Chinese splendid lobster, just listening to the name, you can feel a breath of grace and luxury. The menu of high-end restaurants often has a single page for lobster, a beautiful white plate, with a huge shrimp head at one end, a gorgeous shrimp tail at the other end, and a white shrimp meat full of gravy in the middle, and two long "dragon whiskers" are as handsome as the pheasant feathers on the top of the Head of peking opera actors, which is the signature posture of lobsters. The temperament of overlooking the sentient beings and the price of soaring in the sky make the scenes I encounter mostly at other people's wedding banquets.
Splendid lobster. Image: 123rf.com.cn
"Come and come, I invite everyone to eat lobster, first ten pounds." As a high-level species that has evolved the ability to think rationally, we can judge that 80% of the lobster mentioned here is a small oily red street, and the probability of Aolong, Green Dragon and Flower Dragon is not high. Crayfish actually have nothing to do with lobsters, so you may ask, what kind of shrimp can be called a real lobster?
A real lobster without a large claw tentacle length
The so-called "true lobster" belongs taxonomically to the order Palinuridae , which in addition contains four genera , namely lobster , true lobster , rock lobster , and ridged lobster , with a total of nearly 20 species. Members of these lobster families can be called real lobsters (the taxonomic "true lobster genus" has little to do with whether lobsters are true or not), and are mainly characterized by long, thick tentacles, hard and barbed "armor", but without a pair of large pliers, and without claws at the tip of the foot. There are many common species of edible lobster, which cover all four genera of the lobster family:
Panulirus ornatus
Ancient name "God shrimp"
Splendid lobster, a species of lobster in the lobster family, also known as colorful lobster, flower lobster, English name Ornate spiny lobster. The body color is colorful and bright, the body is bluish green, the blue breastplate is mixed with purple-pink patches, the antennae and tail are bright red, the foot is inlaid with beautiful golden rings, and the abdomen sections have black horizontal bands. Because it is so gorgeous, it also has a festive nickname in the aquatic market: "big color TV".
Splendid lobster makeup removal ID photo. Image: matome.naver.jp
Splendid lobsters are widely distributed in Japan, the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean, preferring to inhabit the slope of coral periphery to deeper sedimenty seafloor, up to 60 cm long, making it the largest species in the genus Lobster. We often see it in southeast Asian markets, and some places also call smaller splendid lobsters "little green dragons".
Huge splendid lobster. Image: onsenmaru.com
Splendid lobsters were known as divine shrimps in ancient China, and there was such a description in the Taiping County Chronicle: "Fishermen are in the sea, more than three feet long, two inches in the front two tongs, and at the end there is a red whisker ruler, the first is like a number of liters, if it is painted, the eyes are twelve feet, and the text is like a tiger and leopard." The large rate is colorful, and the shape is particularly different, and the name of the god shrimp. Of course, in fact, the "god shrimp" will not have the "first two tongs", but such a fallacy is too much in the ancient book records, and some are powerless to complain.
In any case, because of the small production and the many halos shrouded, the splendid lobster has become a high-end breed of lobster.
New Zealand Multi-Spiny Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii)
"Aolong" mostly refers to it
The "Australian lobster" that we are usually familiar with is not actually a strict name, it includes a variety of lobsters produced in oceanic waters, due to the confused translation and casual common name, the specific shrimp can not be verified. But the most commonly said red-bodied and golden-footed "Aolong" refers to it.
"Aolong" is also called Tasmanian lobster. Image: kiss2sea.web.fc2.com
New York's spiny rock lobster, a species of rock lobster in the lobster family, commonly known as the red dragon, The English name south rock lobster. It is found in Australia and New Zealand and the surrounding archipelago, inhabiting coral- and rocky continental shelves, with a maximum length of up to 50 cm. The whole body is dark red or orange, the breastplate is hard and spiny, and the abdomen and foot are bright yellow.
The size of the standard "Aolong". Image: fish.base.org
The meat quality of "Aolong" is outstanding, and the price is naturally not cheap. As an important seafood in southern Australia and the archipelago around New Zealand, the local legislation for the resources of Aolong is also quite in place, and only aurons with a length of more than 10 cm in the breastplate are allowed to be fished.
Japanese lobster (Panulirus japonicus)
The sacrificial objects of the shrine
Japanese lobster, a species of lobster in the lobster family, is also called Isekai Lao イセエビ, the English name Isehai spiny lobster. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Japan, North Korea and China, and inhabits shallow seas with more corals and rocks, and is smaller, usually only 20 to 30 cm. The whole body is dark red and covered with spines.
Japanese lobster. Image: gnavi.co.jp
Japanese lobster is an absolute premium ingredient in Japan, and the Former Ise Peninsula is rich in lobster. Legend has it that Ise Jingu Shrine is a sacred place where the imperial family must go to worship the gods every year, and rare lobsters are often used in such solemn ceremonies. Thus the Ise shrimp is a symbol of longevity and power in Japan.
In fact, there are many common lobster species, such as the triangular ridge lobster Linuparus trigonus of the ridge lobster genus and the real lobster genus Palinurus elephas, the lobster genus Panulirus has the most varieties, such as: Chinese lobster P. stimpsoni, swan lobster P. cygnus, long-legged lobster P. longipes, spotted lobster P. guttatus, macular lobster P. polyphagus, polyphagus Variegated lobster P. versicolor and so on, China's southeast sea produces about 10 species, most of them lie out day and night, the yield is generally not low.
The spiny lobster of the genus True Lobster is distributed from southern Norway to Morocco. Image: 123rf.com
The variegated lobster of the genus Lobster is distributed on the east coast of Africa, Australia and Southeast Asia. Image: 123rf.com.cn
Lobster-spotted lobsters of the genus Lobster (P. Argus), also known as Florida lobsters, is found in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas and South America. Image: 123rf.com
Lobster genus Broken ditch lobster (P. interruptus), also known as California lobster, is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Monterey Bay to Mexico. Image: britannica.com
Lobsters are densely haired lobsters (P. penicillatus), widely distributed in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Image: 123rf.com
There is also a class of "lobsters" that appear more frequently on our dining table, and are characterized by a pair of domineering large tongs, which are members of the genus Nephropinae and the genus of sea prawns, although the name also has the word "lobster", in fact, the exact name should be crawfish, which will be described in detail in the next table species.
Homarus americanus, also known as "Boston lobster". Image: 123rf.com
As for our usual most common "Guijie Hemp", it is actually procambarus clarkii of the cockroach family, which is native to the Gulf of Mexico in the Americas, especially in the mississippi River estuary, so it is also called Louisiana crawfish. It is now a freshwater crawfish that has swept the world.
Domineering lobster, long cycle of life
Domineering lobsters have a small and fresh childhood and a long life course, and after reading this, you may be able to better understand why lobsters are so expensive.
Lobster life cycle diagram. Image: britannica.com
The splendid lobster is a member of the genus Lobster, which has five pairs of walking feet and swimming feet (flaky structure of the abdomen). Like other shrimp, lobsters can also "jump" backwards quickly through the rapid contraction of their abdominal muscles and the movement of the front fan of the tail, and the swimming feet with the fan movement can help them crawl forward. Lobsters belong to the suborder Egg-hugging suborder, so their swimming feet naturally have the function of egg protection in addition to "swimming".
Egg-holding lobster. Image: shorelifeflorida.com
Female lobsters can carry up to 1 million eggs on their abdomen, and after each mating season, the eggs are "carefully cared for" under the swimming feet of the female for 2 to 4 months, and the fertilized eggs leave the mother with a diameter of about 1 mm.
Fertilized eggs of lobsters in hatching. Image: Matteo Ciani
The fertilized eggs then hatch into Phyllosoma, the early leaf-shaped larvae only 1.5 to 2 mm long, transparent throughout, drifting around with ocean currents, feeding on tinyer plankton, and morphologically not at all like a lobster. When we snorkel, we may be able to swallow a few of these "lobsters".
Lobster leaf-shaped juveniles, yo "eight stars and eight arrows" ah. Image: dailymail.co.uk
The leaf-shaped larvae undergo more than ten molts, the body length has increased by more than 30 times, and the shape has also undergone qualitative changes, and finally grows the appearance of a mini crayfish. It takes almost 10 months to go from leaf-shaped larvae to shrimp-shaped larvae (Puerulus).
Small fresh lobster larvae. Image: Justin lewis
At this time, the shrimp-shaped larvae are about 3 to 4 cm long, and have grown long tentacles, and the whole body is crystal clear. After about 45 days, the larvae undergo a molt to become a 5 cm or so lobster juvenile, and the pigment of the carapace is gradually deposited, and since then it has inhabited the crevices of the reef and coral, and began to live a similar life to broodstock.
Variegated lobster larvae. Image: reefbuilders.com
After one year, the juvenile shrimp can grow to about 10 cm, and thereafter the body length grows by about 3 to 5 cm per year. After several molts, it takes about 10 years to grow from a juvenile to an adult lobster. Lobsters emerge day and night, mainly feeding on small fish, shrimp and crabs, shellfish, worms, algae and so on.
Adult splendid lobster inside the Okinawa Aquarium. Image: Shark
Lobster each life stage is very long, and will eliminate a large number of individuals, compared with the shrimp that can be marketed after seven or eight months of artificial breeding (such as spotted shrimp, black tiger shrimp), the growth cycle of about ten years is too long, the time cost is difficult to support commercial farming, so the price is naturally high.
Lobster's colorful body color is mainly due to the complex of astaxanthin and crustaceanin deposited in different parts and some pigments, lobsters mostly inhabit tropical and subtropical corals and reef-rich seas, and the brilliant body color is a good camouflage.
Variegated lobsters in coral reefs. Image: shutterstock.com
Spotted lobster in a gravel heap. Image: akive.org
Naturally beautiful, how to do it is delicious
Lobster meat is a true "natural beauty" and contains almost all the advantages of crustaceans – whether it's meat yield, the fineness of the meat, the elasticity or the sweetness.
Image: kuroisi.com
The high concentration of free amino acids and amine compounds in lobster muscle cells is the source of the delicious taste of lobster meat, and the crystal clear, tender and smooth shrimp meat taste is also extremely pure, so it is very suitable for raw food.
Isekai old sashimi. Image: gnavi.co.jp
When heated, lobster gives off a roasted nut-like aroma, a flavor derived from free amino acids and sugars produced by pyrazine and imidazoles. The basic principle of lobster cooking is to preserve its delicious flavor as much as possible, and the steaming of minced garlic and light cheese baking is already the limit.
Steamed lobster with minced garlic. Image: 123rf.com.cn
The shrimp head is the part of the lobster's reproductive glands, rich in shrimp paste and shrimp yellow, suitable for soup and porridge stew.
Lobster porridge. Image: 123rf.com.cn
Japanese miso lobster soup. Image: matome.naver.jp
Cantonese lobster is usually eaten in three ways: sashimi, oil and porridge; Minnan people eat lobster is the simplest, like to cut from the back, cut, steamed on the drawer, the taste is delicious and difficult to describe. The delicious lobster gravy in cooking is also extremely valuable, so lobster is often paired with "flavor-absorbing" ingredients, such as bii noodles, vermicelli, and millet.
Steamed lobster. Image: 123rf.com.cn
Of course, if you are lucky enough to live in the lobster production area, or if the local tycoons have a lot of lobsters, it is also possible to make hemp!
Spicy lobster. Image: chinesefood.cooking