Why does my lobster smell like bleach?

If you detect an ammonia smell in your lobster meat, chances are good that the meat has spoiled and should not be eaten. The ammonia odor occurs when the sensitive meat starts to break down. It's not always so straightforward though.
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What makes lobster smells like ammonia?

ANSWER: Generally, the ammonia odor occurs when lobster was not frozen quickly enough after harvest. In the future, be sure to purchase cold water lobster tails for the best results; if frozen, use as soon as possible and never thaw in warm water. Thaw in the refrigerator or in cold water.
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How can you tell if lobster is spoiled?

Signs your lobster has gone bad
  1. Pungent odor: Open your bag or box of lobster and take a good sniff—do you automatically pull back? ...
  2. Soft, cottage cheese-like consistency: If your lobster meat smells OK, that doesn't necessarily mean it's good to eat. ...
  3. Slimy meat: Does your lobster meat feel slimy to the touch?
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What should lobster smell like?

It could have a soft, cottage cheese-like texture, and there will be no ammonia odor if a lobster is excessively soft. If you're still not sure whether the lobster is bad, smell it for a faint ammonia odor in the meat.
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Why does my fish smell like chemicals?

Uncooked spoiled seafood can have sour, rancid, fishy, or ammonia odors. These odors become stronger after cooking. If you smell sour, rancid, or fishy odors in raw or cooked seafood, do not eat it. If you smell either a fleeting or persistent ammonia odor in cooked seafood, do not eat it.
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Why Do We Boil Lobsters Alive?



Why does seafood smell like ammonia?

''The ammonia odor indicates spoilage. '' The ammonia odor may be more difficult or even impossible to detect when the lobster tails or shrimp are frozen. Cooking will bring out the odor, indicating that the product is spoiled.
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How do I know if my fish has ammonia poisoning?

Symptoms include:
  1. Purple, red or bleeding gills.
  2. Fish may clamp, may appear darker in color.
  3. Red streaking on the fins or body.
  4. Fish may gasp for air at the surface of the tank water.
  5. Torn & jagged fins.
  6. Fish may appear weak and lay at the bottom of the tank.
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Can you eat lobster that smells like ammonia?

Spoiled lobster will often present itself with an unpleasant ammonia smell or with a soft, cottage-cheese-like consistency. That's the short and sweet. If you detect an ammonia smell in your lobster meat, chances are good that the meat has spoiled and should not be eaten.
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What happens if you eat spoiled lobster?

You can experience abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, and sometimes even death. Luckily, there's a pretty good way to tell if that meat has gone bad.
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Can you get food poisoning from lobster?

You can get sick after eating raw or undercooked shellfish (such as oysters, clams, mussels, lobster or crab) or by exposing a wound or broken skin to seawater.
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How long after lobster dies Is it safe to cook it?

Lobsters will die if they dry out, and can only last so long when refrigerated. Lobsters stored this way will stay sluggish and moist, but must be cooked within 24-48 hours — after this, your investment in fresh seafood probably won't be so fresh.
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How long can lobsters stay in fridge?

Fresh live lobsters can stay in your refrigerator one to two days. Keep them in the back, where the refrigerator is coldest. They must be kept alive until you cook them.
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How long does uncooked lobster last in the fridge?

Live, hardshell mollusks can remain alive for 7-10 days stored un-iced in the refrigerator at 34-38 degrees Fahrenheit. Freshly shucked mollusks can last for a week to 10 days when packed in ice and stored in the refrigerator.
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What happens if you smell ammonia?

Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in air causes immediate burning of the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract and can result in blindness, lung damage or death. Inhalation of lower concentrations can cause coughing, and nose and throat irritation.
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How long is lobster good for in the freezer?

Lobster meat that has been picked and frozen will have an acceptable shelf life of 3-6 months if stored at temperatures of 0° F (-18° C) or lower. Remove tail and claw meat from the shell.
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Do lobsters feel pain?

U.K. researchers say crabs, lobsters and octopuses have feelings — including pain. The nervous systems of these invertebrates are at the center of a bill working its way through Britain's Parliament.
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Why is my lobster meat yellow?

One color to avoid: yellow. Lobster meat doesn't stay fresh long (this is why lobsters are often boiled right before being consumed), and bad meat will turn a yellowish, rotten color (and will probably smell foul too).
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Should frozen lobster smell fishy?

Smell. Raw lobster, whether whole or as tails, should have a clean and vaguely seaside smell, not fishy. Any lobster products that smell 'fishy' are unsafe to eat and should be avoided.
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Does cooked lobster have a smell?

A. "Lobster tails and shrimp should not, repeat not, have a strong smell of ammonia when they are cooked," states Doris Hicks, seafood technology specialist with the University of Delaware's Advisory Services. "The ammonia odor indicates spoilage."
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How long does ammonia poisoning last in fish?

Signs of effective antibacterial treatment can usually be seen in three to five days. However, treatment should be continued until fish are eating normally, at which time it can then be returned to the main tank.
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How long does ammonia poisoning last?

Symptoms of inhalational ammonia toxicity include rhinorrhea, scratchy throat, chest tightness, cough, and dyspnea; eye irritation from the ammonia gas may also be present. Symptoms usually subside within 24-48 hours.
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Is ammonia poisoning painful for fish?

These conditions can actually be very dangerous for your pets. Ammonia in high levels poisons fish by burning their gills, skin and fins. This is extremely painful and can kill them quickly.
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Why does my seafood smell like bleach?

They should not smell like a bait shack. If they smell like ammonia or rotten eggs, it means the shrimp are old. Shrimp should not smell like chlorine, either. Washing shrimp in chlorine to kill bacteria is legal, but not acceptable.
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Why does crab smell like bleach?

Crabs urinate mainly ammonia and other wastes through their attenal gland system (source), so a bunch of crabs stored in a dirty tank over a long period of time is bound to smell like ammonia… It's a surprise we eat these things.
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Why does shrimp smell like chlorine?

My wife bought some shrimp from Publix this week. We were going to have shrimp fajitas last night so I began peeling and de-veining them. The texture of the shell felt odd to me and they smelled like chlorine or some cleaning chemical. Upon looking closely at the label, they were "processed with sodium triphosphate".
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