What of us within the mid-Atlantic name “mustard” is also referred to as tomalley, and it’s present in all types of crabs, in addition to lobsters (by which it takes on a extra greenish hue). Many sources have claimed that the mustard is just the crab’s fats, however this is not the case. It is truly an inside organ known as the hepatopancreas. It serves an analogous position for crustaceans to what the liver and pancreas do for human beings.
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The rationale so many individuals confuse crab mustard for fats is that the hepatopancreas is a fatty organ, and that is very true in Chesapeake Bay blue crabs due to the additional fats they construct up for hibernation. It elements into the butteriness that makes Maryland’s crabs so tender and attractive. The best way the crabs are cooked additionally makes a distinction. Marylanders steam their crabs fairly than boiling them, which helps them retain extra of the creamy goo. Many individuals take into account the mustard to be essentially the most flavorful a part of the crab, which is why it, and Maryland blue crabs as a complete, have such a passionate fanbase. Nonetheless, the position of the hepatopancreas within the crab’s physique brings up some severe considerations about consuming it.
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