Crayfish are first cousins to the highest of American haute cuisine,
the lobster. Prepared in a similar manner, and in as wide a range of dishes--from
Cajun to Yankee--crayfish can be substituted for lobster in many recipes.
Nutritionally, they contain the same amount of protein as their sea-going cousin, and more phosphorous than any other fish flesh. Since a large part of the diet of crayfish consists of carrion and vegetable manner, it is essential that crawdads caught for human consumption come from pollution-free water.
There are over 500 species of crayfish worldwide, ranging in size from the American dwarf crayfish, found in Missouri, which grows only up to 1.3 inches in length, to the Tasmanian crayfish, which grows up to eight pounds.
Crayfish flourish in waters 55 to 60 degrees F. They shed their exoskeletons in proportion to their rate of growth, as often as three or four times a year. The average life expectancy for a crawdad is about three years, but the "granddaddies" may live to be seven or eight.
Pacific Search Press publishes The Crawfish Cookbook which features crayfish recipes like Crawfish Quiche, Crawfish Stuffed Peppers, and even Crawfish Pizza and Crawfish Tacos. The champion crawfish eater of Louisiana, they report, is said to have consumed 30 pounds of crayfish, liveweight. That figures out to about five pounds of cooked crayfish meat.
The amount of crayfish needed for a serving varies according to the size and variety captured. As a general rule only, 12 medium-sized crayfish (six to seven inches long) are sufficient for one serving; one pound of crayfish; liveweight, is equal to one cup of meat, using tails and claws; and one cup of crawfish meat will usually serve from two to six, depending on the recipe and amount of other ingredients.
Cooking times also follow very general rules; some directions, like Cy Littlebee's Guide to Cooking Fish and Game, call for boiling up to an hour, while others suggest as little as five minutes for a small amount. A good general rule is to cook crayfish until they are bright red.
Now comes the hard part-removing the tail meat from the shell and the dark vein, or alimentary canal, from the tail meat. Crawdad connoisseur Jim Auckley recommends using the pointed end of a "church key" can-opener to strip out the vein, but fingernails are also known to work.
Because
crayfish, like all fish, are highly perishable, it's good to follow three rules
when preparing them: use only live, freshly-caught crayfish from clean water;
kill instantly by dropping into boiling water; and keep them chilled until used.
Cy Littlebee also recommends soaking in salt water before cooking as
an extra cleansing measure.
As anyone who has caught, cooked and prepared a crawfish meal will tell you, it takes a lot of labor for a small amount of meat, but the taste (especially after a long afternoon on the river) is worth it.
To guard against overharvest of crayfish, never take all your crayfish from the same location before the end of May, when breeding is still going on. The Department of Conservation has set a daily possession limit of 150 crayfish.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission provided the following recipes:
Crayfish Etouffee
2 1/2 lbs. crawfish tails
1 stick margarine
3 large onions, finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Saute onions in margarine about 15 to 20 minutes until soft. Add crawfish fat (from the body cavity) and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until fat comes to the top. Add tail meat and season the taste. Add just enough hot water to etouffee for desired consistency. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add parsley. Serve over steaming hot rice. Serves 5 to 6.
Crayfish Salad
2 cups boiled crawfish meat, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
2 T. dill pickles, chopped
1/2 t. worcestershire sauce
mayonnaise
salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and mix with mayonnaise to desired consistency. Season to taste. Serve on bed of shredded lettuce. Serves 4.
Crawdad Pilaf
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup stuffed olives, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 cups cooked crawfish meat
4 T. flour
2 cups milk
3 T. melted butter
Combine rice, olives, onion, green pepper, crayfish meat and most of the grated cheese together in a well-greased casserole. Make a medium white sauce of flour, butter and milk, and season to taste. Pour over casserole and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until top is brown. Serves 6.
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