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Lobster Cooking Facts
Do lobsters feel pain when you cook them?
The nervous system of a lobster is very simple. For an organism to perceive pain it must have a more complex nervous system. Neurophysiologists tell us that lobsters, like insects, do not process pain.
What is the "green stuff" you find in the cooked lobsters? Can you eat it?
This is the tomalley or tamali, which functions like the liver, pancreas and intestines in the lobster. Many find it delicious to eat. Recently there have been concerns about finding dioxin in tomalley. According to the Advanced Seafood Handbook "there are no known safety considerations when it comes to eating lobster meat. However, consumers are advised not to eat the tomalley, the light green substance found in the lobster's carapace. This is the liver and pancreas, which are thought to accumulate contaminants from the environment." Much like the liver of other animals, the lobster's tomalley is the natural filter for contaminants, like dioxins, from entering the system. Finding dioxins in the lobster tomalley is regrettable. However, it is also a reassuring indication of the lobster's natural defense system at work, keeping the lobster meat wholesome, nutritious and delicious.
What is the red stuff you find inside along the tail of cooked lobster? Can you eat it?
This reddish "coral" as it is called is lobster roe or eggs. Some consider it a gourmet treat.
What do lobsters eat?
Lobsters usually hunt for food at night. It was once thought that lobsters were scavengers and ate primarily dead things. However, researchers have discovered that lobsters catch mainly fresh food (except for bait) which includes fish, clams, mussels, crabs, sea urchins and sometimes even other lobsters! There are, however, many fish that eat baby lobsters.
What is the difference between a hard shell and soft shell lobster?
Lobsters will periodically shed their shells as they grow. This can happen as many as 25 times before they are 6-7 years old; then males shed every year and mature, females every two years. When lobsters become very large molting is less frequent. After they shed they have a paper thin shell, which can take up to two months to harden, and are called soft-shell, new shell or shedders. The debate goes on as to which is most tasty, though the soft-shell are definitely easier to crack!
How can you minimize the movement of a lobster when its placed in a cooking pot?
A few seconds after a lobster is dropped in boiling water it will begin to twitch its tail. The tail movement, which can continue for about one minute, is part of a reflex action found in lobster known as the escape response - it is a reflex action to any stimulus. We've found the most effective way is to minimize the lobster's movement time is to chill/ice it before dropping it in water that has come to a rolling boil.
What is the white "goop" you find in the lobsters and the water after you cook them?
This is the hemolymph, often referred to as the blood of the lobster.
