crustaceans: what parts do you (not) eat?

[veek]

I know that the gill structures (and shells, doh!) on crabs are not edible, but I usually eat everything else (it's the tastiest part!) and not just the white meat. I've noticed that restaurants typically don't offer the "everything else," and recipes seem to recommend discarding it and rinsing it out.

So, I'm wondering... are these non-meaty parts safe to eat? Do you eat them?

How do you typically clean lobster and crabs?

<always craving seafood>

 

[Hank49]

Most SE Asians eat the heads of shrimp and lobster. As you said, it's the tastiest part. There are the muscles that control the pereopods (legs) kind of like our shoulders. The heart, lymphoid organ...the stomach is in there also and depending on what they ate, I believe it can taste not so good. Shrimp as an example, eat blue green algaes that taste kind of bad. I don't clean either species until after I cook them. Then I pick through the head.

 

[Ironcat]

I have worked in quite a few restaurants (and eaten in many more) the ikky green stuff in a lobster belly is safe to eat and in fact some restaurants even call it "tamale" which made me swear off mexican food for awhile. You just have to remember to tell them not to clean your lobster. Most decent seafood places will ask if you want it cleaned. I dated a girl who loved that part the best and when we'd go out for lobster, she'd eat the guts and I would eat the tail... It is all a matter of taste. You can also suck meat out of the straw like legs on a lobster (less in a crab but still some) and in bigger lobsters there is always a hidden pinch of meat on each little "tail scale".
If it wasn't safe to eat, they wouldn't bring it to the table.

 

[Rick Murchison]

are these non-meaty parts safe to eat?

If the animal has been eating things that can cause you an allergic reaction or intestinal discomfort then the toxins/allergins tend to concentrate in the non-meaty parts. So, the answer is, yes, they're edible, but they are more risky than the meat.
I've run into some pretty serious bouts of itching hands (I mean scratch it raw or die itchy) with crab "mustard" - enough that I no longer eat it, even though the flavor is exquisite. Just ain't worth the risk any more.
Rick

 

[ProfessorAronnax]

If the animal has been eating things that can cause you an allergic reaction or intestinal discomfort then the toxins/allergins tend to concentrate in the non-meaty parts. So, the answer is, yes, they're edible, but they are more risky than the meat.
I've run into some pretty serious bouts of itching hands (I mean scratch it raw or die itchy) with crab "mustard" - enough that I no longer eat it, even though the flavor is exquisite. Just ain't worth the risk any more.
Rick

Yeh, I know a lot of folks love the lobster tamale (green stuff) but it consists of the liver which is basically a toxin filter soooo I stick with the meaty stuff.

 

[jeditdog]

I used to love all the shell fish, then one fateful day at the Melting Pot, I ate just a small piece of lobster and... yep I'm allergic, I was in the emergency room until 3 in the morning.

I really like this post though

If the animal has been eating things that can cause you an allergic reaction or intestinal discomfort then the toxins/allergins tend to concentrate in the non-meaty parts. So, the answer is, yes, they're edible, but they are more risky than the meat.
I've run into some pretty serious bouts of itching hands (I mean scratch it raw or die itchy) with crab "mustard" - enough that I no longer eat it, even though the flavor is exquisite. Just ain't worth the risk any more.
Rick

and the reason is, about 2 months before, I'd been eating blue-crabs in Ocean City Maryland and maybe the problem was I'd loaded myself with toxins on those. I hadn't really had problems before except a littlte itch when I was young. But I've heard you build up the toxins over time.

Anyway, I'm too scared of the stuff now . but I'm jeleous of you guys who do still get to eat it.

 

[mstevens]

If it wasn't safe to eat, they wouldn't bring it to the table.

Beliefs such as that get people sick or killed. Ever try munching the fake green plastic leaves nearly ubiquitously served with sushi? However, I agree that eating the whole crustacean isn't going to harm anyone. Including the shell, as long as nobody chokes on it.

 

[JustinW]

This is the way I think when talking about eating the guts of a lobster or crab. If it was caught in a trap, they used assorted bait hanging on the water. Commerical units TMK use fish parts that are relatively fresh, but recreationally caught crustaceans are sometimes lured with rotting meat, dog food and all sorts of stuff. Eating the stomach of a crab from that trap is like eating that bait, and sometimes the fish I use gets pretty ripe.

 

[Johnoly]

On Spiney lobsters, you can take the legs off and Microwave them for a quick popcorn effect. Put 2 or 3 legs in a bowl and cover it with a towel or lid for 30 seconds and the meat will pop right out of the shell. Quite tasty, but make sure you have a lid or towel on top, or you'll be cleaning the oven walls.