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Decapods are a detachment of higher crustaceans from the type of arthropods. This group includes more than 30% of all types of the class. Fossils date back to the Permian period. More than 8.5 thousand species of decapods are known, which are very widespread on our planet. About 300 species live in the CIS countries. The order of decapods is divided into two suborders. The first (Natantia) includes shrimp, the second (Reptantia) - lobsters, crabs, crayfish, lobsters.

The habitat of most of these crustaceans are the seas and oceans, some species are freshwater or terrestrial forms. A huge variety of decapods is noted in the reservoirs of the tropics at shallow depths. The richness of species of this order is observed in many seas of Russia, in particular in the Sea of ​​Japan, Okhotsk, White, Barents, Black. The diet consists of a variety of animal (mainly invertebrates) and plant foods.

Among the decapods, the largest are giant Japanese crabs. So, the maximum span of their claws can reach 3 meters. And the body length of the Madagascar crayfish can be about 1 meter.

The structure of the decapods . characteristic feature The external structure of the decapod crustacean is a strong fixed connection of the jaw segments of the head with the pectorals. This forms a cephalothorax covered with a hard shell. On the head are compound eyes on movable stalks. Second distinguishing feature these animals - the transformation of three pairs of forelimbs into the jaws, which take part in the process of capturing and transferring food to the mouth. In decapods, the front pair of mandibles is often transformed into claws. The five hind pairs of legs are walking, hence the name of the detachment. The structure of the abdomen and hind five pairs of limbs differs in different species due to the peculiarities of the way of life. The abdomen is usually well developed (in shrimp, crayfish), less often reduced and tucked under the cephalothorax (in crabs).

Gill breathing, the gills are completely covered by the side covers of the carapace. The circulatory system is not closed. There is a heart in the form of a sac with holes through which hemolymph flows to it from the body cavity. From the heart, the hemolymph moves through the vessels to various organs, including the gills, where gas exchange occurs. Structure nervous system similar to its structure in other arthropods.

Decapod breeding . Individuals of all species are dioecious. Males are usually larger and stronger than females. In the vast majority of species, the two anterior pairs of abdominal limbs are transformed in males into a copulatory complex; in females, eggs are glued to the legs until the end of the gestation period. The development of larvae hatched from eggs is direct. Outwardly, the larvae look like formed crustaceans. After several molts, they turn into adults.

In our article we want to talk about decapods. They have been widely known for a long time. Having large sizes and excellent taste properties, decapods have long been the object of fishing.

Order of decapods

Of the variety of crustaceans, decapods are the most popular. One has only to recall the crayfish, which have long been the heroes of numerous fables and fairy tales.

Decapod crayfish are industrial species. If we talk about their capture, then, for example, in 1962, more than one million tons of crabs, lobsters, shrimp and lobsters were caught, which is twice as much as the catch of all salmon. In Russia, fishing takes place in large vessels, which are floating seafood processing plants.

Decapod crayfish are quite common throughout the world. They are found in all seas and oceans, starting from the very edge of the water and up to five kilometers deep. Tropical waters are especially rich in decapods, shrimp, crabs and lobsters live here. Crayfish live in fresh lakes and rivers.

Order decapod crayfish - the highest crustaceans from This group has more than 8.5 thousand varieties. Among them there are even those that have long since switched to a terrestrial way of life.

Shrimps

Real shrimp are small marine crustaceans that live in almost all seas. All varieties are very different in size. Among cooks, the most popular are quite expensive and large ones with stripes on the shell. They are grown on special farms in Southeast Asia. But there is another large shrimp called jumbo, which reaches thirty centimeters. European shrimps of small sizes that live in (Skaggerak Strait) are also valued.

When purchasing real shrimp in a supermarket, please note that there are numbers on the packaging that indicate how many pieces per kilogram. Averages have indicators - 90/120. That is, a kilogram contains from 90 to one hundred and twenty individuals.

The structure and nutrition of shrimp

The body of shrimp is covered with a chitinous cover, which periodically changes during molting. Individuals have five pairs of swimming legs. Using a sharp contraction and relaxation of the abdomen, shrimp are able to swim backwards. These creatures are armed with large antennae-whiskers, which serve not only for smell, touch, but also for orientation in space.

Shrimp can only see up close. For orientation, they are mostly antennae.

Like other crustaceans, shrimp eat a variety of food: dying plants, organic remains. Animals will not refuse to eat insects. But in most cases they feed on carrion.

Large shrimp, which live on the shelf of the African coast, prefer to stick to muddy areas near the mouths of rivers. During the day they burrow into the ground, and after dark they begin to look for prey.

Ecuador ranks first in the export of crustaceans, breeding them on specialized farms. The shrimp are fed here with special compound feeds, although in their natural environment they prefer small crustaceans and algae. Such food makes the shells of shrimp very strong.

Lobsters or lobsters

Lobster (photo given in the article) also belongs to the order of decapod crustaceans. These creatures live in the region of rocks on the continental shelves in the warm and cold waters of the ocean. There are different types of lobsters, depending on their taste. The most valuable are considered to be Norwegian and Atlantic lobsters (the second name of lobsters). They are not very large, about 22 centimeters, but they have excellent taste characteristics, which is why they are appreciated by gourmets. But European lobsters are much larger. They weigh up to ten kilograms with a length of ninety centimeters. Lobsters live in the seas of the western coast of Europe, from and to the very African coast.

There is another type of lobster called American. It weighs about twenty kilograms and at the same time has a meter length. These ten-legged crustaceans are impressive in their size. Such giants live off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean (from the coast to Labrador). However, experts say that the American lobster (photo is given in the article) is more striking in its outlandish size than in taste characteristics. And, nevertheless, it is bred in artificial conditions on special farms.

I would like to note that lobster, lobster is the name of the same representative of decapods. IN different countries use different terms.

Appearance of lobsters

Outwardly, these ten-legged crayfish are painfully similar to their freshwater relatives (crayfish). But they differ in their impressive size. In addition, they have very large claws. The color of lobsters can be quite different, it varies from green-blue to gray-green. The antennae are always red and the tail resembles a fan. The meat from the tail of the lobster has a very dense texture, escalopes and medallions are prepared from it. Males are much larger than females. Lobster meat under a transparent shell is white, tender and fragrant. During cooking, the integument of the decapod changes its color to intense red, which is why it was nicknamed the "sea cardinal".

lobsters

Lobster is a representative of marine crustaceans (decapods). Outwardly, it looks like a lobster, but it does not have large claws. Such creatures are found in the warm Atlantic waters near the shores of America and Europe, in pacific ocean off the coast of California, as well as Mexico, in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Australia. Cooked lobster is one of the most expensive dishes in restaurants in the Bahamas, Belize, Bali, Thailand, and numerous Caribbean islands.

Very often, lobsters are larger than lobsters. The length of some individuals reaches fifty centimeters, and their weight at the same time reaches three kilograms. The weight of the largest lobster is eleven kilograms, while its length was about a meter.

Outwardly, it is quite easy to distinguish between a lobster and a lobster. The lobster has numerous spines on its shell and no large claws. Only the tail and belly of this tithe are eaten. The meat has a delicate taste.

Lobster breeding

Spiny lobsters reach sexual maturity at the age of five, they reproduce sexually. Females lay eggs in a special bag on the body, later they are fertilized by male sexual products. After a couple of months, small larvae appear, which calmly swim in the water. Very quickly they become small lobsters and go to live at the bottom. Gradually, from small creatures, they turn into adults. At the same time, in the first year of life, a molt of the chitinous cover occurs monthly.

Spiny lobsters grow quite slowly, but at the same time they are not at all threatened with extinction, perhaps this is due to their benthic lifestyle.

Instead of an afterword

Lobster, spiny lobster, shrimp are representatives of decapod crustaceans. For people, first of all, their tasty and healthy meat is of interest. However, one should not forget about their importance in nature, because they are an integral part of natural food chains, since they are food for fish and pinnipeds. At the same time, they themselves eat small animals and invertebrates.

Crustaceans include crab, shrimp, spiny lobster, langoustine, sea truffle (aka sea duck), lobster (aka lobster) and crayfish. They are prepared in a variety of ways. Crustacean meat is distinguished by high protein value and relatively low calorie content. They are rich in phosphorus, iron and calcium, they contain quite a lot of vitamins B2 and PP. The meat of crab, squid, shrimp reduces the risk of blood clots in the blood vessels; they are also useful in anemia.

We add that crustaceans play an important role in the ecosystem, and not only the most known to man crabs, lobsters, lobsters and shrimps, but also numerous small forms floating near the surface of water bodies as part of zooplankton. Without small crustaceans, which turn plant cells into easily digestible animal food, the existence of most representatives of the aquatic fauna would become almost impossible.

Crab

Crab is a marine crustacean of the genus Decapoda that lives in the seas, fresh waters, less often - on land.

In Russia, king crabs weighing up to 2-3 kg, which are considered the best (often they are even called “royal”), were caught back in 1837 in Russian-American settlements on the Aleutian Islands, and crabs fishing off the coast of Primorye began to develop in the 70s years XIX century. IN Soviet times King crabs were introduced into the Barents Sea, where they multiplied so much that their constant capture became an ecological necessity.

The soft body of the crab is covered with a hard brown-reddish shell with sharp prickly spines. The belly and limbs (claws) are eaten with grayish gelatinous meat, which after cooking becomes white, tender, fibrous and retains the unique smell of the sea.

Widely known canned crab, which uses meat from the joints of the legs. Tender white pieces of crab meat, freed from the shell after boiling, are placed in jars lined with parchment, rolled up the lids and sterilized. The result is a delicacy for salads and an excellent independent snack containing, among other useful substances, iodine, phosphorus and lecithin.

Boiled-frozen crabs are also on sale in Ukraine, the meat of which can be fried, boiled, steamed, baked and even used for all kinds of soups.

Please note: popular in our country "crab sticks" have nothing to do with crabs and are made from pollock or cod meat with the addition of egg white, starch, flavorings and dyes. This is a variety of the so-called "surimi" (literally "shaped fish") - this is how the Japanese call fish meat dishes that imitate expensive seafood. Such a product is much cheaper than the original and can be eaten without additional processing.

Shrimp

Shrimp is a small marine crustacean Pandalus borealis that lives in almost all the seas of the world. Shrimps vary greatly in size: the largest are less than 20 pieces per 1 kg, and the smallest in the same kilogram can be from 100 pieces or more.

The most popular among chefs are large (and rather expensive) tiger prawns with characteristic stripes on the shell, which are grown on farms in the Mediterranean, Malaysia, Taiwan and other countries of Southeast Asia. However, there is an even larger jumbo shrimp - up to 30 centimeters long. Small European shrimps, which are found in the Norwegian fjords and in the Skaggerak Strait, are also highly valued.

The numbers that you see on the packaging of shrimp are the number of them per kilogram. The most common medium shrimp in the world are labeled 90/120 (from 90 to 120 pieces per kilogram). 50/70 are very large, selected shrimp, 70/90 are large, 90+ are the smallest.

Considering that the shelf life of processed and chilled shrimp does not exceed four days, it is understandable why they reach us more often in frozen form, moreover, the vast majority are already boiled immediately after being caught right on the trawler in sea ​​water. It remains only to slowly defrost them and warm them up for 1-2 minutes in boiling water or in oil in a pan (and you don’t need to warm them up for salads).

The tail of the boiled-frozen shrimp must be bent - this is evidence that it was cooked alive immediately after being caught. The more unbent the shrimp, the longer it lay before cooking and the worse in quality. A black head also speaks of poor quality - this means that after catching the shrimp, they did not freeze for a long time.

The meat of these crustaceans is a real natural pantry of all kinds of usefulness. Especially a lot of iodine in it, it is rich in sodium, calcium, phosphorus ... - you can list almost half of the periodic table. There is a lot of protein in it, but there is practically no fat.

Shrimps are served cold and hot, boiled, stewed, grilled and fried, baked, used in soups. In Asia, several types of shrimp are eaten raw. And from the smallest shrimp, pre-salted and then fermented, they make shrimp paste, which is used in seasonings and sauces.

spiny lobster

Lobster is a marine crustacean similar to a lobster, but without claws, common in the warm waters of the Atlantic coast of Europe and America, in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Pacific Ocean near California and Mexico, off the coast of Japan, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Lobster is considered the recognized leader in the menu of the most expensive restaurants in the Bahamas, Belize, the Indonesian island of Bali, Thailand and the Caribbean.

Often, lobsters are larger than lobsters: the length of large individuals can reach 40-50 cm, and they weigh more than three kilograms. And the largest recorded specimen weighed 11 kilograms with a length of about a meter!

Distinguishing a lobster from a lobster is as easy as shelling pears: its shell is covered with numerous spikes, and it has no claws, only a long “mustache”.

The spiny lobster eats only the abdomen and tail (in the chef's way - "neck"), but if you consider that large specimens weigh up to eight kilograms, then only the neck accounts for about a kilogram of very tender and tasty meat.

Lobster is baked with sauce, grilled, added to salads and soups. The spiny lobster is especially good if it is stewed in a sauce with port wine or cooked on the grill and served with butter mixed with shredded basil.

In our country, canned or frozen lobster necks are most often sold (as a rule, the smallest individuals go to the necks).

Langoustine (Dublin shrimp, Norwegian lobster, scampi)

Langoustine is the closest relative of the spiny lobster, although it looks more like a lobster. This bright orange or pink crustacean lives in the northern waters of the Atlantic. Great Britain supplies most of the langoustines to the world market.

The langoustine meat is in the tail (beautiful langoustine claws are pointless to cut: you will not find meat there).

Langoustines are eaten stewed in broth: dipped whole in boiling water for 5-15 seconds. the main thing is not to overdo it, as they are quickly digested and become rubbery. During cooking, langoustine practically does not change color.

Lobster

Lobsters live on rocky, sandy inland flats in both warm and cold ocean waters around the world. Different types Lobsters vary greatly in size and taste. Initially different in color, when cooked, they all turn bright red.

Atlantic (Norwegian) lobsters are considered the most valuable - they are small in size (22 cm long), but very tasty. Much larger is the European lobster (up to 90 cm long, weight up to 10 kg), which lives in the seas washing Europe from Norway to the northwestern coast of Africa.

American (Northern, or Manx) lobster up to 1 m long and weighing up to 20 kg is found along the Atlantic coast North America from Labrador to North Carolina, and also bred on special farms. It strikes more with size than taste.

If you have the opportunity to try tiny lobsters from the Indian Ocean while traveling to Asia, do not neglect it - they have a very interesting, rich taste.

All types of lobsters (the French name is adopted in Ukraine, although in Lately began to use the English “lobster”) have powerful claws and very tender tasty meat. The meat is contained in claws, legs and tail (neck), it is boiled or grilled.

Connoisseurs also greatly appreciate "tomali" - the green liver of a male, which is used to make the most delicate sauces and soups. Coral, the very tender red caviar of a female lobster, is also considered a delicacy.

Sea duck (sea acorn, sea truffle, pollycypes, persebes, balyanus)

Sea ducks (pollicipes, sea truffles, persebes, goose barnacles) are the most expensive crustacean in the world (more than three hundred dollars per kilogram!). This is one of the so-called barnacles (they are also sea acorns, sea tulips or balanus), whose body is covered with a calcareous shell resembling a shell. For this reason, they are sometimes incorrectly referred to as clams; do not believe it - these are real crustaceans.

The size of the sea duck shell is 5-6 centimeters. With the help of a long leg extended from the shell, sea ducks are tightly glued to rocks, stones or the bottoms of ships and boats, and feed on plankton.

Sea ducks are caught near the coasts of Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Moreover, the extraction of sea ducks is associated with considerable risk: at low tide, hunters for these crustaceans descend on slippery stones overgrown with even more slippery moss and look for colonies of sea ducks lurking in crevices.

Sea ducks have juicy pinkish-white meat. Steamed right in their shells and served with a seafood sauce, sea ducks taste like both oyster and lobster at the same time. They are also eaten raw, tearing off the keratinized end and sucking out the tender core, for example, with a sauce of vinegar and olive oil. They are extraordinarily tasty and just as unusually rare and expensive, which, apparently, explains one of their names - "sea truffles".

In Spanish Galicia, where sea ducks are called percebes or peus de cabra, they even celebrate the Fiesta de Los Percebes in honor of them.

Other varieties of sea acorns (barnacles, barnacles) are not as well known, although some of them are also used in cooking.

The famous Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl wrote that while traveling on the Kon-Tiki in 1947, the raft quickly became overgrown with sea acorns. Brave travelers used crustaceans for food.

Although barnacles irritate bathers and upset shipowners, they have attracted the attention of scientists for centuries - Charles Darwin spent more than eight years of his life studying them. Experts believe that if it were possible to find out the composition of the sticky substance secreted by these crustaceans and synthesize a material similar to it, such glue could connect broken bones, serve as cement in the treatment of teeth, and also satisfy another two dozen industrial needs.

Cancer

Cancer is found in most freshwater bodies of the world (perhaps except Africa). Two genera of crayfish are considered the most common - the European Astacus and the American Pacifastacus. And the most delicious in our country, according to tradition, are large blue crayfish from the Armenian Lake Sevan, living in perfectly clear water and not smelling of mud.

The season of crayfish is spring or autumn. The meat is mainly contained in the neck (tail) of the cancer - about 1/5 of its total weight, there is a little in the claws and quite a bit in the walking legs, although connoisseurs are happy to eat the body of the cancer (what is under the shell) and his caviar.

Before varkoff, crayfish are sometimes kept in milk to cleanse their intestines and lull them into a sleepy state. Most often, crayfish are boiled right in the shell - they are thrown in small batches into rapidly boiling salted water with a lot of dill and spices. In a four-liter saucepan, no more than 8-10 medium-sized pieces can be boiled at a time. If you need to cook crayfish soup (in France it is called "bisque"), crayfish are boiled for 4-5 minutes. If you are going to just eat “with beer” - then 7-8 minutes, then remove from heat and leave to infuse for another 10 minutes, with or without a lid.

Large crayfish contain more meat, but small ones are tastier, but you should not buy crayfish smaller than 10 cm - there is too little edible there, one mess, and catching such babies is simply illegal.

Lobster

There were times when lobsters were used to fertilize fields and as bait for catching fish, but today these animals, whose meat has an amazingly delicate taste, are recognized as the best seafood delicacy in the whole world.

Lobsters (or lobsters) belong to the family of marine animals of the decapod crustacean order. They live on rocky continental shelves in cold and warm ocean waters all over the planet. Lobsters are classified by species, differing appearance and taste qualities. The most valuable are Atlantic, or Norwegian lobsters. They are small in size (up to 22 cm in length), but very tasty. European lobsters are much larger - up to 90 cm in length and weighing up to 10 kg. They live in the seas washing the western edge of Europe from the Scandinavian Peninsula to the northwestern African coast. The next type of lobster - American (aka Manx, or northern) - reaches a length of 1 m and weighs about 20 kg. It is bred on special farms, and in nature it lives along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean - from North Carolina to Labrador. True, the American lobster is more impressive for its size than its taste.

These marine animals are similar in appearance to crayfish, but differ in huge claw-nosed limbs. The color of lobsters is different - from grayish-green to green-blue. The antennae are red, the tail is in the form of a fan. It has dense meat, from which medallions and escalopes are made. Males are significantly larger than females. Under the strong shell of the lobster is white tender and aromatic meat. When cooked, the lobster changes its color to red - for this it is called the "sea cardinal".

Previously, lobsters were used as fertilizer for fields and profit for catching fish. Today, lobsters are considered the most refined and appetizing seafood delicacy. Its tender meat has the finest taste. The tail part of the lobster is considered the most valuable, and the meat contained in the legs and claws is tougher, but also very tasty. Gourmets especially appreciate "tomali" - the green liver of the animal, located under the shell of the head, and "coral" - the tender red caviar of the female lobster.

Usually lobsters are boiled whole, no more than 7 minutes. But sometimes it is cut, removing the tail. Lobsters are one of the staples of French cuisine. Here they are stuffed with crabs or served cut into halves with sauce. Extraordinary dishes are prepared from lobster meat - croquettes, aspic, soufflé, soups, salads, mousses. Lobsters are also grilled or stewed in wine. They go well with saffron, ginger, lemongrass, curry, asparagus and other seafood (mussels and shrimp).