Lobsters

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Lobsters are a seafood gift, valued for its taste all over the world and by everyone - from the ordinary fisherman who catches it, to the chef in the sophisticated French restaurant, who arranges the cooked lobster in a warm plateau as if painting a picture.

Lobsters (Nephropidae or Homaridae) are a genus of higher crabs of the order Ten-legged crustaceans, classified in the suborder Pleocyemata. As a species of crab, lobsters have an elongated body, which can reach up to 80 cm in length and weigh up to 15 kg.

Popular in our country and on the Old Continent is the European lobster (Homarus gammarus), which is caught on the shores of Europe and in the Black Sea. This kind lobster reach a length of up to 50 cm and a weight of up to 11 kg. They feed mainly on small crustaceans and mollusks and are in their element at night.

Lobster is a very valuable commodity and its populations are closely monitored. In addition, lobsters are unique creatures. As we humans literally age and shrink, lobsters have self-healing DNA. In other words, lobsters could live forever. It is a pity that most of them do not get this chance, because they quickly fall into the hands of fishermen who are happy with the catch.

Telomerase is an enzyme that repairs lobster DNA, allowing it to live without aging and reaching enormous proportions. Proof of this is in the Guinness Book of Records, where a lobster weighing more than 20 kilograms was recorded. Telomerase acts on the telomeres, which are located at the end of chromosomes and protect them from wear and tear.

Lobsters they never stop making telomerase. Maybe that's why lobsters have no signs of aging - they have no loss of appetite, no change in metabolism, no disappearance of their reproductive abilities. Another interesting fact about lobsters - one in every 2 million lobsters gives birth to a son, which is due to a rare gene.

Composition of lobsters

Lobsters, like any other seafood, contain many useful substances. They are quite rich in vitamins B3, B9 and vitamin B12. In addition, they are an excellent source of minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus and zinc.

100 g of raw lobster meat contains: 18-112 kcal; 20.6 g protein; 2.43 g carbohydrates; 1.51 g of fat.

Selection and storage of lobsters

When choosing a lobster on the market, there are some important things you need to know to buy a really quality seafood gift. The first and foremost is that the little ones lobster are not preferable. It is better not to buy them, because the European lobster, for example, can reach 3 kg, which in practice means more shells, not more meat.

They are preferable lobster weighing up to 1 kg. If you buy live lobsters, you should know that they are usually transported with tied tongs so as not to injure themselves. As a result of their immobilization, the muscles of the forceps atrophy. Unfortunately, this is a prerequisite for the delicious lobster meat to remain a little until it's time to cook it.

There is always the option to buy already cleaned or even cooked lobster. The flesh of the tongs and the body of the cooked lobster is delicious, being white and firm in appearance. If you want to make sure the lobster you are buying is of good quality, it is best to ask the seller to pull the meat out of the tail.

It should go back and stay tight, which is a sign that the lobster was really fresh before it was cooked. Keep in mind that all seafood spoils quickly. Be careful when buying lobster, because a poor quality product almost certainly guarantees you an upset stomach.

Culinary application of lobster

As mentioned, if you are enthusiastic to prepare this seafood delicacy yourself, you only need a little courage and lobster about 1 kg (recommended). The truth is that live lobster is relatively easy to prepare by simply boiling in salted water, and 500 grams of lobster takes about 15 minutes to boil and turn red. An important step is to cool the lobster for 2 hours before cooking. In this way our little delicious friends fall into the so-called. comatose state, which is a more humane method of killing them.

Once the lobster is cooked, you need a sharp knife or strong scissors to cut it in 2. Of course, the body, tail and shell are quite firm, but no mission is impossible. When you have an open lobster in front of you, you should look for the dark vein that runs through the middle of the tail meat and remove it with the tip of a small knife. Also remove the gills and stomach that is around the lobster's mouth.

Take care of the tongs. Beat them with the thick handle of a knife and remove the meat. The delicious lobster meat is also removed from the tail and cut into small pieces. A little trick: you can tear off the lobster's legs and squeeze their flesh with a rolling pin. The meat from the tongs can be placed in the cavity of the head or on the meat from the tail. It is delicious to serve it just like that, but you can also resort to a recipe.

Recipe for Stewed lobster with white wine

Necessary products: lobster - separated meat from 1 boiled lobster, garlic - 1-2 cloves, chives - 2 stalks, white wine - 50 ml, salt, black pepper - freshly ground, cayenne pepper - 1 pinch, olive oil - 2 tbsp.

Preparation: The lobster meat separated from the shells is cut if necessary. Heat olive oil in a Teflon pan and fry thinly sliced garlic for seconds. Immediately after that add the lobster and pour the wine. Shake the pan until the alcohol evaporates and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stewing a lobster takes about a minute - it doesn't need more. Serve the stewed lobster with white wine in a plate, sprinkle with chopped wild onion feathers and garnish with slices of lemon.

Benefits of lobsters

Besides delicious, lobsters are also very healthy seafood delicacies. They are dietary because they are low in fat. In addition, lobster is known as one of the strongest aphrodisiacs.