared to other seafood species. It also has a relatively high price when buying and preparing dishes.

Another issue that many people are interested in when it comes to lobster is what do lobster eats? Without research, you will not know what this seafood species eats to live.

Lobster is a good source of protein and is not high in saturated fat like other high-fat meat products. The main food of lobsters is animals such as fish, shrimp, crabs, small crustaceans, mollusks… It is this healthy diet of lobsters that will bring benefits to humans.

Whenever people think of lobster, people think of a bright red crustacean on a plate of food. Or it could also be a territorial creature in the ocean's caves. Despite being a specialty, lobster has a very interesting life.

What parts does a lobster have?

People classify the structure of lobster into 2 main parts. Those are the body parts of the lobster that can be eaten and the parts that cannot be eaten. So let's also find out how this seafood has a structure.

Edible Parts

Foot Parts

Lobster has 10 legs. The four pairs of legs contain small strips of flesh that take some work to remove. Lobsters use their eight hind legs to walk. At night, lobsters will walk along the ocean floor in search of food.

Claws

Lobsters use their claws to capture food and fight other predators and lobsters. The larger of the two nails is called a crusher nail and the smaller one is called a pincer or clipper nail. The claws of a hard-shelled lobster are filled with sweet and tender flesh.

Lobster tail

The tail is the most popular part of a lobster for foodies because it is the easiest to prepare and often the most meaty. Lobster tail meat is tougher than claw meat due to how and how often the lobster tail is used.

Lobster head

Heads are not edible lobsters. However, both the body and the head contain edible flesh. A good amount of rib meat also sits in the middle of the thin skin of the body.

Coral

If you have a female lobster, you will see red balls inside a cooked lobster. These are immature eggs called Lobster eggs and are naturally black in color.

Cook until eggs turn red - that is, they are done and ready to be enjoyed. The delicious, fatty taste is loved by many people.

Inedible Parts

Lobster antennae 

Lobsters have four long, thin antennae that are covered with tiny hairs. Lobster picks up antennae to smell. In bright light, a lobster can go blind. The long antennae are used to sense the area around the lobster. The four small antennae on the front of their heads are used to "smell" their food or chemicals in the water.

Lobster shell

Lobsters will outgrow their shells. Each year a lobster sheds its shell and develops a new shell, often several centimeters larger than the previous one, to accommodate the growth of the shrimp.

The shell is the skeleton of the lobster and it cannot grow. Lobsters must shed their shells to grow. It is called molting. Soft shell lobster has less meat than hard shell lobster.

Lobster eyes

Lobsters have eyes on long, thin movable structures called stalks. Lobsters have special eyes that allow them to see in dimly lit and murky waters 90 meters above the ocean's surface.

What's the stuff inside your lobster?

• Red stuff: The inside of a lobster is an egg. Lobster eggs are red, found in female lobsters. It is found at the base of the body and along the tail. Lobsters reproduce by laying lobster eggs. The eggs are carried by the female until they are ready to hatch. Lobster eggs are like fish eggs.
• Green stuff: The inside of the lobster has a light green part located in the shell. This green thing is the liver and pancreas of the lobster. However, it is not recommended to eat this portion often. For most seafood species, the liver and pancreas will have contaminants deposited. The best way is that we should discard this part and eat the outside meat to be safer.

Frequently asked questions about anatomy of a lobster

How many legs does a lobster have?

Lobsters are crustaceans with 10 legs. Currently, in the world, 9 types of spiny lobsters have been discovered, some of which are popularly farmed such as Bong lobster (Star lobster, Heo lobster), blue lobster (short-legged green lobster), red lobster (flaming lobster). ), Lobster Lobster (long-legged green, Lobster), bamboo lobster (Te Thien).

The lobster's body has segments, legs, swimming buoys, pairs of antennae, tail and spines on the lobster's shell. One must spend a lot of time and effort to raise this type of seafood.

Do lobsters have blood? What color is lobster's blood?

Technically, blood is the liquid in the vertebrate body. It transports oxygen and nutrients to cells and carries away carbon dioxide and other waste products. In invertebrates like lobsters, this fluid is called hemolymph or haemolymph. The functions of the hemolymph are to transport nutrients, regulate temperature, and heal wounds.

In lobsters, hemocyanin is a protein that transports oxygen in the blood. Freshly drawn blood is colorless and forms a blue tinge when exposed to air.

The lobster's circulatory system is in its primitive form, an 'open' system with no veins.

There are holes in the heart that pump a thin greenish liquid into the arteries and through all parts of the body, flooding the organs beneath the shrimp's shell. When cutting into the shell, liquid leaks out into the tray. This blood is a white, creamy substance that floats to the surface when lobsters are boiled.

Thus, in total, lobster blood will be colorless when freshly cut, and may have a green color if exposed to air, if boiled, it becomes white, creamy.

What are black spots on lobster tail meat?

This is essentially a disease that lobsters have. Black spot disease usually occurs in lobsters from 20 days old to 90 days old. The disease is usually detected during the transition of seasons with prolonged erratic weather. However, lobsters are still at risk of disease regardless of the time of year. 

This type of disease when people eat it will be harmful to the body. Therefore, please pay attention to find out carefully whether lobsters have this disease before buying and preparing dishes.

What is a female lobster called?

A lot of people can't tell what does lobster look like if it's female. The first distinction is that you need to pick up the lobster and turn it upside down to observe the first couple of fins on the lobster's belly. If the fins are small and soft, it is a female lobster, and if the fins are large, it is quite long, hard and pointed compared to the female.

In addition, for female lobsters, their two ovaries, run along the lobster's abdomen. When cutting the tail to the length of the shrimp, you will see a rather large red line, which is the ovary, which is still edible.

Why is my lobster meat green?

That green substance is the liver of the lobster, also known as tomalleye. When cooked, this substance will be washed away and no longer on the lobster.

Why is my lobster is missing a claw?

Occasionally lobsters will release their claws to defend themselves. Besides, the lobsters will also fight with each other to protect the territory. Lobsters with only one claw are commonly called Cull lobster and the price will be cheaper than the normal type. Lobster also takes several molts to regrow their claws.

Conclusion

Lobster is nutritious seafood to help your family get delicious healthy meals. Thereby housewives can process a lot of dishes with different flavors. However, there are also many problems that we need to pay attention to when processing this seafood species. Hopefully with Lobster Lingo is Fishermen's Net shared in the article, you will find yourself the most useful knowledge.

• Website: www.mualobster.com
• Address: 849 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04103
• Tel: +1 (207) 999 2424