a problem with lobsters

[ywhite2@bigpond]

I have purchased whole frozen lobsters, defrosted them in the fridge. When i cut them in half they have a black substance that goes through all the meat. Am I cutting them wrong? Has anyone seen this before? I would appreciate any help, thanks.

[even stephen]

Thats the coral.....it can actually be used to color certain dishes and
make them a little richer...use it light handedly though....I whip it with butter
and finish some sauces and risotto with it....turns to a bright pink/orange..just
like the shell of said lobster....imparts a rich briney flavor.....no way around
the discoloration when cutting them frozen...especially on a ban saw....

[shakeandbake]

Are you sure it's not the tomalley, lobster liver? Usually it would be greenish, but maybe turned black as a result of freezing. I've never heard of coral before, do you mean the roe?

[Bazza]

The coral, sometimes called roe is red/pink in colour and the tomalley or liver is a dark cloudy green, these are both up near the head end of the lobster. You say the dark colour runs right through the meat and I assume that when you say you are cutting them in half that you mean lengthways. The digestive tract runs lengthways down the tail meat, it is like a vein and is usually dark in colour, this should be removed. It is possible that the digestive tract has deteriorated during the freezing or thawing process and leached into the meat, difficult to say without seeing it. Either way you need to be careful with any shellfish. When buying frozen you have no idea what happened to it before it reached you. Is it possible to buy fresh in your area?

[even stephen]

The coral or roe is not pink in color when raw....it only becomes so
when heated.....when raw or frozen...it is deep green to almost black
in color....finding lobsters with a substantial digestive tract is kinda rare.
You just don't see much...coral or roe is much more common....thats the
poop on that.....I don't worry much about the safeness of the digestive tract.....we don't devine shrimp at home before eating them either....

[Bazza]

yes you are right, I was assuming they were cooked.