How to eat crayfish (in pictures), cook and clean them, does crayfish have a tail and does it hurt when cooked?

Crayfish is a very tasty snack. Many people do not know how to eat and cut it correctly. Some eat the whole thing, but there are those who eat only the tail, forgetting about the other parts. Crustaceans have a hard and rough shell, which can be very difficult to crack. To avoid injury, it is better to take a knife or kitchen scissors for cutting. In boiled crayfish, everything is edible except the chitinous cover, mustache and some of the entrails.

How to eat and cook crayfish

The season for catching crustaceans is from August to October, but the most delicious ones are from December to February. Their meat is sweet and juicy. There are river and lake crayfish, as well as blue crayfish, which are found in the mountains on rocky bottoms. It is believed that Altai Mountain is the most delicious specimen. There are green individuals living in the muddy bottom. You can only buy live crayfish. To determine whether this is so, you need to drop water on them, and since crustaceans close their eyes under water, they will draw them into their shell and tuck their tail.

What parts can be eaten?

In some countries, crayfish are eaten whole, even the shell is used (for example, in soups). It is boiled, ground in a blender and filtered. In Russia, they do not eat crayfish shells, but prefer juicy meat.

The most delicious parts of crustaceans:

tail;
claws;
neck;
paws;
caviar.

Cleaning boiled

Not all lovers of gourmet meat know how to properly clean boiled crayfish. Not everyone knows that you can eat not only the crayfish neck, but also all other parts of the arthropod contain a lot of meat and goodies. To clean boiled crayfish, it is better to take care in advance of having small scissors; they will help cut the shell to remove the meat in hard-to-reach places.

It should be noted that almost everything in crayfish can be eaten, and with the right approach, only the shell, gills and intestines will remain. So, how to clean an arthropod that has already been cooked.

First of all, gourmets recommend inspecting the tail; underneath it may contain caviar, which is eaten. It is very tasty.
The legs are examined next. Depending on the size of the individual, they contain a certain amount of meat. They should be divided into joints and the contents squeezed onto a plate or directly into the mouth.

The claws must be carefully opened at the edge with scissors and the meat removed, which is no less in them than in part of the tail.

Turn the crustacean onto its back and, by breaking it, separate the abdomen. This must be done carefully so as not to spill the liquid located in the front part of the shell. You need to drink it.

Break the shell by pulling it in different directions and break it along the connecting line. We tear off the head completely and eat all the orange flesh. The insides of the shell will contain a white coating, which is fat, it is also very tasty and healthy. It should be scraped off and eaten.
Break off the gills from the neck and suck out the liquid from them.

At the last stage, all parts except the meat belly itself are cleaned and eaten. It is also called cancer neck. To get to the meat, tear off the feathers at the tip of the tail and suck out the broth located under the shell. Tear off the triangular-shaped plates, best with scissors. Separate the shell and remove the meat. The piece of meat should be divided into two parts, between which there is an intestinal vein, which needs to be thrown in, after which the meat can be eaten.

If you clean crayfish like this, then in the end only the shell will remain, and everything edible will be used for its intended purpose.

Does crayfish hurt when they are boiled?

It is customary to boil crayfish alive, as it is believed that they do not feel pain. In fact, this claim is refuted by animal activists. Some people think that crustaceans feel pain just like many other living creatures. Experts believe that it is difficult to talk about a painful reaction, since the very concept of pain has not yet been fully defined. The reaction of a living organism to an influence under which a person may experience pain does not yet prove that the animal can also feel it.

Making crayfish appetizer is very easy to make and eating it will bring a lot of pleasure. Everyone decides for themselves whether it is worth subjecting the crustacean to torture, or whether it does not experience pain at all.

Do I need to peel crayfish before boiling?

Some cooks neglect pre-cleaning arthropods, being confident that they were cleaned before they entered the store’s aquarium. And fishermen refuse manipulation, citing the fact that during the cooking process all the dirt will still fall off and the product will be usable. Do not forget that crayfish live at the bottom of freshwater bodies, so most often they find themselves covered in mud under a layer of dense mucus.

To enjoy the taste and aroma of crayfish, before boiling them you need to do the following:

If possible, live animals should be placed in clean, cool water for a couple of hours. During this time, their intestines will be cleansed and they will not have to deal with unpleasant moments while eating.
After this, drain the water and replace it with fresh water. We wait about 10 minutes, regularly stirring the contents of the container with vigorous movements. We repeat the manipulation twice more, each time changing the water to fresh one.

Tip: If you soak arthropods in milk before cooking, their meat will be more tender and juicy. This type of processing is acceptable even if the crayfish are not boiled in water or spicy broth, but in beer or wine.

During such processing, dead individuals may float to the surface. It is better to throw them away; it is better to refrain from eating crayfish that have died of their own.
If the animal shells remain covered in mucus or dirt after this, you will have to work manually.

If you want to achieve maximum cleaning, you should use salted water instead of water. In this case, you don’t even have to wait that long; just pour in the solution, stir the crayfish and drain the liquid. It’s just that after such exposure, the workpieces must be immediately subjected to heat treatment. Within a few hours or even minutes, the crayfish can die.

Main features

For those who have never experienced the procedure, it sometimes seems simply overwhelming. After all, in movies we often see outlandish cutlery that looks more like instruments of torture: tongs, needles, hooks. In fact, they are not intended for crayfish at all, but for their relatives, which are larger in size and have a much more durable chitinous cover. With the help of similar tools they eat lobsters, lobsters, and crabs. But the process of cleaning crayfish also requires some knowledge and skills. The matter is not so complicated, you just need to understand the principle once.

Options for cooking crayfish

What should you cook crayfish in to make them juicy? Crayfish can be cooked with lemon, aromatic herbs and spices, apples, vegetables or butter. Refined gourmets cook crayfish with wine or beer. By the way, we have a large article on wine appetizers. Let's take a closer look at some of the more interesting methods.

With lemon

The use of lemon and spices enhances the natural flavor of the crayfish meat. For 10 medium-sized crayfish, prepare the following ingredients

Lemon - 1 pc.
Salt 3 - 4 tbsp. spoons
Lori - 1-4 sheets
Black pepper - 10 g
Dried herbs - to taste

Recipe:

Fill the pan with water (3-4 liters) and place it on the stove.
Once boiling, add the juice of one lemon directly to the water. You can also add a crust to it. Add salt, spices and herbs.
Place the crayfish in boiling water and cook until bright red.

Fragrant herbs and spices

Popular Instagram bloggers recommend cooking crayfish with spices and herbs. Here's how to do it:

Boil water and add salt. How much salt do you need when boiling crayfish? The approximate ratio is one tablespoon of salt per liter of liquid.
Add spices to boiling water. Bay bay, pepper, dill umbel, gooseberry leaves, fresh onion and garlic, ginger and mustard are some of the different spices that can be used.
Place the crayfish, with their antennae pointing down, into the boiling water.

Do not remove the red crayfish immediately, but turn off the heat and leave them to soak in the water for 20-30 minutes. They will become soft.

In brine

Boil the crayfish according to the classic crayfish recipe. Drain the liquid. Pour in an equal amount of salted water (preferably cucumber pickle), but a little less is possible; cook for 5-7 minutes, then add 6 tablespoons of thick, fatty sour cream or cream. Cook for another 7-8 minutes. Then you can serve.

Spicy variation with spices

Do you want to surprise your friends and have the freedom to experiment? Prepare the dish according to the following recipe. Ingredients for preparing 1 kg of crayfish:

3 liters of water
60 g sour cream
90 g salt
30 g adjika or hot sauce
Dill

Preparation:

Add sour cream, adjika and dill to boiling salted water.
Add crayfish to it. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
Cover with a lid and cook until fully cooked.
Serve with sour cream or hot sauce.

Crayfish in beer

This recipe can be used to enhance the flavor of a dish. Prepare the ingredients in advance.

Live crayfish 10 - 15 crayfish
Light beer - 1 liter (broth ratio: 20% beer / 80% water)
Fresh dill - 1 large bunch
Laurier 5 - 7 leaves
Black pepper - from 10 to 20
Salt - 5 tbsp. l. 5 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

Place water (4 liters) in a saucepan and heat it. Add dill, salt, bay leaf and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and leave for 20 minutes to allow the crayfish soup to infuse flavor and aroma.
Then increase the heat and add the boiled live crayfish again. Season with salt.
Simmer the crayfish for 10-20 minutes.
When the arthropods turn red, add a liter of beer.
Cook over low heat for another 10-15 minutes, stirring.

All or most of the alcohol will evaporate from the broth during cooking, so you don't have to worry about getting drunk. But, for your confidence, I will leave a link to the article - how much beer leaves the body.

In milk

This is a difficult recipe, but the result is worth it. Wash the crayfish and soak them in boiling milk at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Then boil them according to the classic recipe. Drain the water. Pour the soaked milk over the crayfish and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover and leave for 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream or cream sauce.

Crayfish with garlic sauce

This appetizer takes less time to prepare than if you just boiled the crawfish. While they are simmering in the pan, you can prepare the sauce. The seasoning is very aromatic and is like a “side dish” for tender crayfish. Here are the ingredients:

Crayfish – 1 kg
Garlic 3 - 4 cloves of garlic
Beer – 400 ml
Salt and black pepper
Vegetable oil

How to cook?

Fill the cooking pot with water and add salt. Bring to a boil and begin cooking the crayfish.
Finely chop the garlic. Briefly fry it in vegetable oil in a frying pan. When the garlic is browned, add the beer and season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until the liquid has evaporated.
When the crayfish are ready to serve, place them in a large dish. Drizzle garlic sauce over them and serve immediately.

Boiled crayfish are a great snack to go with beer.

Grilled crayfish

Grill the crawfish on your home grill or over a smoldering fire using a wire rack. This aromatic snack is an excellent addition to beer. Here are the ingredients:

Crayfish – 1 kg
Garlic – 3 – 4 pcs.
Vegetable oil - 3 - 5 tbsp. spoons
Half a lime (can be replaced with lemon)
Season with salt and pepper.

How to cook?

Finely chop the garlic. Drizzle with oil and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Place the crayfish in boiling water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain the water.
Brush the crayfish with the marinade and grill for about 10-15 minutes on each side. Sometimes you can add hot seasoning. Crayfish can be cut lengthwise before grilling.
Place the prepared snacks on a platter and serve.

Crayfish in tomato sauce

For a spicier appetizer, try the crayfish in spicy tomato sauce. In Spain they are often prepared this way. Here are the ingredients:

Crayfish – 1 kg
Tomatoes - 4 pcs.
Garlic - 2 or 3 pcs.
Dry white wine 150 - 200 ml
Chili powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Small onions
Salt
Vegetable oil

How to cook?

Place the peeled tomatoes in boiling water. Puree the vegetables.
In a large, deep frying pan, begin sautéing the chopped onion and garlic in the oil. When they are browned, add the tomato puree and season with salt and pepper. Leave on low heat for about 10 minutes.
While the sauce is preparing, boil the crayfish. Immerse them in boiling water. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes. Then drain the water.
Place the crayfish in the tomato sauce and add the wine. Cook over medium heat for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve the finished crayfish immediately.

I also want to share with you my set of whiskey snack recipes. I myself selected what suited best.

Boiled crayfish with corn

Seafood lovers will love this original recipe made with corn and aromatic spices. This dish is ideal for a holiday table, and your guests will get acquainted with the special taste of crayfish.

Take:

Rakov
Water
Corn
Salt, spices, bay leaf (to taste)

Step by step cooking method:

Step 1: Fill a pot with water and heat it. Add salt, black pepper, coriander and garlic. Also add bay leaf and sliced lemon.
Step 2: When the water boils, add the corn, cut into two or three pieces, to the pan.
Step 3: Let the water boil for 10-15 minutes until the corn is tender. Then add the pre-washed crayfish and cook for another 5 minutes. Carefully drain and return everything to the pan.
Step 4: Cover the crayfish with a clean towel and leave for a couple of minutes to soak in the flavors and juices.
Garnish the finished dish with fresh herbs - bon appetit!

Crayfish in wine

The Fisherman's Cookbook by Vladimir Khlebnikov contains an original recipe for crayfish in wine. Prepare the ingredients:

Crayfish – 20 pieces
Water - 1 liter
Dry white wine - 2 cups
Salt - 3 tablespoons
Dried dill - 1 bunch
Seasoning - to taste

Make sure everything is ready and follow the instructions.

Place water and wine in a saucepan. Pour into a rice cooker. Add spices and salt.
Add dill to boiling salted water and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Then add the crayfish and cook for 15 minutes.

With butter and vegetables

In an unusual way, crayfish are cooked with vegetables and butter. You will need the following ingredients:

Live crayfish - up to 20 pieces
Water - 5 liters
Onion - 1 pc.
Garlic - 1 piece
Chili - 1 piece
Oil - 100 g
Salt - 5 tbsp. l.
Dill - to taste

Step by step instructions:

Place water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Peel a large onion and make a cross-shaped cut on one side.
Peel the garlic clove and crush it in a press.
Add onion, garlic, chili and oil to boiling water. Taste and add salt.
Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the crayfish.
Sprinkle dried dill on top.
Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Leave the crayfish in the broth for several hours. Boiled crayfish is a favorite dish of many gourmets. The tender pulp is eaten as a snack or added to various dishes (salads, pies, soups). To achieve maximum effect and taste, it is important not only to properly boil the arthropods, but also to select the freshest specimens from the reservoirs.

It is important to choose fresh crayfish for cooking

Serving dishes, rules of consumption

Boiled crayfish are not considered haute cuisine. This delicacy is suitable for a relaxed atmosphere in a close family or friendly circle. They often become the main event of a feast in nature. All this contributes to the fact that the rules of etiquette regarding the serving and consumption of crayfish are very democratic. They are usually presented in a wide dish, and placed into portioned plates by hand. In order to clean and eat crayfish, no cutlery is needed. Unless the catch includes a few very large specimens with massive claws. You may need to use pliers to open them.

Sliced lemon is often served along with crayfish. It is worth saying that the tradition of serving seafood, red fish and crustaceans with sour citrus has a controversial history. The best chefs believe that lemon or lime ruins the delicate taste of the main product. And it is only needed for wiping your fingers to remove a specific smell. But some people like the sourness, which emphasizes the expressive taste of crayfish. Therefore, in the company of a mountain of boiled river inhabitants, you can often find bright yellow citrus circles. They will also be useful for those who know how to clean crayfish, but don’t like their hands smelling like them. Fresh herbs are good for taste, aroma, and color. Dill is especially good with crayfish.

Some tips

If live crayfish brought home are not cooked immediately, but are left “for later,” they do not need to be released into a container with water. It is better to leave it in the air, sprinkling it with water occasionally.
If arthropods are to be stored for a long time, they should be rinsed with water from the shower, placed in a container with pieces of ice and put in the refrigerator. This way you can keep them alive for several days by periodically draining the melt water.
Before cooking, remove the ice from the container and give the crayfish time to warm to room temperature.

We advise you to read the article on how to clean fresh shrimp

How to save

As already mentioned, only live crayfish should be cleaned and cooked, and dead ones should be thrown away. The question often arises of how to preserve crayfish if it is not possible to cook right away.

To keep arthropods alive for several hours, it is necessary to release them into the water and feed them so that they do not attack each other. If you add ice to the water and put it in the refrigerator, the crustaceans can last much longer. It is important to clean them just before cooking to determine which ones have died.

Crayfish puree soup

This unusual soup can be a real discovery for your family. Try cooking it.

Pre-cook the crayfish in water with spices according to the recipe given above. Cut the crayfish and remove the meat - there should be about 300 g.

Cut one onion and one carrot into cubes, finely chop the celery root with a knife. Melt a small amount of butter in a frying pan, lightly fry the onion, then add the carrots and celery.

Mix 0.5 liters of chicken broth and the same amount of water, bring to a boil, throw the fried vegetables into the pan and crumble the invertebrate meat. Add salt, bay leaf, pepper, thyme and coriander. Boil the soup for 20–30 minutes, cool slightly and blend with a blender.

In another saucepan, melt a couple of tablespoons of butter, mix with a tablespoon of flour and grind until smooth. Pour in the pureed soup, stir and bring to a boil.

Add half a glass of cream, 1 tbsp. l. lime juice and any finely chopped greens. This is a real treat!

Cleaning procedure

By and large, there is no law that strictly regulates how to clean crayfish. Everyone does what is convenient for them. Therefore, we can offer only some recommendations:

Tear off the crayfish's tail. This is easy to do by hand. Pull the tail fin and the chitinous cover will fall apart, allowing you to get to the tender white meat. There is quite a lot of it in the tail.
Turn the crayfish onto its back. Move the cephalothorax plates apart. If you disassemble the crayfish carefully, the intestines and internal organs will not be damaged.
Separate the claws. You can simply chew them, sucking out the juicy meat. The forelimbs from which the claws grow are also very tasty. The chitin in this place is not too thick. It can be easily opened.
There is some meat in the legs. Many people prefer them as a beer snack. Disassembling chitinous tubes is not an easy task. Therefore, they are also simply chewed.
Separate the head, scrape the meat from the inner surface of the chitinous cover.
The inner surface of the shell is covered with a peculiar mass. It may be white or yellowish. This is fat, healthy and tasty.

Allow them to cool at least a little before cleaning the boiled crayfish. The shell will already seem warm to the touch, but the juice splashed from the inside can severely burn.