Short Answer: If you accidentally eat crab lungs, you may taste something bitter and get sick from bacteria or toxins.
Crab lungs are the gills of the crab, which are the respiratory organs that allow the crab to breathe in water.
Crab lungs are not edible and should be removed before cooking or eating.
If you accidentally eat crab lungs, you may experience a bitter or unpleasant taste, and you may also ingest harmful bacteria or toxins if the crab was not healthy when caught.
This is because crab lungs contain branchiostegal tissue, which is similar to gill tissue, and may have traces of dirt, sand, or parasites.
Branchiostegal tissue is not digestible and can cause indigestion or stomach upset.
It is quite uncommon to eat crab lungs, as most people know how to clean and pick the meat from a crab properly.
You can avoid eating crab lungs by peeling off the plate on the bottom of the crab and removing the feathery cones that line the side of the body.
You can also use a knife or scissors to cut off the lungs before cooking the crab.
If you do eat crab lungs, you can drink plenty of water to flush out your system and consult a doctor if you have any symptoms of food poisoning, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever.
To avoid accidental eating, you can also check the label or ask the seller if the crab is already cleaned and deveined, or you can buy crab meat that is already extracted from the shell.
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Finally, remember, crab lungs are not toxic, but they are not tasty or nutritious either.
They are best discarded and not eaten.
