Tomalley (alternative spelling: "tomale") or
lobster paste is the soft, green substance found in the
body cavityBy the broadest definition, a body cavity is any fluid filled space in a multicellular organism. However, the term usually refers to the space, located between an animal’s outer covering and the outer lining of the gut cavity, where internal organs develop...
of
lobsterClawed lobsters compose a family of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry that nets US$31.8 billion in trade annually....
s, that fulfils the functions of both the
liverThe liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals; it has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
and the
pancreasThe pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that pass to...
. Tomalley corresponds to the
hepatopancreasThe hepatopancreas is an organ of the digestive tract of arthropods, gastropods and fish. It provides the functions which in mammals are provided separately by the liver and pancreas....
in other arthropods. It is considered a delicacy, and may be eaten alone but is often added to
sauceIn cooking, a sauce is liquid or sometimes semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. Sauce is a French word taken from the Latin salsus, meaning salted...
s for flavour. The term lobster paste or lobster
pâtéPâté is a mixture of ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. Common additions include ground liver, vegetables, herbs, spices, and wine.- Variations :...
can also be used to indicate a mixture of tomalley and lobster
roeRoe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal ovaries or egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
.
Tomalley (alternative spelling: "tomale") or
lobster paste is the soft, green substance found in the
body cavityBy the broadest definition, a body cavity is any fluid filled space in a multicellular organism. However, the term usually refers to the space, located between an animal’s outer covering and the outer lining of the gut cavity, where internal organs develop...
of
lobsterClawed lobsters compose a family of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry that nets US$31.8 billion in trade annually....
s, that fulfils the functions of both the
liverThe liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals; it has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
and the
pancreasThe pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that pass to...
. Tomalley corresponds to the
hepatopancreasThe hepatopancreas is an organ of the digestive tract of arthropods, gastropods and fish. It provides the functions which in mammals are provided separately by the liver and pancreas....
in other arthropods. It is considered a delicacy, and may be eaten alone but is often added to
sauceIn cooking, a sauce is liquid or sometimes semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. Sauce is a French word taken from the Latin salsus, meaning salted...
s for flavour. The term lobster paste or lobster
pâtéPâté is a mixture of ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. Common additions include ground liver, vegetables, herbs, spices, and wine.- Variations :...
can also be used to indicate a mixture of tomalley and lobster
roeRoe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal ovaries or egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
. Lobster
bisqueBisque can refer to:* Bisque , a piece of unglazed pottery.* Bisque , a thick, creamy soup made from puréed seafood or vegetables.* Bisque , an off-white light almond color, usually seen on older kitchen appliances...
, lobster
stockStock is a flavoured water. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces. Stock is prepared by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following:...
, and lobster
consomméIn cooking, a consommé is a type of clear soup made from richly flavored stock or bouillon that has been clarified usually through a fining process involving egg protein.- Cooking and serving consommés :...
are made using lobster bodies (heads), often including the lobster liver.
The hepatopancreas of a
crabCrabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax.Crabs have a soft body covered with a hard shell. They are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and armed with a...
is also called tomalley; in crabs the tomalley is yellow or yellow-green in colour. In Maryland and on the Delmarva peninsula, the hepatopancreas of the Blue Crab is called the "muster" or "mustard", probably because of the yellow color, which is not the bright yellow of regular prepared turmeric (tumeric) mustard, but closer to one of the brown mustards, such as Dijon. Particularly when eating steamed or boiled crabs, it is considered a delicacy.
There are no known safety considerations when it comes to eating lobster
meatMeat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs, livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys, or lungs...
. The tomalley in general can be consumed (as with the livers of other animals). It can, however, contain high levels of PCBs which can give a number of negative health effects in large concentrations. It may also contain toxins that are associated with
paralytic shellfish poisoningParalytic shellfish poisoning is one of the four recognized syndromes of shellfish poisoning . All four syndromes share some common features and are primarily associated with bivalve molluscs...
(
saxitoxinSaxitoxin is a neurotoxin naturally produced by certain species of marine dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria Saxitoxin (STX) is a neurotoxin naturally produced by certain species of marine dinoflagellates (Alexandrium sp., Gymnodinium sp., Pyrodinium sp.) and cyanobacteria Saxitoxin (STX) is a...
and gonyautoxin). Those toxins do not leach out when the lobster is cooked in boiling water. The toxins responsible for most shellfish poisonings are water-soluble, heat and acid-stable, and thus are not diminished by cooking.
A report from the Maine Department of Marine Resources in July 2008 indicated the presence of high levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin in some tomalley from lobsters in that state. Around the same time, The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reminded consumers not to eat lobster tomalley, because this part of the lobster can build up high levels of toxins and other pollutants. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration then issued an advisory against consuming tomalley from American Lobster found anywhere in the Atlantic Ocean. The FDA stated that lobster tomalley “normally does not contain dangerous levels of PSP toxins” and that the current high toxin levels “likely are associated with an ongoing
red tideRed tide is a common name for a phenomenon more correctly known as an algal bloom , an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column and results in discoloration of the surface water...
episode in northern New England and eastern Canada”.
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