This long, thin vein is the lobster’s digestive tract, similar to the vein in shrimp. While it’s safe to eat, it doesn’t enhance the flavor and can create a grainy texture. Additionally, keep an eye out for roe (eggs) near the top of the tail and make sure they are thoroughly cleaned.
Must be standard someplace, I guess, but it sure isn’t in Spain (nor, from what little I’ve seen of shrimps there, in France or Italy, but like I said I don’t exactly go around looking for shrimp). Then again, one of the differences in restaurant categories is whether the shrimp gets peeled or not; peeling them often removes the black line without any specific work. Note that I said “peel”, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that was sliced.
People are worried about all sorts of things. Personally, I am not worried about toxins in my lobsters/shrimps tomalley as such. The only reason for removing the tomalley for me is the thought of it being the poop-chute – but then again, sometimes it doesn’t bother me – It’s a choice.
You don’t have to remove either. It’s done for appearance. When cooked the contents are harmless. Restaurants may remove the digestive tract from lobsters before serving, but not alway if the lobster is served whole. With lobsters the bug is usually kept alive for a while without food and the tract will be empty and not noticeable (although in females it may be full of roe). Shrimp aren’t kept that way and need to be deveined for appearance, or if to be eaten raw.
Rinse the raw tail under cool water. Scrape out the black intestinal line on the back of the lobster with a paring knife. Use a knife to devein cooked lobster tail – no rinsing is necessary.
Flip the lobster upside down so the belly is facing you. Cut a slit in the center of the shell starting from the open top to the tail.
Turn the lobster over and make the same cut on the opposite side. Pull the two sides apart and release the tail meat.
Hold the lobsters upper body in your left hand and the tail in you right. Twist your hands in opposite directions to remove the tail from the body.
More than 200,000 tons of lobsters of all varieties are harvested and sold commercially each year. Lobster claws offer sweet claw meat, but the lobsters tail is where the largest portion of meat is found. Before dipping lobster meat in butter, or chopping it for use in a succulent recipe such as a lobster salad or lobster roll, you should clean the tail. While theres no real danger in an uncleaned lobster tail, many diners are put off by the sight. Deveining a lobster tail is a relatively quick and easy process.
Do This Critical Step Before Cooking Lobsters! How to Clean, Prep, Cut, Crack Boston Lobsters
FAQ
Do you have to remove lobster vein?
Do you have to clean lobster tails before cooking?
Is it OK to eat the green stuff in a lobster?
How do you devein a lobster tail?
Deveining a lobster tail is a relatively quick and easy process. Hold the lobster’s upper body in your left hand and the tail in you right. Twist your hands in opposite directions to remove the tail from the body. Flip the lobster upside down so the belly is facing you. Cut a slit in the center of the shell starting from the open top to the tail.
Do you need to clean a lobster tail?
Before dipping lobster meat in butter, or chopping it for use in a succulent recipe such as a lobster salad or lobster roll, you should clean the tail. While there’s no real danger in an uncleaned lobster tail, many diners are put off by the sight. Deveining a lobster tail is a relatively quick and easy process.
Is it safe to eat uncleaned lobster tails?
While there’s no real danger in an uncleaned lobster tail, many diners are put off by the sight. Deveining a lobster tail is a relatively quick and easy process. Hold the lobster’s upper body in your left hand and the tail in you right. Twist your hands in opposite directions to remove the tail from the body.
How do you handle a live lobster?
First and foremost, safety: Handling live lobsters can be intimidating, but it is easier than it appears. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, hold the lobster firmly behind the claws to keep it from pinching you. Overcooking lobster is one of the most common cooking mistakes. If you’re not careful, lobster can quickly go from succulent to rubbery.