Sea hermit crab. Large sea crayfish: photo and description
More than 70 thousand of all kinds of crustacean creatures live on our planet. They are found in almost all bodies of water in the world: rivers, lakes, seas and, of course, oceans. With all the diversity of crustaceans, even today not all of their species are well studied by zoologists. Some of the most striking representatives of this subtype of animals are the large sea lobster, hermit crab and mantis crab.
What are crustaceans?
This is how a huge group (subtype) is usually called. These include the well-known crabs, shrimps, crayfish, sea crayfish (mantises, hermits, etc. Currently, scientists have described about 73 thousand species of these creatures. Representatives of this group of animals have mastered almost all types of reservoirs on our planet.
The vast majority of crustaceans are actively moving creatures, but in nature you can also find stationary forms, for example, barnacles or It is worth noting that not all crustaceans are marine animals; some of them, for example, crabs and woodlice, prefer to live on land.
Lifestyle
Crustacean animals, including the lobster, the mantis crab, and the hermit crab, are both large and small within their family and species. Many of these animals are able to camouflage perfectly, radically changing their color to match the color of the surrounding ground, for example, the blue lobster. As mentioned above, while some crayfish run, swim and climb everywhere, others prefer a passive lifestyle, attaching themselves to certain underwater objects.
Many crustacean creatures protect themselves from enemies with the help of calcareous shells, but not all have this ability. For example, the large sea crayfish lobster, as well as shrimp and crabs, do not have shells at all. Their body is covered with a reliable shell consisting of durable chitinous plates. The familiar crayfish also have such shells.
Reproduction
Marine crustaceans reproduce by laying eggs. In all large crayfish they look like fish eggs. For example, lobsters lay their eggs in incredibly large numbers - from 1.5 to 600 million eggs per period. Of course, not all eggs will hatch into crustaceans. The vast majority of them go to feed fish and other marine animals.
So, let's take a closer look at several prominent representatives of the subphylum of marine crustaceans, the hermit and the lobster.
Mantis crab
These animals live at shallow depths in subtropical and tropical seas. Their unique feature is the most complex eyes in the world. For example, if we can distinguish only three primary colors and their shades, then mantis crabs see a spectrum consisting of 12 colors. Scientists who have studied these animals are confident that they see infrared and ultraviolet colors, as well as different types of polarization of the light flux.
Lifestyle and hunting of mantises
The marine mantis crayfish is a rather aggressive creature that leads a solitary lifestyle. It spends most of its time in crevices or in ground burrows. Mantis crayfish leave their shelters only when searching for food or changing their habitat. These creatures catch their prey with the help of sharp and jagged segments on their grasping legs: during an attack, the mantis sea crayfish makes several quick and powerful kicks at the victim, killing it. Animals feed on both small crustaceans and gastropods. They do not disdain carrion.
hermit crab
These creatures have an unusual appearance. It largely depends on their habitat. Hermit crabs are encased in a spiral-twisted shell. Only three pairs of walking legs are visible from the outside. The first pair has claws of different sizes. The largest claw plays the role of a plug: with it the sea hermit crab plugs the entrance to its own shell.
Hermit lifestyle
The name of this species of sea crayfish speaks for itself: they lead a solitary lifestyle. As a home and shelter, most hermits use shells left over from these creatures. These creatures live in intertidal zones and at shallow sea depths. Some hermit crabs can leave the water element for a long time, returning to the sea only during their breeding season. Hermits are typical corpse eaters.
Lobster (lobster)
This is a large marine crayfish of the invertebrate family. At first glance, this creature may resemble the well-known crayfish, but there is still a difference between them. All representatives of this family are distinguished by huge clawed limbs. Otherwise, they are very similar to ordinary crayfish.
How to recognize a lobster?
To distinguish a real lobster from one or another large crayfish, you need to pay attention to its claws and legs. The fact is that true lobsters have rather massive claws located on the first pair of legs. These animals also have claws on the second and third pairs of legs, only several times smaller than those on the first. In total, these creatures have five pairs of limbs.
External description of lobsters
Lobster is a sea crayfish that inhabits the vast majority of water bodies on our planet. Its powerful claws are an indispensable tool for obtaining food and protecting against all kinds of sea enemies. Lobsters have three pairs of jaws on their heads. The most powerful are the so-called mandibles, with the help of which crustaceans grind food. The remaining jaws filter it. By the way, lobsters can easily crack shell shells with their large claws.
These creatures eat everything that is organic in nature, that is, they eat everything that falls into their claws. To do this, they wander for hours along the bottom of the sea. Like all crayfish, the favorite food of lobsters is the half-rotten remains of sea animals. They also do not disdain small crustaceans, snails, mollusks and other invertebrates.
The eyes of the world's largest crayfish are made up of many small and individual eyes called facets. Amazingly, one lobster eye can consist of 3,000 facets! Only deep-sea crayfish do not have them. The bristles located on the head replace their sense organs. With their help, lobsters touch, smell and determine the chemical composition of water.
General description of lobsters
Lobsters, like many marine animals, breathe through gills. They are located under their shell. These creatures prefer exclusively cool and moderately salty waters, the temperature of which does not exceed 20 degrees Celsius. Lobsters are practically impossible to find in the seas washing the shores of our country, since their habitat is limited to the Scandinavian Peninsula on the Atlantic side.
This sea crayfish has well-defined sexual dimorphism, i.e. males are always much larger than females. The abdominal region of these animals is quite well developed: all appendages and segments are distinguishable without any difficulty. The chitinous shell of lobsters molts from time to time.
The body musculature of these animals consists of specialized and well-developed muscles. The lifespan of male lobsters ranges from 25 to 32 years, and that of female lobsters up to 55 years. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest sea lobster was caught in Canada (Nova Scotia). His weight was 20.15 kg.
Lobster behavior when in danger
Lobster is a sea crayfish capable of injuring itself for its own safety. For example, when captured by some enemy, lobsters throw them off without hesitation, i.e., they independently lose their own legs (sometimes up to six at a time). This allows them to escape danger by hiding in cover.
Lost limbs are regenerated over time, that is, they are restored. True, the process of their complete restoration may last several years, but what can you do - your own life is more valuable. And lobsters understand this very well.
Why does a lobster die?
Firstly, lobsters, like other crustaceans, are links in the food chain. In other words, they feed many marine fish (as their main food) and birds. To be honest, lobsters and other crayfish, as well as shrimp, oysters, and crabs, are people’s favorite delicacy food. It has even gotten to the point that entire factories are now being built where crayfish are specially bred for further consumption.
Secondly, lobsters are quite sensitive to the chemical composition of the water. A mortal threat to these animals is the constant pollution of waters with various industrial wastes, slags and other debris.
Lobsters in cooking
As already noted, in cooking, large sea crayfish is considered an exquisite delicacy. People eat its meat, which is famous for its tenderness. Meat from under the shell, as well as from the legs and host of lobsters is eaten. In addition, people eat the caviar and liver of these animals. In restaurants, soufflés, soups, salads, jellied dishes, croquettes, mousses, etc. are prepared from crustaceans.
Lobster extermination
The population of crustaceans is constantly declining. Since the middle of the 19th century, the first attempts were made to breed lobsters in artificial reservoirs. At the beginning of the 21st century, this activity gained full momentum. However, people still cannot find a commercially viable method for cultivating sea crayfish.
Crayfish are a subphylum of crustaceans that include the well-known crabs, lobsters (often called crayfish), shrimp, and common freshwater crayfish.
Today we will try to figure out whether a lobster can be called a sea crayfish and whether there are differences between it and an ordinary crayfish, except that the former live in sea water, and the latter settle in freshwater lakes and rivers. Let's say right away that there are differences not only in size. Sea crayfish has a slightly different body structure from river crayfish, as well as a completely different taste of meat, not to mention the fact that it needs to be cooked in a completely different way.
Video “Lobster habitat and nutrition”
This film tells about such a wonderful sea creature as the lobster. What does it eat, what size can it grow to and how long does it live?
Biological classification of freshwater crayfish and lobsters.
Both lobsters and crayfish are typical representatives of the subphylum - crustaceans, representing arthropods. They also have the same classification - these are higher crayfish, and they also belong to the same order - decapod crayfish. Next comes the division into infraorders, from which in our case we need to highlight Astacidea - which includes sea crayfish and the freshwater ones familiar to us.
And only the next step in the classification of these animals is different, namely, they belong to different families. To be more precise, lobsters are marine arthropods, and multiple species of river ones are also combined into an independent family.
Similarities and differences between crayfish and sea lobster
In their structure, both the first and the second are extremely similar: they have an equal number of tentacles, the first pair of limbs are claws, a hard shell, with clearly defined parts and appendages.
In both river and sea crayfish, males are significantly larger in size than females.
The lobster or sea crayfish differs from the freshwater one in its massive claws. In river fish, with similar body sizes, they are several times smaller.
In general, almost all types of lobsters are large in size when compared with related inhabitants of lakes and rivers. For example, a huge specimen is listed in the Guinness Book of Records - this is a sea lobster that weighs more than 20 kg. Even the largest crayfish is not able to reach 10% of this weight.
Another main difference is the environment in which they live. Crayfish live and reproduce only in fresh water, as a rule, these are rivers, rates, lakes, ponds and streams. Lobsters live only in salt water oceans, seas, lagoons and bays.
How long do they live?
Probably many people don’t know, but the arthropods we describe are real long-livers. For example, ordinary cancer survives under favorable conditions for up to 20 years, and sometimes more. As for its marine counterparts, the situation here is even more interesting. It is not uncommon for them to live up to 50-70 years, and the oldest lobster, according to fairly reliable information, is more than 100 years old!
Scientists have only recently found a method for determining the age of crustaceans, and we hope that soon we will have more accurate data on how many years these aquatic animals live.
Taste differences and differences in preparation
Other differences between these crustaceans are important only for us. Both have been caught since ancient times. The taste of crayfish and lobster meat is extremely similar, but there are some differences. Lobster meat, as experts say, is more tender and piquant, while freshwater crayfish have a less intense taste.
However, nevertheless, both the first and the second are valued for their wonderful taste, although sea crayfish is recognized as a more refined dish.
They need to be prepared using completely different recipes.
We sometimes cook crayfish using various spices in beer, but more often with ordinary salt and dill. Read how much and when to add these ingredients in the “Crayfish Dishes” section.
Sea lobsters can be grilled, baked and boiled as well. Practically no other dishes are prepared from freshwater crayfish, but savory soups and so on are often prepared from lobsters.
Crayfish and lobsters are used to make sauces with a specific seafood flavor. It’s easy to make, you just need to take the broth and add butter and a little flour to it.
- caraway;
- black pepper;
- fresh dill is better, but dried is also possible;
- cloves
But to cook lobster you need other spices:
- paprika;
- Cayenne pepper;
- thyme.
Traditionally, beer is served with ordinary crayfish and it is indeed the most suitable of all drinks, and wine for lobster.
This video shows and describes in detail how long it takes to prepare regular crayfish and what seasonings are needed to emphasize and not overpower the taste of its delicious meat.
Some crayfish are loved to be consumed with beer, others are cared for in aquariums, but few people remember that these creatures managed to survive for 130 million years, practically without changing their structure. The only thing that distinguishes them from their ancient counterparts is their size. During the Jurassic period, some types of crayfish reached 3 m in length and could fend for themselves.
Today, among the ranks of crustaceans, there are about 55,000 representatives of various lengths, living in sea or fresh water, and some of them prefer to be land-dwelling.
History of the delicacy
People have been using crayfish since Antiquity, but then they were not served as a delicacy. It is obvious that the healers and healers of the ancient world knew about the beneficial properties of shells, since they made potions from them for the bites of poisonous insects.
The first mention of the fact that river crayfish are a tasty dish was recorded in the 16th century, when one of the Swedish kings accidentally tasted them. A decree was immediately issued that the peasants should catch and deliver them to the royal table, but not dare to eat them themselves under pain of the death penalty.
Imitating the king, the Swedish nobles did the same, although the poor people were perplexed by the royal decree. They did not consider crayfish to be food and were content with them only in times of famine, which happened extremely rarely in this country.
In modern Sweden there is even a national holiday, Crayfish Eating Day, when people gather in large groups, boil these arthropods and drink strong alcoholic drinks.
Today, some types of crayfish (the photo demonstrates this) are considered a delicacy and are not just served with beer, but are prepared from them into soups, salads, stewed with vegetables, sauces made from them, and even fried.
Their meat is considered one of the most environmentally friendly, despite the fact that they are sanitation workers and “orderlies” of water sources. This is due to the balanced, self-cleaning organism given to them by nature.
Stream arthropods
There are different types of crayfish, but this name is not entirely accurate, since they live in swamps, ponds, lakes, and artificial reservoirs. It is more correct to use the term “freshwater”.
All representatives of crustaceans living in fresh water have the same structure:
- their body can reach a length of 10 to 20 cm;
- the upper part of the body is called the cephalothorax;
- they have an elongated and flatter abdomen;
- the body ends with a caudal fin;
- they have 10 pectoral legs and gills.
The most famous types of freshwater crayfish are:
- The broad-toed fish (Astacus astacus) lives in the reservoirs of Western Europe and high-mountain rivers of Switzerland, preferring places with temperatures from +7 to +24 degrees Celsius.
- Thin-toed (Astacus leptodactylus) can live in both fresh running or standing water, and brackish water with maximum heating up to +30.
These types of crayfish are not suitable for keeping in aquariums, as they are very demanding in care, especially in terms of water filtration and temperature control.
Florida crayfish
Well known to many aquarists, the red Florida crayfish can actually be black, white, orange and even blue. It lives both in swamps and flowing rivers, and in flooded meadows, and as the water recedes, it “goes” into deep burrows underground.
These are the most undemanding species of crayfish in terms of composition and water quality. Their appearance is well known to residents not only of swamp Florida, but also of Europe. Its distinctive feature is the red spikes located on its claws.
This small arthropod (body length up to 12 cm) can easily tolerate water temperatures from +5 to + 30 degrees and reproduce year-round in an aquarium, laying up to 200 eggs. Incubation continues for 30 days, and during this time the temperature in the aquarium should be maintained at +20...+25 degrees.
The red swamp crayfish gets along well with fish, but you should remember that 1 pair will need an aquarium with 100 liters of water.
Blue crayfish from Cuba
Cuban blue crayfish can have other colors, as this directly depends on the natural conditions in their habitat and the color of their parents.
This tropical representative of arthropods lives in Cuba and Pinos. It has a small body up to 12 cm (excluding claws) and has a completely peaceful character, so it can be kept in aquariums with active or large fish.
The fact that this crayfish is unpretentious and reproduces well in captivity makes it a favorite of many aquarists. For 2 or 4 representatives of blue Cuban crayfish you will need a 50 liter container with good ventilation and water filtration.
The female of this species can lay up to 200 eggs at a time. For this to happen, it is better to transplant the crayfish into another smaller aquarium before mating, so that there is no interference from the “neighbors.” Incubation lasts 3 weeks, during which the water temperature should be +25 degrees.
Marine arthropod
The most popular among gourmets is lobster meat. These marine species of crayfish differ from their freshwater counterparts solely in size and weight. They have a strong chitinous shell, which young individuals change as they grow older.
The molting of a lobster takes from 2 to 4 weeks, during which it is defenseless and is forced to hide from its enemies in secluded places. The process of getting rid of tight coverage is interesting. The shell bursts on the lobster's back, like clothing cracking at the seams. To free itself, the crayfish has to step out of it with its back, removing one leg after the other.
A female lobster lays up to 4,000 eggs on her tail, after which the male fertilizes them. The incubation period lasts 9 months, during which the eggs remain on the mother’s body. Individuals that have survived 25 molts are considered ready to mate and eat.
Gourmets are well aware of the European, Norwegian and American types of lobsters. The cost of their tender, healthy, dietary meat starts at $50 per kilogram, and 100 years ago it was used as bait for fishing.
Land representative of arthropods
If you think about the question of what types of crayfish there are, few people will remember that there are unique individuals that can climb trees.
These are coconut crayfish (Birgus latro) that live on the islands of the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. During the day, these amazing creatures hide in the foliage of palm trees, and at night they come down to pick up fallen fruits or carrion from the ground. The islanders call these hermit crabs thieves, as they often pick up anything they think is bad.
Although the coconut crayfish spends most of its life on the ground, it begins its life in bodies of water, where females lay eggs, from which small and defenseless crustaceans emerge. To survive, they are forced to look for a protective covering for their bodies, which most often becomes some kind of shell.
After the young grow up, the crayfish come out and can no longer return to the aquatic environment, since their gills atrophy and their respiratory organs become ventilated lungs.
Those who want to see these unusual creatures will have to go into the tropical jungle at night. Their meat is considered a delicacy and an aphrodisiac, but hunting for them is extremely limited.
Rare crustaceans
The rarest species of crayfish that can live in aquariums are called apricot crayfish. They live in Indonesia and can be either a soft orange color or blue, which is extremely rare.
They are small in size, males rarely grow to 10 cm, and females are 8 cm long. To keep them in aquariums, you should not only ensure that the temperature is kept within +25 degrees, but also the bottom is properly designed.
These crayfish love fine gravel sprinkled with bamboo, almond or oak leaves, which also serve as a good antiseptic. Numerous shelters in the form of driftwood, metal tubes and artificial houses will not hurt either. For the most part, Orange Papua New Guinea lobster is a non-aggressive vegetarian, but it is still not recommended to add small fish to it.
Largest freshwater arthropods
The largest species of crayfish that live in fresh water bodies come from Tasmania. In the rivers in the north of this Australian state, there are individuals reaching 60-80 cm in length and weighing from 3 to 6 kg.
Their favorite habitat is rivers with calm currents, good air ventilation and a water temperature of +18 degrees. Depending on which river these giants live in, lowland or mountainous, they can have a color from green and brown to blue.
Since Astacopsis gouldi live up to 40 years and are considered long-livers among their relatives, all their life processes are somewhat drawn out. For example, males are ready for reproduction only at 9 years old, and females at 14 years old, while mating occurs once every 2 years, and the incubation period lasts from autumn to summer of the next year. In this regard, it is customary for Tasmanian giants to keep a harem of females of different ages.
Heraxes
Another representative of Australian rivers is the Herax crayfish. What is surprising is that these arthropods, which have many species, include individuals of completely different sizes. So, some of them can be 40 cm in length and weigh up to 3 kg, while others grow up to 10 cm and are placed in aquariums with a volume of up to 20 liters. Another home for these freshwater species are the rivers of New Guinea.
It is not difficult to create conditions for keeping heraxes in an aquarium. They love warm water and the opportunity to dig in the soil, so if such “tenants” are present, it is better to plant the plants in pots. They don't eat them, but they can dig them up. Herax crayfish show indifference to the proximity of fish, but if you breed larger specimens with large claws, it is better to keep them in a separate container.
Unusual types of crayfish
Although arthropods are generally similar in appearance, their abilities to adapt and survive are strikingly different. For example, marbled crayfish reproduce asexually, and a similar phenomenon in nature is called parthenogenesis.
Females of this type of crayfish can clone themselves without involving males in the process. A similar phenomenon could previously be observed only in higher crustaceans, but never in small river specimens, reaching a maximum length of 8 cm.
In order for freshwater aquarium crayfish species to take root, it is necessary to constantly maintain clean water that is well enriched with oxygen.
When choosing a container for such “tenants”, you should proceed from the parameters that 1 individual 6-7 cm will require 15 liters of water. To make your pets feel at home, the bottom should be properly designed. You will need driftwood, gravel or sand, ceramic or metal cylinders where the crayfish can hide during the day.
Planting plants in a container depends on the type of cancer, as well as whether there will be fish with it. Otherwise, keeping these individuals is not a hassle; the main thing is to remember to cover the aquarium with a lid, otherwise you may find your pet on the bed.
Crustaceans include crab, shrimp, lobster, langoustine, sea truffle (aka sea duck), lobster (aka lobster) and crayfish. They are prepared in a wide variety of ways. Crustacean meat is distinguished by high protein value and relatively low calorie content. They are rich in phosphorus, iron and calcium, and contain quite a lot of vitamins B2 and PP. Meat of crabs, squid, and shrimp reduces the risk of blood clots in blood vessels; They are also useful for anemia.
Let us add that crustaceans play an important role in the ecosystem, not only the most famous crabs, lobsters, lobsters and shrimps, but also numerous small forms floating at the surface of reservoirs as part of zooplankton. Without small crustaceans that transform plant cells into easily digestible animal food, the existence of most representatives of aquatic fauna would become almost impossible.
Crab
The crab is a marine crustacean of the genus Decapoda, living in the seas, fresh waters, and less often on land.
In Russia, Kamchatka crabs weighing up to 2-3 kg, which are considered the best (often they are even called “king”), were caught back in 1837 in Russian-American settlements on the Aleutian Islands, and crab fishing off the coast of Primorye began to develop in the 70s years of the 19th century. In Soviet times, king crabs were introduced into the Barents Sea, where they multiplied so much that their constant catching became an environmental necessity.
The soft body of the crab is covered with a hard brownish-reddish shell with sharp prickly spines. The food is the abdomen and limbs (claws) with greyish gelatinous meat, which after cooking becomes white, tender, fibrous and retains the unique smell of the sea.
Canned crab, which uses meat from the joints of the legs, is widely known. Tender white pieces of crab meat, freed from the shell after boiling, are placed in jars lined with parchment, the lids are rolled up and sterilized. The result is a delicious product for salads and an excellent stand-alone snack, containing iodine, phosphorus and lecithin, among other useful substances.
Boiled and frozen crabs are also sold in Ukraine, the meat of which can be fried, boiled, steamed, baked and even used for all kinds of soups.
Please note: the popular “crab sticks” in our country have nothing to do with crabs and are made from pollock or cod meat with the addition of egg whites, starch, flavorings and dyes. This is a type of so-called “surimi” (literally “formed fish”) - this is what the Japanese call dishes made from fish pulp that imitate expensive seafood. This product is much cheaper than the original and can be eaten without additional processing.
Shrimp
The shrimp is a small sea crustacean, Pandalus borealis, that lives in almost all seas of the world. Shrimp vary greatly in size: the largest are less than 20 pieces per 1 kg, and the smallest in the same kilogram can be from 100 pieces or more.
The most popular among chefs are large (and quite expensive) tiger shrimp with characteristic stripes on the shell, which are grown on farms in the Mediterranean, Malaysia, Taiwan and other countries of Southeast Asia. However, there is an even larger jumbo shrimp - up to 30 centimeters long. Small European shrimp, which are found in the Norwegian fjords and the Skaggerak Strait, are also highly prized.
The numbers you see on shrimp packaging are the number per kilogram. The most common medium shrimp in the world are labeled 90/120 (from 90 to 120 pieces per kilogram). 50/70 are very large, selected shrimp, 70/90 are large, 90+ are the smallest.
If we consider that the shelf life of processed and chilled shrimp does not exceed four days, it is clear why they often reach us frozen, and the vast majority are already boiled immediately after being caught directly on a trawler in sea water. All that remains is to slowly defrost them and heat them up for 1-2 minutes in boiling water or oil in a frying pan (and for salads, you don’t even need to heat them up).
The tail of a boiled-frozen shrimp should be bent - this is evidence that it was cooked alive immediately after catching. The more the shrimp is bent, the longer it has lain before cooking and the worse the quality. The black head also indicates poor quality - this means that after catching the shrimp was not frozen for a long time.
The meat of these crustaceans is a real natural storehouse of all sorts of useful things. There is especially a lot of iodine in it, it is rich in sodium, calcium, phosphorus... - you can list almost half of the periodic table. It also contains a lot of protein, but practically no fat.
Shrimp are served cold and hot, boiled, poached, grilled and fried, baked, and used in soups. In Asia, several types of shrimp are eaten raw. And from the smallest shrimp, pre-salted and then fermented, shrimp paste is made, which is used in seasonings and sauces.
lobster
The lobster is a marine crustacean similar to a lobster, but without claws, distributed in the warm waters of the Atlantic coast of Europe and America, in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Pacific Ocean near California and Mexico, off the coast of Japan, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Lobster is considered the recognized leader in the menu of the most expensive restaurants in the Bahamas, Belize, the Indonesian island of Bali, Thailand and the Caribbean islands.
Lobsters are often larger than lobsters: the length of large specimens can reach 40-50 cm, and they weigh more than three kilograms. And the largest registered specimen weighed 11 kilograms and was about a meter long!
It’s easy to distinguish a lobster from a lobster: its shell is covered with numerous spines, and it has no claws, only long “whiskers”.
In lobsters, only the belly and tail (in chef’s terms, “neck”) are eaten, but if you consider that large specimens weigh up to eight kilograms, then the neck alone accounts for about a kilogram of very tender and tasty meat.
Lobsters are baked with sauce, grilled, and added to salads and soups. Lobster is especially good if stewed in port wine sauce or grilled and served with butter mixed with chopped basil.
In our country, canned or frozen lobster necks are most often sold (as a rule, the smallest specimens are used for the necks).
Langoustine (Dublin shrimp, Norwegian lobster, scampi)
Langoustine is the closest relative of the lobster, although it looks more like a lobster. This bright orange or pink crustacean lives in the northern waters of the Atlantic. The majority of langoustines on the world market are supplied by Great Britain.
The langoustine meat is in the tail (there is no point in cutting up the beautiful langoustine claws: you won’t find any meat there).
Langoustines are eaten poached in broth: dipped whole in boiling water for 5-15 seconds. The main thing is not to overcook, as they quickly digest and become rubbery. During cooking, langoustine practically does not change color.
Lobster
Lobsters live on rocky sandbanks in both warm and cold ocean waters around the world. Different types of lobster differ greatly in size and taste. Initially different in color, when cooked they all turn bright red.
Atlantic (Norwegian) lobsters are considered the most valuable - they are small in size (22 cm long), but very tasty. Much larger is the European lobster (up to 90 cm long, weight up to 10 kg), which lives in the seas washing Europe from Norway to the northwestern coast of Africa.
The American (northern or Maine) lobster, up to 1 m long and weighing up to 20 kg, is found along the Atlantic coast of North America from Labrador to North Carolina, and is also bred on special farms. It amazes with its size rather than its taste.
If, while traveling to Asia, you have the opportunity to try tiny lobsters from the Indian Ocean, do not neglect it - they have a very interesting, rich taste.
All types of lobsters (in Ukraine the French name is accepted, although recently the English “lobster” has also been used) have powerful claws and very tender, tasty meat. The meat is contained in the claws, legs and tail (neck), and is boiled or grilled.
Connoisseurs also highly value “tomali” - the green liver of the male; the most delicate sauces and soups are made from it. "Coral" - very delicate red caviar of a female lobster - is also considered a delicacy.
Sea duck (sea acorn, sea truffle, polycypes, persebes, balanus)
Sea ducks (polycypes, sea truffles, persebes, goose barnacles) are the most expensive crustacean in the world (more than three hundred dollars per kilogram!). This is one of the types of so-called barnacles (they are also sea acorns, sea tulips or balanuses), whose body is covered with a calcareous shell that resembles a shell. For this reason they are sometimes incorrectly called shellfish; Don't believe me - these are real crustaceans.
The size of the sea duck shell is 5-6 centimeters. With the help of a long leg extended from the shell, sea ducks firmly stick to rocks, stones or the bottoms of ships and boats, and feed on plankton.
Sea ducks are caught off the coast of Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Moreover, the extraction of barnacles is associated with considerable risk: hunters for these crustaceans during low tide descend onto slippery stones overgrown with even more slippery moss and look for colonies of barnacles hiding in crevices.
Sea ducks have juicy pinkish-white meat. Steamed right in their shell and served with seafood sauce, sea ducks taste like both an oyster and a lobster. They are also eaten raw, by tearing off the horny end and sucking out the tender core, for example, with a sauce of vinegar and olive oil. They are extremely tasty and also extremely rare and expensive, which apparently explains one of their names – “sea truffles”.
In Spanish Galicia, where sea ducks are called percebes or peus de cabra, there is even a Fiesta de Los Percebes celebrated in their honor.
Other varieties of sea acorns (barnacles, balanus) are not so well known, although some of them are also used in cooking.
The famous Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl wrote that during a trip to the Kon-Tiki in 1947, the raft quickly became overgrown with sea acorns. Brave travelers ate crustaceans as food.
Although barnacles irritate bathers and upset shipowners, they have attracted the attention of scientists for centuries - Charles Darwin spent more than eight years of his life studying them. Experts believe that if it were possible to find out the composition of the adhesive substance secreted by these crustaceans and synthesize a material similar to it, such glue could connect broken bones, serve as cement in dental treatment, and also satisfy another dozen or so industrial needs.
Cancer
Cancer is found in most freshwater bodies of the world (perhaps except Africa). The most common are two genera of crayfish - the European Astacus and the American Pacifastacus. And the most delicious in our country, according to tradition, are the large blue crayfish from the Armenian Lake Sevan, which live in perfectly clean water and do not have the smell of mud.
Crayfish season is spring or autumn. The meat is mainly contained in the neck (tail) of the crayfish - approximately 1/5 of its total weight, there is a little in the claws and very little in the walking legs, although connoisseurs are happy to eat both the body of the crayfish (what is under the very shell) and his caviar.
Before cooking, crayfish are sometimes kept in milk to cleanse their intestines and put them into a sleepy state. Most often, crayfish are boiled directly in the shell - they are thrown in small batches into rapidly boiling salted water with a lot of dill and spices. In a four-liter saucepan you can boil no more than 8-10 medium-sized pieces at a time. If you need to prepare crayfish soup (in France it is called “bisque”), boil the crayfish for 4-5 minutes. If you are just going to eat it “with beer,” then wait 7-8 minutes, then remove it from the heat and leave it to steep for another 10 minutes, covered or not.
Large crayfish contain more meat, but small ones are tastier, but you should not buy crayfish smaller than 10 cm - there is too little edible there, it’s just messy, and it’s simply illegal to catch such babies.
Lobster
There were times when lobsters were used to fertilize fields and as bait for fishing, but today these animals, whose meat has an amazingly delicate taste, are recognized as the best seafood delicacy in the whole world.
Lobsters (or lobsters) belong to the family of marine animals in the order of decapod crustaceans. They live on rocky continental shelves in cold and warm ocean waters throughout the planet. Lobsters are classified by type, differing in appearance and taste. The most valuable are Atlantic or Norwegian lobsters. They are small in size (up to 22 cm in length), but very tasty. European lobsters are much larger - up to 90 cm in length and weighing up to 10 kg. They live in the seas that wash the western edge of Europe from the Scandinavian Peninsula to the northwestern African coast. The next type of lobster - American (also known as Manx, or northern) - reaches a length of 1 m and weighs about 20 kg. It is bred on special farms, and in nature it lives along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean - from North Carolina to Labrador. True, the American lobster is more impressive for its size than for its taste.
These marine animals are similar in appearance to crayfish, but differ in their huge clawed limbs. The color of lobsters varies from grayish-green to green-blue. The antennae are red, the tail is in the form of a fan. It contains dense meat from which medallions and escalopes are made. Males are significantly larger in size than females. Under the strong shell of the lobster there is white, tender and aromatic meat. When cooked, the lobster changes its color to red - for this it is called the “cardinal of the sea.”
Previously, lobsters were used as fertilizer for fields and as bait for fishing. Today, lobsters are considered the most exquisite and appetizing seafood delicacy. Its tender meat has the finest taste. The tail part of the lobster is considered the most valuable, and the meat contained in the legs and claws is tougher, but also very tasty. Gourmets especially appreciate “tomali,” the green liver of the animal, located under the shell of the head, and “coral,” the delicate red caviar of the female lobster.
Usually lobsters are boiled whole, no more than 7 minutes. But sometimes it is cut up by removing the tail part. Lobsters are a staple of French cuisine. Here they are stuffed with crabs or served cut into halves with sauce. Extraordinary dishes are prepared from lobster meat - croquettes, aspic, soufflé, soups, salads, mousses. Lobsters are also grilled or stewed in wine. They go well with saffron, ginger, lemon grass, curry, as well as asparagus and other seafood (mussels and shrimp).
