Crayfish

Name: Crayfish recipe ❤ by chef Thomas Sixt
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: crayfish meat 250 g; glove of garlic 1 Piece; basil fresh some; lemon juice 1 tbsp; Olive oil 2 tbsp; black ground pepper 6 pinches; primal salt some; Cayenne pepper some; brown cane sugar some; toast bread 4 Slices

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Author:
Thomas Sixt is a chef, food photographer, cookbook author and blogger.
Here he shares recipes, answers cooking questions and helps with cooking.

You can find my crayfish recipe in this article.

You can get triggered crab tails or whole crabs.

I recommend shelled crayfish tails for a quick meal.

Follow the detailed step-by-step instructions.

I wish you good luck!

Table of Contents

1. Recipe Crayfish
2. Calories And Nutritional Values
3. Ideas For Crayfish
4. FAQ Crayfish
5. Wiki Crayfish
6. Matching Recipe Ideas

1. Recipe Crayfish

Get fresh crab meat, whole crabs and those that are still alive must first be placed head first in boiling water and boiled briefly.

Then you can halve the crabs and remove the crab meat.

Don’t forget:

You can send me nice kitchen gossip or your cooking questions via the comment function at the bottom of this page.

I look forward to a message from you.

Crayfish

Prepared, refined, photographed and written down by chef Thomas Sixt.

Servings 2

Calories 262

Total Time 60 Min.

Preparation Time 30 Min.

Cook Time 30 Min.

Simple instructions for crayfish tails easy to prepare.

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5.00 from 231 ratings

Ingredients

250	g	crayfish meat
1	Piece	glove of garlic
	some	basil fresh
1	tbsp	lemon juice
2	tbsp	Olive oil
6	pinches	black ground pepper
	some	primal salt
	some	Cayenne pepper
	some	brown cane sugar
4	Slices	toast bread

Instruction

To prepare

Unwrap the crab meat, wash under cold running water in a sieve and set aside to dry.

I also dabbed dry with kitchen paper.

Garlic

Peel the garlic and cut into thin slices.

Prepare garlic

Place the garlic slices in a mortar and season with salt and pepper.

Garlic paste

Finely crush the garlic into a garlic paste.

Basil

Pluck the basil leaves, wash them, dry them and place them on a cutting board.

Cut basil

Finely chop the basil leaves.

Marinate crayfish — Crayfish marinate with garlic and basil

Taste

Add the prepared basil and garlic to the crabmeat.

-> Use a little garlic and feel your way towards the desired taste.

-> Supplement with olive oil and a little lemon juice.

-> Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and a little sugar round off the taste.

Freshwater crayfish recipe picture gray shell

Marinate

Marinate the crab meat tails well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Toast

Brown the toast freshly in the toaster until crispy.

Cut out

Optionally, you can cut out the toast.

Crayfish on toast — Fresh crayfish on toast

Toast cover

Top the toast with the marinated crab meat.

Crayfish Toast — Crayfish toast served with chervil soup

Serve

Serve marinated crab tails on toast or in their shells.

I had the crabmeat salad toast served with a chervil soup.

Video

2. Calories And Nutritional Values

The crayfish calories for two servings can be found in the table below:

3. Ideas For Crayfish

You can combine marinated and non-marinated crayfish tails with a variety of dishes.

You can find some ideas below:

Crayfish Pizza:

Orientate on the anchovy pizza.

Place the crab meat on the pre-baked pizza.

Heat the crabmeat in the oven for 2-3 minutes.

Crayfish Spaghetti:

Orient yourself to spaghetti aglio olio.

Gently heat the crabs in butter and flambé.

Finally, place the crayfish tails on the pasta.

spaghetti aglio olio summery recipe — Spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino

Scrambled Eggs With Crayfish:

Like scrambled eggs with crabs.

Put the cold crab meat on the scrambled eggs.

Alternatively, heat the crab meat separately and briefly in butter.

Spirred egg with crabs — Scrambled Eggs with Crabs

Crayfish With Asparagus:

Like smoked salmon with asparagus.

Toss the crab meat in butter and flambé.

Serve the crab tails with hollandaise and asparagus.

Crayfish With Cucumber Soup:

Orient yourself cucumber soup with salmon tartare.

Marinate the crabs gently with dill.

Serve the crab meat with the cold soup.

Iced cucumber soup recipes image — Cold cucumber soup

Salad With Crayfish:

Use the Nicoise Salad as a guide.

Place the cold crab meat on the lettuce.

Alternatively, heat the crab meat in butter.

Recipe picture Salade Nicoise — Nicoise salad

Crayfish With Asparagus Risotto:

Prepare an asparagus risotto.

Toss the crab meat in butter and flambé.

Serve the crab tails on the risotto with asparagus.

Crayfish With Saffron Risotto:

Prepare the saffron risotto.

Heat the crabs in butter and flambé briefly.

Serve the crab meat with the risotto without parmesan.

Risotto made with saffron — Saffron risotto

Crayfish With Chervil Soup:

I combined the chervil soup with crayfish.

You can serve the marinated crabs on toast.

Combine with fresh chervil.

4. FAQ Crayfish

The most frequently asked questions about noble crayfish are summarized below:

When can I buy fresh crayfish?

You can buy fresh, local and live crayfish in Germany from June-December.

This period used to be the typical season.

Since the small crayfish are now bred worldwide, you can also buy fresh goods outside this period.

Can you recommend Louisiana crab meat?

The Louisiana crabs are a good idea for a quick dish.

The prepared Louisiana crab meat is already cooked and released and you can use them directly.

What do I look for when shopping for crayfish and crab meat?

Pay attention to the cold chain when shopping.

Please always keep the crab meat well refrigerated, it is particularly susceptible to spoilage.

Please put fresh crabs head first into strong boiling water promptly.

Cut the crabs in half after killing them in boiling water and process the crab meat further.

What is the shelf life of marinated crab meat?

For already pickled, purchased crabs, pay attention to the expiration date.

Fresh and self-marinated crab meat can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 24 hours.

Tip: As a cook, I recommend that you process the crab meat promptly.

Is crab meat suitable for frying in a pan?

Gently heat the crab meat in a pan in frothed butter or clarified butter.

Heavily fried crab meat does not taste good and becomes dry.

What herbs harmonize with the river crab meat?

Combine dill, thyme, parsley or basil with the crab meat.

You can also flambé crab tails briefly and refine with a little finely grated lemon zest.

What types of crayfish are there and how can I tell them apart?

n crayfish species is a science of its own.

The Alfred Wegener Institute – Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research has published a scientifically sound and clear article on this subject:

Distinguishing Crayfish Species, published.

Note: The red American swamp crayfish is sold commercially as Louisiana crayfish or crawfish meat.

5. Wiki Crayfish

General Information:

Crayfish belong to the crustacean group and are one of the oldest living animal phylum on earth. It is believed that they have existed for over 200 million years. When cooked, the crayfish’s chitinous shell changes from a light brown or dark green color to a bright red.

Crayfish have large jaws and multiple antennae. The two front legs are formed into scissors, which the crayfish uses to crush its food and fend off enemies. The scissors are also used for territorial and mating fights, especially in males.

The sensory organs of crayfish are remarkably well developed. They have a 360-degree field of vision and can sense the smallest vibrations. Under optimal conditions, noble crayfish can live about 20 years, while other crayfish can live only 1 to 2 years. The Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish even lives over 60 years. Since there are many different species of crayfish, their size and weight varies greatly, from a few grams to several kilograms.

Noble crayfish prefer clear, shallow and calcareous waters and feed on plants and smaller animals. The crayfish become sexually mature at the age of three to four years. Female crayfish lay several hundred eggs, which they carry around until the larvae are large enough to survive on their own.

Where can noble crayfish be found?

Crayfish are now found in freshwater bodies almost everywhere in the world. Especially in Turkey, the Galician crayfish is farmed very successfully. However, only sporadic noble crayfish live in our domestic waters, and they make up only a small part of the crayfish supply on the German market.

The German Crayfish from rivers and lakes are strictly protected and may therefore not be offered (there are however a few exceptions) actually the animals come only from breeding.

Catching methods:

In almost all federal states the noble crayfish has a closed season all year round. However, the invasive species may be caught throughout the year, but not traded alive.

Crayfish trapping is usually done with special nets or traps for crayfish and eels. The fishing season for these delicious morsels extends from June to December. To ensure the protection of crayfish, various fishing nations have introduced a closed season during the animals’ spawning period. This exemplary measure shows that sustainable fishing and the protection of wildlife can indeed harmonize.

Season Info:

From June to December you can look forward to deliciously fresh crayfish. During the spawning season of the animals, only males are allowed to be sold. But don’t worry, crayfish are also available outside of these times! Either frozen or imported into Lake, you can enjoy this treat all year round.

Flavor Description:

Crayfish are known for their delicate and fine taste, which is slightly nutty. The meat of the crayfish is particularly tender and yet has a pleasant consistency, which promises a special treat.

The live crabs are placed head first in boiling salt water. It is important to use a large pot with plenty of boiling water; the water must continue to boil when you add the live crabs. The cooking process takes about 2 minutes.

The small noble crabs are then colored red, are quickly placed in ice water and can easily be peeled.

It used to be common practice to cut the crabs in half with a quick cut, starting at the head through the crab tail. Today, this method no longer corresponds to the permitted method in terms of animal protection or faster killing of the crabs.

Use In the Kitchen:

The halved and fried small crayfish is a popular gourmet appetizer in combination with leaf salads. The crab meat harmonises perfectly with the cocktail sauce with cognac, this combination is often served as a cold salad at the buffet. From German cuisine we know the famous “Leipziger Allerlei” – a traditional vegetable dish that is also served as a side dish. The original is named after the city of Leipzig in Germany and consists of vegetables such as young peas, carrots, asparagus tips, celery, green beans and morels with crayfish.

A delicious stock can also be conjured up from the carcasses of the crabs, which serves as the basis for sauces and soups. For this, the carcasses are first roasted, flambéed with cognac, then boiled with vegetables and spices. Crab oil and crab butter can be prepared from the roasted and finely ground crab carcasses.

Recommendation For Purchasing:

When purchasing crayfish, it is advisable to ensure that they weigh at least 50 grams or more. In smaller specimens, the meat content is very low. The optimal crabs weigh about 100 grams, but these are rarely found on the fish market. To make sure the crabs are fresh, it’s a good idea to look out for threatening behaviors like raising the claws and tail, which is a clear indication of the animal’s freshness.