When talking about expensive and delicious foods， lobster always comes to mind， especially Boston lobster， which is famous and well-known. In high-end restaurants， it is served on silver platters， drizzled with butter， and paired with champagne or white wine， becoming a symbol of “romance and luxury.”
Even outside of restaurants， whether through online shopping， the price of Boston lobster remains high. For instance， a quick online search reveals a store selling a 2000g Boston lobster for 1305 yuan. When calculated per unit， the price doesn’t seem outrageously expensive at first glance.
However， remember that lobsters， despite their size， have relatively little meat! A 2kg lobster， after draining， deheading， and shelling， yields only about 500g of edible meat. This means for every pound of meat， there’s roughly a pound of shell to account for in the sale. When you consider this， it truly ranks as a luxury item in the seafood world.
But if we turn back the clock about two hundred years to the North American coast， lobsters were used to feed pigs， fertilize fields， or were served to prisoners. In some American colonies during the 18th and 19th centuries， there were even regulations stating: “Prisons shall not serve lobsters to inmates more than twice a week， as it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment.” Why was a delicacy now considered so expensive once so unpopular?
A lobster， which isn’t technically a “shrimp，” can live for a hundred years?
First， let’s clarify a common misconception: lobsters are not the same as the commonly consumed shrimp. Biologically， lobsters belong to the order Decapoda， suborder Pleocyemata， family Nephropidae. The shrimp we often eat， such as white shrimp， grass shrimp， and Pacific white shrimp， belong to the family Penaeidae.
“Shrimp” is a broad term in both Chinese and biological contexts. Within the large family Decapoda， it can be divided into the “Natantia” suborder (like shrimp and indeed shrimp) and the “Reptantia” suborder (like lobsters and crayfish). What we typically refer to as “(true) shrimp” usually refers to members of the Natantia suborder， characterized by their laterally compressed bodies and strong swimming abilities. Boston lobsters， more accurately classified as “clawed lobsters，” belong to the Reptantia suborder， distinguished by their massive first pair of legs， which are specialized into large claws.
These well-developed claws and their heavy exoskeletons， with the first pair of walking legs evolved into large pincers—one robust and one slender—are used for hunting， defense， asserting dominance， and even for courtship displays.
If lobsters are muscular athletes， then shrimp are like under-exercised couch potatoes， appearing slender and lacking this prominent claw structure， with relatively softer exoskeletons. Their lifestyles also differ significantly.
Lobsters are typically solitary creatures， preferring to hide in caves or crevices among rocks， emerging at night to hunt. More importantly， if they don’t unfortunately end up on human dinner plates， lobsters boast a long lifespan—living up to 50 years， and even over a century in ideal conditions， with records exceeding 140 years.
However， aged lobsters are rare. Even if a centenarian manages to grow to around 10 pounds through sheer perseverance， they would fetch an exorbitant price of several thousand yuan in the ecstatic hands of humans， only to become a gourmet meal. Shrimp， even if not entirely consumed by humans at once， typically live for only about a year. If not eaten， they die anyway， so perhaps dying in the belly of a food enthusiast is a more fitting end.
From Disdain to Delectable Delicacy
During the 17th and 18th centuries along the eastern coast of North America， particularly in Maine， Massachusetts， and Nova Scotia， lobsters were incredibly abundant. When the tide receded， beaches were often piled high with reddish-brown lobster carcasses. People would shovel them up to use as fertilizer， feed for pigs， or bait for fishing.
Due to a lack of preservation methods， lobsters would quickly spoil once out of the water. Lobsters are crustaceans highly sensitive to environmental changes. Once removed from seawater， their life functions rapidly decline. Their metabolic rate is high， and even a slight increase in temperature can lead to autolysis of tissues and bacterial proliferation， causing spoilage within a few hours. Lobsters are rich in amino acids and proteins， which， after death， readily decompose into amines and sulfides， rapidly deteriorating their smell.
For ordinary fishermen， they were neither profitable nor palatable. Unless one was so poor they couldn’t afford any meat， few people genuinely enjoyed eating lobsters. Consequently， lobsters became labeled as “poor man’s food” and “slave food.”
To save on food costs， prisons at the time also incorporated lobsters into their meals， much to the prisoners’ dismay. It’s not that the prisoners were ungrateful; the lobsters back then were notoriously fishy and smelly， and the preparation was often rudimentary—cooked until edible. For the impoverished and incarcerated who were constantly deprived of fats and oils， the meat was arguably not worth the effort to eat.
According to prison records from early 19th-century Massachusetts， inmates collectively complained about the prison fare: “We are forced to eat lobster every day; it is an insult.”
So， how did these much-maligned lobsters transform into culinary rarities? It was largely thanks to the development of preservation technologies. In 1810， the British invented the technology for canning food. By the 1840s， lobster canning factories began to flourish along the North American coast. With the expansion of railways， inland residents were able to experience this novel taste from the sea for the first time.
For those who had never seen a live lobster， these canned foods， with their firm texture and unique flavor， were astonishing. The demand for canned lobster soared， naturally driving up prices. By the late 19th century， overfishing began to reduce lobster populations along the coast， and scarcity propelled their prices upward.
In the early 20th century， the catering and tourism industries recognized the market potential. Restaurants began to package lobsters with an image of luxury， using silver cutlery， butter， and champagne. The media and upper echelons of society further promoted “eating lobster” as a status symbol. At this point， whether the food itself was delicious became secondary; the status symbol derived from its scarcity was the key. Even today， despite the vast array of food options， lobster maintains its position as an expensive delicacy.
Various “Shrimp” on Our Tables
On our dining tables， besides the roller-coaster-of-fortune Boston lobster， the presence of other lobsters is not uncommon. The European lobster (Homarus gammarus)， found primarily along the Atlantic coast of Europe， is a rare blue-black when alive and turns red when cooked. Its meat is considered finer and more delicate than that of Boston lobster， with a superior flavor.
Australian lobsters， specifically the Southern Rocklobster (Jasus edwardsii)， are mainly sourced from Australia and New Zealand. They have red bodies and golden legs， with firm， plump tail meat that boasts a unique sweet and savory flavor.
The Ornate Spiny Lobster (Panulirus ornatus)， often called “xia qing long” when small， has a vibrant and eye-catching multi-colored body， predominantly green. It is considered a petite noble among lobsters， with tender， sweet meat.
The Japanese Spiny Lobster (Panulirus japonicus)， found mainly in Japanese waters， has a reddish-brown body. Its meat is sweet and is often used in sashimi or Japanese cooking. Beyond lobsters， our tables also feature many true shrimp.
The Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)， originally from Latin America， is now a globally farmed species and the most common shrimp found in supermarket freezers and refrigerated sections. It has a thin shell， tender meat， and high yield， making it a staple in the seafood market.
The Black Tiger Prawn (Penaeus monodon)， known for its large size， cannot be held in one hand. It is easily recognizable by its distinct stripes and thick vein. It has a firm， chewy texture and a rich flavor， with its imposing size offering a satisfying experience.
The Japanese Tiger Prawn (Marsupenaeus japonicus)， often called “ban jie xia” in China， can also be considered a noble shrimp. While not exceptionally large among live shrimp， its stylish zebra-like markings are characteristic. It is sweet， not fishy， and exquisitely flavorful when simply salt-grilled.
The Chinese White Shrimp (Fenneropenaeus chinensis)， also known as “ming xia，” is widely distributed in China and Southeast Asia. It was historically a staple for banquets in traditional Chinese cuisine， often served steamed in large platters in our childhood feasts. However， today， the Pacific White Shrimp has more commonly taken on this role. The female Chinese White Shrimp has a greenish hue， while the male is yellowish， leading to alternative names like “qing xia” (green shrimp) and “huang xia” (yellow shrimp).
The Giant River Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)， also known as freshwater giant prawn， is distinctive for its striking blue long arms. This freshwater crustacean， found from Southeast Asia to northern Australia in the Indo-Pacific region， is not only large but also has firm， sweet， and Q-tender meat， making it a frequent visitor to the market in recent years.
In coastal areas， there are also locally unique shrimp varieties， such as the “ying zhao xia” (eagle claw shrimp) from Qingdao， known for its tender， sweet， and exceptional flavor， which is exquisite even when simply steamed. There are also the “da hong xia” (big red shrimp) and “bai cong xia” (white onion shrimp) from the East China Sea.
Upon reading this， you might wonder: what about the common grass shrimp found in supermarkets?
In fact， “ji wei xia” (grass shrimp) is not a specific species but refers to a particular farming method. Shrimp are raised in embankments built with stones at river mouths， fed on natural plankton from the tidal flats， which results in tender and delicious shrimp meat. Any shrimp raised using this method， regardless of its species， can be called “ji wei xia.”
On our dining tables， there are also some “shrimp” that have “shrimp” in their name but are not actually shrimp. For instance， crustaceans commonly referred to as freshwater lobsters， such as crayfish， whether it’s the common yabbie (found widely in China)， the “la gu” favored by people in Northeast China， or the imported New Zealand crayfish， all belong to the crayfish family.
The multitude of “shrimp” and “lobster” varieties， each with its unique flavor and price point， truly requires a substantial wallet to sample them all.
