What makes crabs turn red

Scientists think that one in every two million lobsters are born with that brilliant blue color, which is triggered by a genetic abnormality that causes them to produce a certain protein in overabundance. Prized for their beauty, these lobsters are mercifully tossed back into the ocean by fisherman searching for their more common-colored brethren.

By Elisabeth Sherman Updated May 24, For the obvious reason that they have no pigmentation and therefore, remain the same color even when cooked, white. Your email address will not be published. These shells do exactly what the bones in the human body do for us. Have you ever seen a crab before it has been cooked? An uncooked Blue Crab has brilliant blue claws with an olive green shell.

Where did that color come from? Please note that this applies to all shellfish. This same organic pigment, or carotenoid, turns carrots orange or salmon pink. I also mentioned earlier that crab shells, and most shellfish for that matter, naturally have a brown, olive-blue, gray, or muddy color. Fun fact: Flamingos are pink because they eat prawns, a type of shellfish. And it covers the whole shell, even when it looks like a muddy brown.

In its natural, uncooked form, crustacyain absorbs blue light. This makes our eyes see the outer shell as an olive-blue on blue crabs at least. When the protein complex crustacyain is heated, it untwists removing its blue-ish brown appearance and fully exposes the red color of astaxanthin.

Amber Philadelpia, PA. Still have more questions? You'll find more answers in our archived monthly feature articles by the Inquisitive Cooks. Meet the Inquisitive Cooks.