How to cook crayfish - Instructions on how to boil crayfish plus several recipes.

cook-crayfish

The easiest, most common and most humane method of cooking crayfish is by plunging them into a pan of boiling water, at which point they will die instantly. The crayfish are boiled rapidly for about 3 minutes and then the heat is switched off and they are left to simmer for another 8 - 10 minutes during which time their shells will change from a dull blue/brown colour to a spectacular bright red or orange shade.

The crayfish should always be cooked in small batches of approximately 6 - 10 at a time depending on the size of the pan and of the crayfish.
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The crayfish can be cooked in boiling water flavoured with sea salt and a bunch of dill, or for even more flavour, use fish stock or a court bouillon of onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns and a mixture of other herbs and spices.

Often the crayfish are left to cool in the liquid that they have been cooked in and are then served cold with bread and butter.

Alternatively, if you want to cook the crayfish using a different cooking method, just boil the crayfish for 1 minute only, let them cool down, remove the shells (if necessary) and use as called for in your recipe.

Where recipes may ask for raw meat that has been peeled, the crayfish must be plunged in boiling water for 30 seconds or frozen for 24 hours, which kills the crayfish and makes the job of peeling them a lot easier.

To remove the shells, pull the body away from the head with a twist. The intestines should come away with the head, and then crack the shell in order to remove it effortlessly.

The following includes a number of delicious recipes for crayfish involving a variety of cooking methods.

Boiled crayfish in dill

Ingredients
  • 12 medium-sized live crayfish
  • large bunch of dill, tied with string
  • sea salt
  • water to cover the crayfish
  • brown bread and butter (to serve)
Method
  1. Rinse the crayfish under cold running water and remove any that are not moving.
  2. Heat the water in a large saucepan until it boils.
  3. Add the salt (approx 35g) and the bunch of dill.
  4. Drop the crayfish one at a time, head first, into the pot of boiling water taking care not to overcrowd the pan.
  5. Fast-boil for 3 minutes and then turn the heat off, cover the pan and allow to simmer for 6 - 10 minutes.
  6. Remove the crayfish from the pan when cooked.
  7. Take out the dill.
  8. Transfer the stock and the crayfish to a clean dish and place in a sink of cold water so that the crayfish cool as quickly as possible.
  9. When cool, remove the dill, cover and refrigerate.
  10. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours and up to 48 hours.
  11. Strain the crayfish and serve with buttered brown bread.

Crayfish French-style

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Ingredients
  • 15 live crayfish, blanched for 30 seconds
  • 285g (10oz) of butter
  • 3 cups of white wine
  • 4 carrots, julienne
  • 4 onions, thinly sliced
  • 8 sprigs of parsley
  • 8 tbsp of cream
  • 2 tbsp of tomato purée
  • 2 bay leaves
  • cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper
Method
  1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
  2. Add the onions, carrots and parsley and sauté gently until the vegetables have softened.
  3. Add the crayfish and cook until the shells have turned bright red. Stir frequently.
  4. Pour in the wine and add the tomato paste and cook on a high heat for 15 minutes.
  5. Pour in the cream.
  6. Remove from the heat and season with the cayenne, salt and pepper to your taste.
  7. Serve hot or cold.

Crayfish tails with lime

Ingredients
  • 450g (1lb) of large crayfish tails, peeled
  • 3 tbsp of lime juice
  • ½ tsp of onion powder
  • ½ tsp of garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp of thyme
  • ¼ tsp of salt
  • ¼ tsp of black pepper
  • lime wedges to garnish
Method
  1. Marinate the crayfish tails in the lime juice mixed with the seasoning.
  2. Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan.
  3. Add the crayfish and cook for 4 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  6. Serve cold with buttered brown bread.

Crayfish curry

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Ingredients
  • 200g (7oz) of cooked crayfish, shelled
  • 200g (7oz) of coconut milk
  • ½ chopped onion
  • 2 chopped spring onions
  • 1 chopped clove of garlic
  • 1 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
  • pinch of cumin
  • pinch of coriander seeds
Method
  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan or frying pan.
  2. Gently fry the onions and garlic with the spices until soft.
  3. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the crayfish and cook until hot.
  5. Transfer to individual bowls and garnish with the parsley.
  6. Serve with rice and poppadums.
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