Whats the red stuff in a lobster

Those that are familiar with lobster are no doubt also familiar with the fact that it’s a very complicated creature. Whether you’re looking at it from a scientific standpoint or if you’re looking at it as your next meal, there’s a lot about the crustacean which sparks interest. There’s so much to explore and so much to try. However, that doesn’t mean that you can go on doing just about anything. There’s still a need to be cautious, and this caution results in many users asking us whether or not can you eat the red stuff in lobster. Read this guide if you’re wondering the same thing.

What is the Red Stuff in Lobster?

Before you get down to actually eating something, of course, it’s very important to know what it is that you’re eating in the first place. Lobster develops a red color once it’s been cooked, but before that, it’s mainly grey from the inside. But sometimes, a lobster might already have a specific part of its body that is already very read before it’s even been cooked.

This red stuff inside of the crustacean is actually something that’s exclusively found in female lobsters, and even only some of them at that. That’s because the red part inside is actually there because of eggs. These eggs found in female lobsters can be either black or red, and you’ve likely found yourself red ones if you’re reading this guide.

You just happened to get a lobster that was about to lay eggs. These aren’t too rare, but they’re not all that common in the market either. That said, now that you know exactly what they are and why they’re there, let’s discuss if they can be eaten or not.

For all those wondering if they can eat the eggs inside of the lobster or not, the answer to this question is really simple. Not only is it very much possible to eat them, we in fact recommend trying them out the next time you come across them. That’s because these aren’t just edible. In fact, they’re entire delicacies of their own which most tend to enjoy.

If you’ve happened to come across some, carefully extract them and store them. There are many recipes that can help you find the best way to prepare them and serve them in your home. These aren’t an actual part of the crustacean and can be easily extracted or rinsed out with the help of water or a utensil.

Once they’ve been washed away or stored, just carefully rinse the lobster itself and it’ll be ready for cooking. There’s nothing to worry about as these don’t pose any sort of health risks, and they don’t ruin the taste of the lobster itself. So, to give an answer to the question, you can eat the red stuff in lobster without any worries.

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If the seafood restaurant chain were called "Green Lobster" instead of "Red Lobster" would you be more likely to eat there? Most likely not, if you don't know what tomalley is. The idea of a lobster being anything but red might sound off-putting, but according to Allrecipes, lobster with lots of green stuff on the inside is actually considered a delicacy in the culinary world. 

If you crack open a lobster and see a green coating on the meat, your taste buds are in for a treat. Also known as tomalley, this greenish paste is the part of the lobster that packs the most flavor, and it tastes like lobster, only a lot richer and more concentrated. From a biological standpoint, tomalley is the hepatopancreas of the lobster, which is essentially the liver and pancreas combined (via Cook's Illustrated). It can be scraped off to add flavor to another dish or sauce, used as a spread like pate, but usually it's just eaten along with the lobster meat.

Is it safe to eat tomalley?

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Anyone who cooks shrimp knows that deveining is an important part of the cleaning process. Since the vein is not a vein at all, but rather a part of the digestive system, it's removed along with the shell. Technically, as Cook's Illustrated points out, a lobster's tomalley is part of the digestive system too. The difference is it doesn't contain undigested food and waste like the shrimp "vein." But that doesn't mean it's always safe to eat, especially during a red tide. 

According to the National Ocean Service, a red tide occurs when there's a hyper growth of algae. This algae "bloom," as scientists call it, not only turns water red, but releases toxins that can kill fish and make shellfish like clams, oysters, scallops, and mussels dangerous to eat (via Mass.gov). Consuming shellfish from red tide waters can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, which is why shellfish bans are put in place for regions experiencing a red tide. According to Cook's Illustrated, while lobster meat is not affected by the bloom, toxins do accumulate in the lobster's tomalley, which makes it unsafe to eat during a red tide.