Lobster has long been known as one of the most expensive seafood in the world. However, have you ever wondered why they are so expensive?
Seafood is inherently not cheap food. And in that group of not cheap, lobster is always in one of the leading positions, being evaluated as a delicacy, not always edible.
For the uninitiated, there are two commonly known types of lobster. One type is spiny lobster – or spiny lobster – which is the type of lobster we often see in Vietnam. The other is American lobster – lobsters with claws , and they are super expensive shrimp.
From left to right: Spiny lobster and American lobster.
On average, an American lobster weighing from 1 to 1.2 kg has an initial price ranging from $ 30 to $ 45 – equivalent to 700 thousand to more than 1 million. If dining at a restaurant, this price can be much higher.
The question is, why are they so expensive? It’s not natural, but everything happens for a reason.
One of the reasons lobster is such an expensive food is because of its limited supply . Unlike other seafood, in the past there was not any farm capable of supplying lobster in large quantities.
Shipping section.
The reason is that raising American lobster is not easy. Unlike spiny lobsters in Asian countries where farming techniques have been established, lobsters have many limitations. They eat a lot but grow slowly, and are susceptible to infectious diseases. Shrimp eggs are extremely difficult to care for. Therefore, the market for lobster imports is mainly from fishermen. This makes the supply not much and unstable.
On the other hand, transporting lobsters from the catch to the buyer is also a difficult task , because they can only survive in cool and humid environments while still requiring an adequate amount of oxygen to breathe. The shipping cost is also not cheap at all.
According to chefs’ experience, lobster is the best alive. This also helps prevent harmful bacteria from appearing inside the shrimp. For this reason, a lot of live lobster markets appear to satisfy the demand for buyers. The strongest lobsters will be sold to restaurants at a higher price than dead or weakened shrimp.
If cooked too soon before serving, the shrimp will become tough and tasteless.
Processing lobster is also a rather complicated process and requires the skill of the chef. Separating the meat from the shell is perhaps the most difficult task, as the meat is often attached to the shell and can only come apart when cooked.
Unfortunately, if cooked too soon before serving, the shrimp will become tough and tasteless. This is an obstacle for lobster meat processors and distributors. Some companies use the pressure of water to separate the meat from the skin instead of cooking it, but this method is quite complicated and not really popular.
Thus, lobster has to go through a long way from the fisherman to the dealer, then to the fresh seafood market or to the processing companies. From here it will be on the shelf at the grocery store or appear on the menu of a luxury restaurant. The price for each shrimp also gradually increases each time it is shipped.
People will feel the taste of food more clearly if they know it is an expensive dish.
Lobster has such a high price because consumers often prefer expensive foods. Many studies show that people will feel the taste of food better if they know it is an expensive dish.
High cost has long been a characteristic feature of lobsters. So today if a lobster costs a little less then many people will start to question its quality. That is the reason why this type of seafood has remained extremely expensive for a long time.