I guessed correctly that he was a crab above, but now that you mention it, I think I know what you mean. In the kitchen scene, isn't he chased by the chef, who is preparing lobster? I vaguely remember seeing lobster tail on the plates being served. I could be mistaken, though.
And you don't recall the chef's fantastic song as he chased Sebastian around the kitchen? "..how on earth could I miss, such a sweet little succulent crab?" :D
I got Flash Gordon fast (Ming), not because I ever saw the modern movie but I saw the Buster Crabbe "Flash Gordon" serials from the 1930s in the mid-50s when they showed on Bay Area TV! Charles Middleton made a menacing Ming! Cheesey by today's standards but classics nonetheless.