Langoustines. Langoustine - sea crayfish Langoustines in the sea

Lobster (Palinuroidea)

The spiny lobster is a decapod crustacean that lives in warm sea ​​waters off the coast of the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and also in the Pacific Ocean near Japan, Mexico, California, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Externally, lobster is very similar to lobster, and they are often confused. Features of the lobster are its spiked shell and long antennae. And most importantly, the lobster, unlike the lobster, does not have claws. The body length of adult spiny lobsters is about 60 cm and their weight is about 3-4 kg. The largest lobster ever caught was a meter long and weighed a whopping 11 kg.

Kinds

There are about 100 varieties of lobsters, but only five species are the most famous.

Red Breton lobster. Lives in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Also known as needle lobster. It has a red-brown shell color. It is believed that the meat of this type of lobster is endowed with the most refined and refined taste.

Atlantic pink lobster. It is also called "Portuguese rosé". Lives off the southern coast of Ireland. The taste of the meat of this variety is very light and delicate.

Green lobster. The shell of this crustacean is green in color and covered with small white stripes and spots. Unlike its counterparts, the green lobster is endowed with twelve legs (instead of ten) and longer antennae.

Brown lobster. As the name suggests, the shell is brown in color. Lobsters of this species are most often found frozen on store shelves.

Florida lobster. The shell of this lobster is also brown in color, but has noticeable white patches. Also usually sold frozen.

Lobster production

These crustaceans are caught using special basket traps. Baskets with bait are lowered to the seabed and left there overnight. When darkness falls, the sea crayfish goes out in search of food and crawls into the basket with bait fish left by the fisherman. The trap is designed in such a way that, upon emerging, the doomed lobster gets stuck and remains in the basket until the fisherman arrives.

In some parts of our planet, entire settlements of lobster hunters are engaged in this fishery. Fishermen who make money by catching these arthropods catch an average of 300 crayfish per year. Once caught, lobsters are placed in cardboard boxes, in which they can remain alive for more than a day. This is quite enough to deliver the goods to the restaurant.

Application

Lobster is considered a delicacy, and dishes with this crustacean occupy leading positions on the menus of leading restaurants around the world. Only the belly and tail of the lobster are suitable for cooking; cooks call this part of the crayfish the “neck.” This is not as little as it might seem, because large specimens contain about a kilogram of first-class tender meat in the neck.

Lobster is baked, stewed, fried, boiled, and also added to soups, salads and other complex dishes. In general, they are prepared according to approximately the same recipes as lobsters, although the taste of lobster meat is more delicate. Perhaps this is why lobsters are ideal for spicy dishes.

Beneficial features

Lobster meat is rich in various micro- and macroelements, especially phosphorus and calcium. As you know, phosphorus has a beneficial effect on the condition of the central nervous system and bones, and calcium, in turn, promotes its absorption. In addition, the neck of the lobster contains potassium, sodium and magnesium.

How long to cook lobster

Place the lobster in boiling water and cook for 15-20 minutes. The readiness of the lobster is indicated by the red color of its front part of the body in the shell.

Calorie content and nutritional value of lobster

Calorie content of lobster - 112 kcal.

The nutritional value lobster: proteins - 20.6 g, fats - 1.51 g, carbohydrates - 2.43 g

The lobster is a sea creature with rather strange habits that do not prevent anyone from enjoying its tasty and very tender meat. It is caught on an industrial scale.

This crustacean belongs to the family Armored. It is very similar to a lobster, but with a slight difference - the absence of claws. There are about 100 species of lobsters in nature. Their habitat is the Pacific Ocean, the shores of Japan, the waters of the Mediterranean, the shores of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, as well as Europe and America. It should be noted that sometimes lobsters can be larger than lobsters. Some of these crustaceans can weigh up to three kilograms and reach half a meter in length. Despite such a variety of species, only a few of them are distinguished, namely: Green lobster, Florida, Red Breton, Brown and Atlantic pink.

U green lobster in addition to the green shell, there are twelve legs and longer antennae.

The most formidable lobster is considered to be quite bright reddish brown lobster. However, he is only scary in appearance, but in reality he is very timid and defenseless. It is also known as the “needle lobster.” It should be noted that the meat of this crustacean is the most exquisite and refined.

U Atlantic pink lobster the most delicate and light taste.

Most often found on store shelves brown lobsters. They are sold frozen.

A distinctive feature of lobsters is: the absence of claws, long mustaches and a body covered with spines. These creatures must hide between corals, thickets of underwater vegetation or in rocky cracks.

How to choose

For cooking, only the tail part, which is located under the armored rings, is used. It reaches store shelves frozen, fresh or boiled. During transportation, the lobsters are placed in wet wood shavings, and until they are sold they are placed in an aquarium. It should be noted that the longer these crustaceans are there, the worse their quality. When purchasing, pay attention to the tail; it should be curled inward. This is the very first and most important sign of freshness, but there are others. For example, the brightness of the shell is also a sign of freshness. The lobster's eyes should be black and shiny and it should have a salty-bitter smell. When a fresh lobster is picked up, it strikes hard with its tail. There is no final decision as to whether males or females are tastier. It is very easy to recognize a female, since they have large, flat legs on their abdomen and it is with them that they carry their eggs.

How to store

The ideal temperature for storing lobsters is -18 degrees and no more. The maximum shelf life of crustaceans is 4 months.

Reflection in culture

To catch lobsters, special trap baskets are used. To do this, they put bait in them and then lower them to the seabed for the whole night. At night, sea crayfish go out in search of food and fall into a set trap. The whole trick is that the lobster can easily crawl into it, but cannot get out.

Nutritional value per 100 grams:

Useful properties of lobster

Composition and presence of nutrients

In addition to proteins, fats and water, lobster contains ash. The meat contains vitamins such as niacin, riboflavin, retinol, thiamine, pyridoxine, ascorbic acid, pantothenic acid, folic acid and cyanocobalamin. It also contains calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, selenium, zinc, manganese, copper, sodium and iron.

Useful and healing properties

First of all, it should be emphasized that lobster is a low-calorie product that does not contain carbohydrates, but contains proteins, which make up the bulk of it. This is very important for those who are watching their figure, because it means that you can eat lobster every day without fear and not gain weight.

The meat of this crustacean is a natural source of protein and a huge amount of amino acids, which are essential for the structure of human tissue.

Lobster is very rich in calcium and phosphorus, which is essential for joints, bones and teeth. If these microelements enter the body at the same time, they are more fully absorbed. Calcium takes part in the process of blood clotting, muscle contraction, and is also part of enzymes. Phosphorus is very important for the body, as it normalizes the functioning of the nervous system and takes part in the exchange of energy and carbohydrates. With its help, acid-base balance is maintained. If there is a lack of phosphorus in the body, it will greatly complicate the absorption of B vitamins. A deficiency of calcium and phosphorus leads to the fact that a person develops bone deformities due to softening of the bones or rickets.

Lobster also contains potassium, which is very important for the functioning of the heart muscle.

In cooking

Everyone knows that lobster is a delicacy. These dishes occupy leading positions in the menus of all leading restaurants in the world. Cooks use only the abdomen and tail of this crustacean and they call it “neck”. Many are surprised because they imagine only a few grams, although in fact there is about a kilogram of tender meat of the highest class.

Lobsters can be baked, fried, stewed, boiled, added to soups, salads or other complex dishes. The cooking recipes are the same as for lobster, however, lobster meat has a more delicate taste. This is most likely why they are most often used for savory dishes.

Dangerous properties of lobster

In some cases, lobster meat can cause an allergic reaction, which can manifest itself in the form of swelling, rash, hives or itchy skin.

In this video you will see how fresh lobsters behave at the market.

The body of the lobster is covered with many spines, which are responsible for the safety of the cancer. Despite their impressive size, spiny lobsters are under the constant attention of large marine predators, and not just humans. It is preyed on by groupers, sharks and various mammals.

The lobster grows up to 50 cm and its weight at this height is 3-5 kg. The maximum recorded weight of a lobster is 11 kg. The height of that giant was 1 m. They live at depths of up to 150 m. The color varies from bright red to light gray, and apparently depends on the age of the shell.

Crayfish is a permanent inhabitant of coral reefs. In it he finds refuge among the crevices of underwater rocks and corals. It is also found in dense underwater forests. brown algae, keeping in the thicket. The lobster is a hermit, gathering in groups only during the breeding season. At the end of mating, the crayfish eggs remain on the belly of the female, who bears the eggs until the larvae hatch from them. The young rise to the surface of the water, where they mix with plankton. The grown larvae eventually sink to the bottom, where they remain for the rest of their lives. A young lobster gains weight very quickly. In his first year of life, he often sheds his shell, because... it just feels cramped for him. Left “naked,” an animal can literally grow several centimeters before our eyes in just a few hours.

Such rapid growth stops over time, and the lobster enters the usual regime of shell replacement, which is 1 year. Adult individuals are unsociable, scattering along the seabed, they do not contact their relatives, with the exception of one period, when in winter, once a year, a huge number of lobsters accumulate on shallow sandy beaches. Having gathered together, they form long chains, clinging to the backs of their neighbors with long mustaches. Many such ranks are sent to the depths overnight, it is not clear why.


One more interesting feature lobsters are setae located at the base of the whiskers. The animal moves them along special processes on its head, like a violin bow. The sound produced during play serves to scare away potential predators. Some scientists, however, suggest that these sounds are addressed to other lobsters.

Man has adapted to use the lobster reflex to hide securely in secluded corners to catch it. For this purpose, specialized baskets are used, after crawling into which the animal can no longer get out. They also use nets installed at the bottom, which catch lobsters as they move from one shelter to another.

The number of lobsters is not known exactly, but there is every reason to believe that the current volume of catching these crayfish may well lead to a decline in the population. The fact is that, despite the rather high fertility of animals, mortality among them is high even during the larval period, when tons of them are eaten by whales. Adults also rarely live to a ripe old age, becoming prey for fish and humans.

They belong to decapod crustaceans. These Marine life They have a strong bright orange or pink strong shell, and their size ranges from 15 to 25 centimeters. Thin, oblong claws in the form of rings - distinctive feature langoustines. They also have ten legs and thin long claws, and the dorsal shell is also pointed downward.

Langoustines are found in the waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and North Sea. They live in soft areas of the bottom at a depth of 45-250 meters, dig caves, and leave their home only at night, going in search of food. Langoustines are also bred and caught in Norway.

There is no point in cutting up the beautiful langoustine claws, since the meat is in the tail.

How to choose

Langoustines arriving on the shelves of modern seafood stores can be divided into two types: medium langoustine (about twelve centimeters) and large (up to twenty-five centimeters). During transportation of these crustaceans, certain difficulties often arise because they are not able to exist without water. And it is not advisable to freeze langoustines, since when frozen their meat becomes very loose and loses most of its wonderful taste. But frozen and boiled langoustines are available on sale.

When choosing seafood, you need to determine its quality by smell. The absence of the characteristic fish smell in the fold between the tail and the shell indicates freshness. High-quality langoustine meat, located in the tail section, has a very refined, slightly sweet and delicate taste.

How to store

It is best to cook langoustines immediately after purchase. But if you bought frozen seafood, then you can still store it in the freezer, placing it in a plastic bag.

Reflection in culture

This crustacean has many names. In European countries, langoustine is called Norwegian lobster, in Italy it is called " scampy", on the British islands - Dublin prawn.

Calorie content of langoustines

Low and only 98 acal, this makes it possible to use them during a variety of diets and include them in a healthy diet menu.

Nutritional value per 100 grams:

Useful properties of langoustines

Composition and presence of nutrients

Langoustine meat contains a large amount of useful substances. This is a natural source of fats, proteins and a whole list of useful elements, such as phosphorus, iron, zinc, selenium. One hundred grams of the product contains 33% of the daily requirement of copper and iodine, 20% magnesium, 10% calcium.

Useful and healing properties

The wonderful combination of elements in langoustine meat keeps hair and skin healthy, strengthens bones, and improves vision. Regular consumption of langoustines improves metabolism and promotes efficient brain function. Also, the meat of these crustaceans has a beneficial effect on the circulatory system and is a wonderful antidepressant.

Langoustines, like all seafood, contain fatty acids, quickly digestible proteins, macro and microelements. Seafood is much healthier and more nutritious than meat products. By including langoustines in your diet, you can significantly improve your immunity. Copper, potassium, zinc prevent premature aging. Phosphorus stimulates brain activity.

Scientists have determined that people who include seafood, in particular langoustines, in their diet are much less likely to suffer from all kinds of diseases, since these products are easily digestible and saturate the human body with minerals. Langoustines, like all other marine inhabitants, due to their rich mineral environment, create in their bodies deposits of minerals in the form of organic compounds, which are so necessary in the treatment of diseases.

In cooking

Thanks to their delicate, delicate taste, langoustines confidently occupy one of the first places in the list of seafood delicacies. You need to look for meat in the tail, not in the claws. This crustacean becomes a culinary dish by going through three stages: boiling, cleaning and removing the meat, cooking and serving.

Before cleaning, place the langoustines in batches of 10 in boiling water for about thirty seconds. You should be very careful not to overcook the crustaceans in boiling water, as once they are overcooked they will become tough. It is important to note that the color of langoustines does not change when cooked.

The second stage of preparation should begin almost immediately after cooking. The head is carefully separated from the body, the shell is split with the blunt side of a knife and the meat is squeezed out of the tail. The claws, heads and shells can be saved and used for sauce or broth as they are very flavorful.

Langoustines are also served boiled whole, with lettuce, lemon, olives, or grilled, with the boiled meat pre-greased butter with mint and basil. They are also included in various dishes. This seafood is famous all over the world: the Spaniards cook it with langoustines paella, Italians - ravioli and risotto, French people Orthosis soup, the Japanese fry meat in airy batter, and the Chinese and Vietnamese often use langoustines instead

lobster is a decapod crustacean and looks like a lobster, but does not have claws. It lives in warm waters. There are about 100 varieties of lobsters, and among them you can find real giants, which can reach up to 60 cm in length, and their weight will reach up to 3 kg. TO distinctive features What differentiates the lobster from other crustaceans is the presence of a large number of spines and long whiskers. The shell of this crustacean is colored brown-red (see photo). To catch lobster, special traps are used that are left at the bottom of the reservoir.

How to select and store?

Today on store shelves you can find lobsters in frozen, boiled, canned and fresh forms. Keep in mind that after a lobster is caught in this way, it will live no more than 36 hours. The following signs will indicate that the product is fresh:

Lobsters should be stored at a temperature of -18 degrees. In this state it will remain fresh for 4 months.

Beneficial features

The benefit of lobster lies in its low calorie content. Considering that it contains no carbohydrates, but contains a large amount of protein, we can conclude that this crustacean is an ideal product for those who want to have a slim body. Lobster contains many essential amino acids for the body, which are important for the structure of cells. It is useful to consume this meat for people who have problems with joints, teeth and bones. Thanks to the presence of phosphorus and calcium, the process of restoration and strengthening occurs bone tissue. In addition, calcium is important for blood clotting and for the normal functioning of muscle tissue. Lobster meat improves the functioning of the nervous system and metabolism. This product also contains potassium, which is important for the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Use in cooking

In cooking, only the belly and tail of the lobster are used. Its meat is considered a real delicacy, and many restaurants offer their visitors real culinary masterpieces. Lobster can be subjected to various heat treatments, most often it is baked, boiled, and grilled. Various soups, appetizers, salads and main courses are prepared on its basis. To diversify the taste of meat, marinades and sauces are used. Lobster can be cooked similarly to lobster, but keep in mind that it is a more delicate product. You can prepare excellent spicy dishes based on it. There are also recipes using lobster legs and brains. Meat goes well with legumes, fruits and vegetables.

In order for the lobster dish to be tasty, you need to know about the peculiarities of preparing this product. Now we will tell you the main secrets:

Harm of lobster and contraindications

Lobster can cause harm if an individual intolerance to the product is detected. It is not recommended for people with kidney problems to use it, as this can lead to exacerbation of diseases. It is also worth considering that crustaceans can be caught in dirty waters, as their meat will contain substances harmful to the body.