Glossary of terms applied to lobster
Shell: rigid shall covering the body, measured from the behind the
orbit of the eye to the end of the tail to establish its legal
size.
Girdling: enclircling the live lobster?s claws with a flexible band
to ensure safe handling and quality.
Heat canning: hermetically sterilized canned lobster for long
storage.
Cold canning: Lobster meat vacu-packed in metal container and
frozen, but non-hermetically sterilized. This product must be kept
frozen.
Coral: orange roe of the female lobster.
Deuces: Lobster weighing 900 to 1,135 grams (2 to 2.5
pounds).
Liver: green-coloured digestive organ of the lobster used to
flavour dips and sauces.
Hard-shell or rock-lobster: a lobster in which the new shell has
completely hardened. At this stage, there is 50 to 60% more meat
than in the soft-shell lobster.
Canning lobster: small lobster weighing 170 to 454 grams (½
to 1 pound).
Soft-shell lobster: lobster having recently moulted. At this stage,
there is little flesh and the texture and taste are not as
nice.
Table lobster: lobster weighing 454 grams or more, generally sold
live.
Popsicle-pack lobster: whole frozen lobster, or lobster packaged in
brine in a cellophane bag and frozen.
Cull: lobster with only one or no claw, generally sold
cheaper.
Medium: lobster weighing 570 to 680 grams (1.25 to1.5
pounds).
Small: lobster weighing 454 to 500 grams (1 to 1 1/8 pounds).
Crushing claw: the larger of the two claws.
Cutting claw: the smaller of the two claws.
Lobster tank: bassin used to store live lobster.
