kg Crayfish are the most easily cultured of the crustaceans, and have been raised in natural ponds in the Atchafalaya Basin of Louisiana for better than two centuries They’re also prized in Sweden The main attraction of all these creatures is their white “tail” meat Three European and American lobster species and their crayfish cousins have large claws, which in the American lobster can amount to half the total body weight A larger group of more distant relatives, the spiny and rock lobsters (Palinurus, Panuliris, Jasus and others), are less impressively endowed, and are called “clawless”; they supply much frozen lobster tail, because their meat freezes better than clawed lobster meat The claw meat is noticeably different from the main body and tail meats Because they require more stamina, claw muscles include a substantial proportion of slow red fibers (p 132), and have a distinctive, richer flavor Lobsters and crayfish are often sold live to consumers The prime season for Louisiana crayfish is generally local winter through spring, when the animals are heaviest and firm-fleshed The lobster body contains the flavorful digestive gland known as the liver or tomalley, a pale mass that turns green when cooked Females may also contain an ovary, a mass containing thousands of 1–2 mm eggs, which turns red-pink when cooked; hence its name “coral.” Lobster liver and coral are sometimes removed before cooking, and then crushed to a paste and added to hot sauces at the last minute to contribute their color and flavor Crustacean innards The cephalothorax of crustaceans contains a large, flavorful digestive gland, the hepatopancreas, whose ... name “coral.” Lobster liver and coral are sometimes removed before cooking, and then crushed to a paste and added to hot sauces at the last minute to contribute their color and flavor Crustacean innards The cephalothorax... The lobster body contains the flavorful digestive gland known as the liver or tomalley, a pale mass that turns green when cooked Females may also contain an ovary, a mass containing thousands of 1–2 mm eggs,...Lobsters and crayfish are often sold live to consumers The prime season for Louisiana crayfish is generally local winter through spring, when the animals are heaviest and firm-fleshed The lobster body contains the