Lobsters

Lobsters are large marine crustaceans of high commercial value: the families Homaridae (true/clawed lobsters, including the North Atlantic lobsters of the genus Homarus — American and European lobster) and Palinuridae (rock and spiny lobsters, clawless). Many species are prized for their sweet, firm flesh — claw, tail and body meat served boiled, grilled or in bisques. They must be kept alive in vivier tanks (or rapidly chilled/frozen) after capture and cooked thoroughly — lobsters spoil quickly once dead, and cooking must kill Vibrio and other bacteria; as crustaceans they are a regulated allergen, and fisheries enforce minimum sizes and quotas.