Shellfish

Balmain Bug

Slipper Lobster

Australia

Slipper lobsters sold as 'bugs' in Australian seafood — Balmain bugs (Ibacus) in the southeast and Moreton Bay bugs (Thenus) in northern waters: flat-bodied crustaceans with sweet, delicate tail meat, popular at Christmas.

🦪 ShellfishDishUncommon
Balmain Bug sticker illustration

Original eatfuls sticker artwork

What it is

A closer look at Balmain Bug.

Slipper lobsters sold as 'bugs' in Australian seafood — Balmain bugs (Ibacus) in the southeast and Moreton Bay bugs (Thenus) in northern waters: flat-bodied crustaceans with sweet, delicate tail meat, popular at Christmas.

What to look for

Know it when you find it.

Bought cooked or live from fishmongers; shells intact, flesh sweet and opaque-white after boiling, baking or BBQ. Moreton Bay bugs carry wider shells and eyes set apart; both eat the same.

Where it belongs

Origins and
traditions.

Food rarely respects a border. These are the places the dataset connects most strongly to Balmain Bug.

Native to

Australia

Country-wide tradition

Explore Source ↗

Names around the table

One food, more than one name.

Balmain Bugprimary
Slipper Lobsterlocal · 🇦🇺
Moreton Bay Bugalias

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