Shrimp vs. Lobster — What's the Difference?

Can be cooked in various ways, including boiling, grilling, and frying.

Requires boiling or steaming whole before meat extraction.

Harvested from both wild fisheries and aquaculture.

More expensive than many other types of seafood due to its size and taste.

A small, decapod crustacean with a flexible exoskeleton, widely consumed as seafood.

A large marine crustacean known for its meaty claws and tail.

Known for their sweet, mild flavor, making them a favorite in culinary applications.

Prized for its rich, sweet meat, especially in the claws and tail.

Available in various sizes and types, affecting their flavor and texture.

Considered a delicacy in many cuisines, often served with butter.

Shrimp are decapod crustaceans with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata. More narrow definitions may be restricted to Caridea, to smaller species of either group or to only the marine species.

Lobsters are a family (Nephropidae, sometimes also Homeridae) of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters have long bodies with muscular tails, and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor.

Any of various small, chiefly marine, often edible decapod crustaceans that have a laterally compressed, elongated body with long antennae and long legs used for swimming. The shrimps include species belonging to the superfamily Penaeoidea of the suborder Dendrobranchiata and to the infraorder Caridea of the suborder Pleocyemata.

Any of several edible marine decapod crustaceans of the family Nephropidae, especially of the genus Homarus, having stalked eyes, long antennae, a pair of large pincers, and a cylindrical body.

The flesh of one of these crustaceans, used as food.

Any of several similar crustaceans, such as a spiny lobster.

Any of various similar crustaceans, such as a fairy shrimp.

The flesh of a lobster used as food.

Derogatory Slang A person who is small in stature.

To catch or try to catch lobsters.

To fish for shrimp.

Red-colored, especially from a sunburn.

Any of many swimming, often edible, crustaceans, chiefly of the infraorder Caridea or the suborder Dendrobranchiata, with slender legs, long whiskers and a long abdomen.

A crustacean of the Nephropidae family, dark green or blue-black in colour turning bright red when cooked, with a hard shell and claws, which is used as a seafood.

(uncountable) The flesh of such crustaceans.

A crustacean of the Palinuridae family, pinkish red in colour, with a hard, spiny shell but no claws, which is used as a seafood.

(slang) A small, puny or unimportant person.

A soldier or officer of the imperial British Army (due to their red or scarlet uniform).

Synonym of butterface: a person with an attractive body but unattractive face.

(slang) An Australian twenty dollar note, due to its reddish-orange colour.

(intransitive) To fish for shrimp.

To fish for lobsters.

To contract; to shrink.

Any large macrurous crustacean used as food, esp. those of the genus Homarus; as the American lobster (Homarus Americanus), and the European lobster (Homarus vulgaris). The Norwegian lobster (Nephrops Norvegicus) is similar in form. All these have a pair of large unequal claws. The spiny lobsters of more southern waters, belonging to Palinurus, Panulirus, and allied genera, have no large claws. The fresh-water crayfishes are sometimes called lobsters.

To contract; to shrink.

As a term of opprobrium or contempt: A gullible, awkward, bungling, or undesirable person.

Any one of numerous species of macruran Crustacea belonging to Crangon and various allied genera, having a slender body and long legs. Many of them are used as food. The larger kinds are called also prawns. See Illust. of Decapoda.

Flesh of a lobster

Figuratively, a little wrinkled man; a dwarf; - in contempt.

Any of several edible marine crustaceans of the families Homaridae and Nephropsidae and Palinuridae

Disparaging terms for small people

Any of various edible decapod crustaceans

Small slender-bodied chiefly marine decapod crustaceans with a long tail and single pair of pincers; many species are edible

Fish for shrimp

Yes, shrimp can often be eaten whole, though peeling and deveining are common preparatory steps.

The claws and tail of the lobster are most prized for their meat.

Lobsters are considered a delicacy, larger, and not as widely available as shrimp, contributing to their higher price.

Its larger size, taste, and the effort required to prepare it make lobster a luxury seafood.

Shrimp can be found in both freshwater and saltwater environments, while lobsters primarily inhabit colder, saltwater regions.

Shrimp have a delicate, sweet flavor, while lobster offers a richer, more robust taste.

Shrimp preparation is simpler, involving peeling and deveining, while lobster requires boiling or steaming and extracting meat.

While both can be used in a variety of dishes, lobsters are often reserved for more luxurious presentations.

Shrimp are more versatile due to their size and ease of preparation, used in a wide array of dishes.

Yes, both can be farmed, but shrimp farming is more common due to their smaller size and shorter lifecycle.

Yes, shrimp can be boiled, grilled, fried, etc., while lobster is typically boiled or steamed whole.

Both are good sources of protein; shrimp is lower in calories but high in cholesterol, whereas lobster can be higher in fat.

No, shrimp tend to have a softer texture, while lobster meat is firmer and meatier.

Their wide availability, affordability, and versatility make them a staple in diverse culinary traditions.

Lobster is commonly served steamed or boiled with butter, in rolls, or in bisques.