Langostino

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A grilled langostino prawn Langostino de Sanlucar a la plancha IMGP3911.JPG
A grilled langostino prawn

Langostino is a Spanish word with different meanings in different areas, most commonly applied to various types of crustacean. In the United States, it is commonly used in the restaurant trade to refer to the meat of the squat lobster, which is neither a true lobster nor a prawn. Squat lobsters are more closely related to porcelain and hermit crabs. Crustaceans labeled as langostino are no more than 8 cm (3 in) long, and weigh no more than 200 g (7 oz). [1] Langostinos are not langoustes (spiny lobsters) despite a similar name (in Spanish, lobster is called langosta). Also, langostinos are sometimes confused with langoustines (Norway lobster). [2]

Contents

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration allows "langostino" to be used as a market name for three species of squat lobster in the family Galatheidae: Cervimunida johni , Munida gregaria , and Pleuroncodes monodon . [3]

In Spain and Venezuela, it means some species of prawns. [4] In Cuba and other Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands, the name langostino is also used to refer to crawfish. In Argentina the name is used to refer to Pleoticus muelleri , a kind of shrimp, while in Chile and Peru it refers to Pleuroncodes monodon.

“Langostino” is the Spanish diminutive of spiny lobster (lagosto), which comes from the Latin for locust. [5]

Restaurant labeling controversies

In March 2006, Long John Silver's garnered controversy by offering a dish they called "Buttered Lobster Bites" without making it clear in its advertising that these were made from "langostino lobster." [6] The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into deceptive advertising practices by the chain, because Food and Drug Administration regulations require that anyone marketing langostino as lobster must place the qualifier "langostino" adjacent to the word "lobster," and Long John Silver's not only failed to do this, but ran a television commercial making use of an American lobster in a manner that the commission concluded was contributing to the misperception that the product was American lobster. [7]

Upon being contacted by the commission, Long John Silver's promptly terminated the television commercial campaigns, revised its website, and committed both to prominently placing the word "langostino" adjacent to the term "lobster" in all future advertising, and to revising its existing in-store materials accordingly within eight weeks, and on June 24, 2009, the commission wrote to the chain to inform them that they had no intention of taking further action at that time. [7]

Rubio's Restaurants, Inc., settled a 2006 class-action lawsuit for selling "lobster burritos" and "lobster tacos" that were in fact made with squat lobster. [8] The company agreed to change the name to "langostino lobster". [1] [9]

In February 2016, Red Lobster was revealed to have been using a mix of lobster and less-expensive langostino for its lobster bisque. [10]

A 2016 study of American restaurants tested the “lobster” served and found that many were in fact langostino or seafood that were not spiny lobsters. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crayfish</span> Freshwater crustaceans

Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some species are found in brooks and streams, where fresh water is running, while others thrive in swamps, ditches, and paddy fields. Most crayfish cannot tolerate polluted water, although some species, such as Procambarus clarkii, are hardier. Crayfish feed on animals and plants, either living or decomposing, and detritus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lobster</span> Family of large marine crustaceans

Lobsters are malacostracans of the family Nephropidae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, which are usually much larger than the others. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important and are often one of the most profitable commodities in the coastal areas they populate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shellfish</span> Culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates

Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some are found in freshwater. In addition, a few species of land crabs are eaten, for example Cardisoma guanhumi in the Caribbean. Shellfish are among the most common food allergens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scampi</span> Type of lobster

Scampi is a seafood dish that includes various preparations of certain crustaceans, especially langoustine, as well as shrimp or prawns. Scampi preparation styles vary regionally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reptantia</span> Suborder of crustaceans

Reptantia is a clade of decapod crustaceans named in 1880 which includes lobsters, crabs and many other well-known crustaceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squat lobster</span> Decapod crustaceans in the infraorder Anomura

Squat lobsters are dorsoventrally flattened crustaceans with long tails held curled beneath the cephalothorax. They are found in the two superfamilies Galatheoidea and Chirostyloidea, which form part of the decapod infraorder Anomura, alongside groups including the hermit crabs and mole crabs. They are distributed worldwide in the oceans, and occur from near the surface to deep sea hydrothermal vents, with one species occupying caves above sea level. More than 900 species have been described, in around 60 genera. Some species form dense aggregations, either on the sea floor or in the water column, and a small number are commercially fished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisque (food)</span> Cream-based soup of French origin

Bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth (coulis) of crustaceans. It can be made from lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp, or crayfish. The French bisque is one of the most popular seafood soups around the world.

<i>Penaeus monodon</i> Species of crustacean

Penaeus monodon, commonly known as the giant tiger prawn, Asian tiger shrimp, black tiger shrimp, and other names, is a marine crustacean that is widely reared for food.

<i>Palinurus elephas</i> Species of crustacean

Palinurus elephas is a commonly caught species of spiny lobster from the East Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Its common names include European spiny lobster, crayfish or cray, crawfish, common spiny lobster, Mediterranean lobster and red lobster.

<i>Panulirus argus</i> Species of crustacean

Panulirus argus, the Caribbean spiny lobster, is a species of spiny lobster that lives on reefs and in mangrove swamps in the western Atlantic Ocean.

This page is a list of fishing topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prawn soup</span>

Prawn soup, also referred to as shrimp soup, is a soup dish prepared using freshwater or saltwater prawns as a primary ingredient. Several varieties of the dish exist in various areas of the world, including Penang prawn mee in Malaysia, Peruvian chupe de camarones, Thai kaeng som kung and Mexican caldo de camarones. Prawn and shrimp soup can be prepared as a broth- or stock-based soup, as a cream-based soup, or as a chowder. In the United States, cream of shrimp soup is mass-produced and distributed canned or frozen.

<i>Panulirus pascuensis</i> Species of crustacean

Panulirus pascuensis is a species of spiny lobster found around Easter Island and the Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is known in English as the Easter Island spiny lobster, Langosta de Isla de Pascua in Spanish and Ura in the Rapa Nui language. This lobster is fished on a small scale for local consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrimp and prawn as food</span> Crustaceans used for culinary purposes

Shrimp and prawn are types of sea animals that are consumed worldwide. Although shrimp and prawns belong to different suborders of Decapoda, they are very similar in appearance and the terms are often used interchangeably in commercial farming and wild fisheries. A distinction is drawn in recent aquaculture literature, which increasingly uses the term "prawn" only for the freshwater forms of palaemonids and "shrimp" for the marine penaeids. They are the animals most commonly used and killed for food production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crayfish as food</span> Small crustaceans in human cuisines

Crayfish are eaten all over the world. Like other edible crustaceans, only a small portion of the body of a crayfish is edible. In most prepared dishes, such as soups, bisques and étouffées, only the tail portion is served. At crawfish boils or other meals where the entire body of the crayfish is presented, other portions, such as the claw meat, may be eaten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrimp</span> Decapod crustaceans

A shrimp is a crustacean with an elongated body and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – typically belonging to the Caridea or Dendrobranchiata of the order Decapoda, although some crustaceans outside of this order are also referred to as "shrimp".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seafood restaurant</span> Restaurant mostly serving fish from the sea

A seafood restaurant is a restaurant that specializes in seafood cuisine and seafood dishes, such as fish and shellfish. Dishes may include freshwater fish. The concept may focus upon the preparation and service of fresh seafood,. Some seafood restaurants also provide retail sales of seafood that consumers take home to prepare. Seafood restaurants may have a marine-themed decor, with decorations such as fish nets, nautical images and buoys. Fare can vary due to seasonality in fish availability and in the fishing industry. Seafood restaurants may offer additional non-seafood items, such as chicken and beef dishes.

<i>Munida quadrispina</i> Species of crustacean

Munida quadrispina is a species of squat lobster. It was originally described to science by James E. Benedict in 1902. This and other species of squat lobsters are sometimes referred to as "pinch bugs".

References

  1. 1 2 Schmidt, Catherine (2007). "Fish fraud: no matter what you call it, 'squat' isn't lobster" (PDF). Maine Sea Grant College Program. University of Maine . Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  2. "Seafood FAQ: Langostino vs. Lobster: What's the difference? | SeafoodSource". www.seafoodsource.com. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  3. "FDA Fish List: Market Names of Fish and Shellfish". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  4. Holthuis, L. B. (1991). Marine lobsters of the world (PDF). FAO Fisheries Synopsis, no. 125. Vol. 13. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 3.
  5. "Definition of LANGOSTINO". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  6. "Taking Aim at 'Impostor Lobster'". CBS News. 4 October 2006. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  7. 1 2 Engle, Mary Kolb (24 June 2009). "Closing Letter to Phillip Allen, Esq. Counsel to Long John Silver's" (PDF). Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  8. Horsley, Scott (3 July 2005). "Testing a 'Lobster Impostor' Charge". NPR. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  9. "Testing a 'Lobster Impostor' Charge". NPR. 3 July 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  10. Bellomo, Rheanna (10 February 2016). "What You Need to Know Before You Eat Lobster This Valentine's Day". Delish.
  11. Perlman, Merrill (18 June 2018). "Crawfish aren't actually fish. Here's how they got their name". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 10 February 2024.