Tomalley 1537003 224798025 2008-07-10T13:35:35Z Gmondoux 7454158 '''Tomalley''' or '''lobster paste''' is the soft, green substance found in the [[body cavity]] of [[lobster]]s, that fulfils the functions of both the [[liver]] and the [[pancreas]]. It is considered a [[List of delicacies|delicacy]], and may be eaten alone but is often added to [[sauce]]s for flavour. The term lobster paste or lobster [[pâté]] can also be used to indicate a mixture of tomalley and lobster [[roe]]. Lobster [[bisque]], lobster [[Stock (food)|stock]], and lobster [[consommé]] is made using lobster bodies (heads), often including the lobster liver. There are no known safety considerations when it comes to eating lobster [[meat]]. The tomalley, or [[hepatopancreas]], can be consumed as other livers are, as there are no parts in the lobster that are poisonous. The tomalley, however, can contain high levels of [[PCBs]] which can give a number of negative health effects in large concentrations. The hepatopancreas of lobsters may contain toxins that are associated with [[paralytic shellfish poisoning]] ([[saxitoxin]] and gonyautoxin) but those toxins leach out when the lobster is cooked in boiling water. The toxins responsible for most shellfish poisonings are water-soluble, heat and acid-stable, and '''are not''' inactivated by ordinary cooking methods. ==External links== *[http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic528.htm Paralytic Shellfish Poison] *[http://www.lobsterscience.ca/ Atlantic Veterinary College Lobster Science Centre] *[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=&dopt=Abstract Effect of cooking on the concentration of toxins associated with paralytic shellfish poison in lobster hepatopancreas] *[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17011007?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum Transfer and transformation of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) from shellfish to lobster] *[http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ehu/fish/saltwater.shtml Advisory Chart, Consumption of Maine Saltwater Fish and Lobster Tomalley for Pregnant Women and Children] [[Category:True lobsters]] [[Category:Seafood]]