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Clawed lobsters comprise a family (Nephropidae, sometimes also Homaridae) of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are an economically important type of seafood, the basis of a global industry that nets States dollar|US$" target="_blank" >*1.8 billion in trade annually.

Biology

Clawed lobsters should not be confused with spiny lobsters, which have no claws (chelae), and are not closely related. The closest relatives of clawed lobsters are the reef lobster Enoplometopus and the three families of freshwater crayfish.

Smaller varieties are sometimes called "lobsterettes". Lobsters are invertebrates, and have a tough exoskeleton, which protects them. Like all arthropods, lobsters must molt in order to grow, leaving them vulnerable during this time. Lobsters are considered a food delicacy around the world. In Japan and much of Europe, they are extremely expensive; in some parts of North America, much less so.

Lobsters live on rocky, sandy, or muddy bottoms from the shoreline to beyond the edge of the continental shelf. They generally live singly in crevices or in burrows under rocks.

Although many studies suggested that lobsters are primarily scavengers , feeding on molluscs and decaying animal matter, recent studies have shown that they primarily feed on live fish, dig for clams, sea urchins, and feed on algae and eel-grass. They occasionally eat other lobsters, too. An average adult lobster is about 230 mm (9 inches) long and weighs 700 to 900 g (1.5 to 2 pounds). Lobsters grow throughout their lives and are long-lived. They can thus reach impressive sizes. According to the Guinness World Records, the largest lobster was caught in Nova Scotia, Canada and weighed 20.14 kg (44.4 lb).

Being arthropods, lobsters are largely bilaterally symmetrical; clawed lobsters often possess unequal, specialized claws, like the king crab. A freshly caught lobster will have a claw that is full and fleshy, not atrophied. The anatomy of the lobster includes the cephalothorax which is the head fused with the thorax, both of which are covered by the carapace, and the abdomen. The lobster's head consists of antennae, antennules, mandibles, the first and second maxillae, and the first, second, and third maxillipeds. Because a lobster lives in a murky environment at the bottom of the ocean, its vision is poor and it mostly uses its antennae as sensors. Studies have shown that the lobster eye is formed with a reflective structure atop a convex retina. In contrast, most complex eyes use refractive ray concentrators (lenses) and a concave retina (cf. 357 M. F. Land, "Superposition Images are Formed by Reflection in the Eyes of Some Oceanic Decapod Crustacea," Nature, 1976, vol. 263, pp. 764-765.) The abdomen of the lobster includes swimmerets and its tail is composed of uropods and the telson.

In general, lobsters move slowly by walking on the bottom of the seafloor. However, when they are in danger and need to flee, they swim backwards quickly by curling and uncurling their abdomen. A speed of 5 meters per second has been recorded.

Symbion

In December 1995, the parasitic Symbion pandora, the only member of its phylum, was discovered attached to the feeding appendages of a Norway lobster. Since then, at least two other species of Symbion have been discovered, on the American lobster (Homarus americanus) and the European lobster (Homarus gammarus).

List of clawed lobster species

This list contains all known species in the family Nephropidae :

Gastronomy

Lobster is best eaten fresh, and they are normally purchased live. Lobsters are usually shipped and sold with their claws banded to prevent them from injuring each other or the purchaser. Lobsters can not open and close the claws when they are banded, which causes the claws to begin to atrophy inside the shell. Very fresh lobsters will not show this, and the claws will be full. Many restaurants that serve lobster keep a tank of the live creatures, often allowing patrons to pick their own.

The shell of the lobster makes eating them a slow process for the unskilled or timid, who may require a number of implements including nutcrackers, a small fork, and a plastic bib. It is possible to shell a lobster by hand if one is careful to avoid the sharp points. The tail can be snapped open by first squeezing its sides inward, and then grabbing the edges of the shell, placing the thumbs on the dorsal side and pulling the sides apart. The claws usually open by hyper-extending the lobster's "thumb" and then pulling it out. Sometimes the claws can then be cracked by simply squeezing them. Otherwise, an ordinary fork is usually sufficient to snap open the side of the claw.

The majority of the meat is in the tail and the two front claws, but smaller quantities can be found in the legs and torso. The larger the lobster the greater the proportion of meat in the small legs and body. Lobster can be consumed simply, boiled or steamed, or used in a wide array of dishes and salads. It can be served as lobster soup or bisque.

History

In North America prior to the 20th century, lobster was not popular as food. In the Maritimes, eating lobster was considered a mark of poverty. In some parts of the Maritime provinces of Canada, lobster was used as a fertilizer for farmers' fields, and a great deal of lobster was fed to slaves or the lower members of society. Outside of the rural outports lobster was sold canned, losing much of its flavour, which can be disguised if the lobster is dipped in drawn butter.

The reputation of lobster changed with the development of the modern transportation industry that allowed live lobsters to be shipped from the outports to large urban centres. Fresh lobster quickly became a luxury food and a tourist attraction for the Maritimes and Maine and an export to Europe and Japan where it is especially expensive.

Slaughtering the lobster

Animal rights issues
The issue of whether or not lobsters are capable of experiencing pain remains unsolved. A Norwegian study released in February 2005 suggested that lobsters were unable to feel pain, while a Scottish study released in the same year concluded that lobsters probably can feel pain .

The most common way of killing a lobster is by placing it in boiling water. This method is controversial because some people believe the lobster should be de-sensitized beforehand by placing it in a freezer for some time. The Norwegian study states that the lobster may be de-sensitized by placing it in a salt-solution 15 mins. before killing it. The quickest way to kill a lobster may be to insert a knife into its head and claw the head in two, thereby destroying two of the most important nerve clusters of the lobster. Some feel that this is more humane than placing the live lobster into boiling water. Freezing the lobster for 15 minutes to 2 hours before boiling may de-sensitize the lobster, although no proof of this exists.

Culinary issues
If the lobster is to be boiled or steamed, most cooks place the live lobster into the pot. If the lobster is to be fried, grilled or baked it is best not to boil the lobster before further cooking. Freezing the lobster may toughen the meat.

Famous lobster dishes

Lobster Newberg
Also "lobster à la Newburg"...The dish was made famous at Delmonico's Restaurant in New York in 1876 when the recipe was brought to chef Charles Ranhofer by a West Indies sea captain named Ben Wenberg. It was an immediate hit, especially for after-theater suppers, and owner Charles Delmonico honored the captain by naming the dish "lobster a la Wenberg." But later Wenberg and Delmonico had a falling-out, and the restauranteur took the dish off the menu, restoring it only by popular demand by renaming it "lobster à la Newberg," reversing the first three letters of the captain's name. Chef Ranhofer also called it "lobster à la Delmonico," but the appellation "Newberg" (by 1897 it was better known under the spelling "Newburg") stuck, and the dish became a standard in hotel dining rooms in the United States. It is still quite popular and is found in French cookbooks, where it is sometimes referred to as "Homard sauté à la crème."...The first printed recipe appeared in 1895.”—Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani. New York: Lebhar-Friedman, 1999. Pages 187–8.
Lobster Americaine (Also called Armoricaine)
The lobster is prepared by cutting a live lobster in half. The lobster is added to a frying pan, after the the intestines and stomach are removed. Brandy is added to the pan after 5 minutes and the lobster is flambéed. After the lobster is removed, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs are added with white wine making a stock. The lobsters are added into the pan and cooked a while longer. The lobster is then removed again, the stock is reduced and butter is added to make a sauce. The sauce is poured over it to serve.

References

External links

True lobsters | Edible crustaceans

Hummerartige | Langosta (crustáceo) | Homard | Nephropidae | Lobster | Zeekreeften | Homar | Lagosta | Hummerit | Hummer

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Lobster".

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