Have you ever heard someone refer to a lobster as a “chicken”? What about a “cull” or a “sleeper”? These are all words used to describe different lobsters and youll want to bone up on your lobster lingo so you know what to expect.
Lobster Terminology
A key to selecting the best lobster is to understand what certain terms mean. Some of these refer to delicacies you can find within the lobster while others are useful in determining the quality of the lobster itself.
- Tomalley: The liver of the lobster. It is greenish in color and prized for its flavor. It is often added to sauces to boost the lobster flavor.
- Coral: Deep red when raw and coral pink in color when cooked, this is the roe or egg sac found only in the female. They are considered a delicacy and are also often added to sauces.
- Chicken: These are small lobsters popular in New England, ranging in weight from one to two pounds. The name allegedly refers to their tenderness.
- Hen: Female lobster.
- Cock: Male lobster.
- Paquette: A French term for a female lobster with fully formed eggs. The lobster is deemed most succulent at this stage and commands a high price.
- Pistol: A lobster that has lost its claws, usually due to predators. Luckily, lobsters regenerate their claws.
- Cull: A lobster that has lost one of its claws. These are used when the presentation of the full lobster is not a factor. They are usually less expensive but perfectly fine for all but the fanciest dinner party where looks count.
- Sleeper: Term for a lobster that is so sluggish it cannot hold up its claws. These have been out of their environment too long and are usually close to death. They should be avoided.
- Soft-shell: Like crabs, lobsters molt their shell. Unlike crabs, they are not a good choice, although they are certainly edible. Soft-shell lobsters feel lighter and will rattle when shaken. The shell color is also usually much redder than usual. They have less meat and are not necessarily flavorful, so the connoisseur usually avoids them.
- Lobster shack: New England, particularly Maine, is awash with these roadside restaurants. They specialize in freshly cooked lobsters with very little embellishment.
- Shorts on: A term used in the industry to indicate a lobsterman who has caught lobsters under or above the legal size limit.
What do lobsters eat? Do they have teeth? Lobsters like to eat crabs, clams, mussels, starfish, other small fish and shellfish… and sometimes even other lobsters. A lobster does have teeth — but they are not in its mouth, they are in its stomach. The food is chewed in the stomach between by what look like three molars. These are called the “gastric mill”.
What color is a lobster?Most lobsters are a greenish brown color like the small one in the picture. Sometimes, but not very often, lobsters are blue like the bigger one in the picture. They can also be yellow, or white, or even more than one color. A lobster of any color (except white) will turn red when you cook it.
Can you keep all the lobsters you catch? No. Sometimes lobsters have to be put back in the ocean. Most of the time, lobstermen will put mother lobsters back into the ocean; and also the smaller, younger lobsters. Sometimes they put the very big lobster back too. They do this to be sure there will always be enough lobsters in the ocean and enough for fishermen to catch and people to eat. This is called conservation.
Who can fish for lobsters? A lobsterman can be a man or a woman…or a boy or a girl. You have to get a special fishing license just for lobsters. Some people catch lobsters for fun, but many men and women catch and sell lobsters as their job. You need to learn how from another person that catches lobsters and you have to have that special license.
How big can a lobster get? How does it grow? The biggest lobsters ever seen were about 3 1/2 to 4 feet long from the tip of their claws to the end of their tails. The world record weight for a lobster is 44 pounds and 6 ounces! Lobsters grow by molting — that means when they want to grow bigger they will lose their outside shell and grow a new, bigger shell. Then their body will grow to fill the new shell. This happens many times when they are very little, and then as they get older it will only happen once a year or once every two years. When they first molt to grow, the new shell is very soft but will soon get harder again.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S |Ross & Rachel| “You’re my Lobster”
FAQ
What is the proper name for a lobster?
What do people call lobster?
What is the real name of a lobster?
What is the technical term for a lobster?
What is a female Lobster called?
Hen: Female lobster. Cock: Male lobster. Paquette: A French term for a female lobster with fully formed eggs. The lobster is deemed most succulent at this stage and commands a high price. Pistol: A lobster that has lost its claws, usually due to predators. Luckily, lobsters regenerate their claws. Cull: A lobster that has lost one of its claws.
What is the tastiest part of a lobster?
The claws of hard-shell lobsters are full of tender, sweet meat. Knuckles: The two joints connect the large claws to the carapace. Connoisseurs say the knuckle meat is the tastiest. Tails: The tail holds the biggest piece of meat in the lobster. Digestive System: Lobsters have a three-part digestive system – foregut, midgut, and hindgut.
What are the different types of lobster?
For the most part there are two main types of lobster, cold water and warm water. First up is the warm water lobster, which is commonly caught off the coast of Asia, the Caribbean, Florida, California and the Mediterranean. Warm water lobster have a fishier taste, often with a softer mushier texture, which means they are often difficult to handle.
Which part of a lobster is most popular?
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.