What's in a name? Delete the word 'lobster'

[August 13, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- New York seafood lovers have been schooled.

Due to the keen eye of a New Orleans writer, a famous destination for Manhattan foodies is now changing the name of its "Lobster Salad."

The upscale Zabar's (ZAY'-bahrz) deli had used that term for 20 years, but it turns out there was no lobster. During a recent visit, the New Orleans food writer read the ingredients. The label read: wild fresh water crayfish.

Owner Saul Zabar reasoned that crayfish, while not Maine lobster, is a distant cousin.

Then he got a call from the Maine Lobster Council, which begged to differ.

The salad goes for $16.95 a pound. Zabar says using actual lobster would make it even more expensive. It's now being renamed "Seafare Salad."

[Associated Press]

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