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| Main ingredients | Crayfish |
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Crayfish are eaten all over the world. Like other edible large crustaceans, like lobsters, only a portion of the body of a crayfish is eaten. In most prepared dishes, such as soups,bisques andétouffées, only the tail section is served. Atcrawfish boils or other meals where the entire body of the crayfish is presented, other parts, such as the claw meat, may be eaten.
Claws of larger boiled crayfish are often pulled apart to access the meat, as seasoning and flavor can collect in the fat of the boiled interior.[1]
Australia is home to genusCherax which is distinct from European, Asian and North and South American species. Two of the Australian edible crayfish are the common yabby (C. destructor) and the red claw (C. quadricarinatus). The common yabby is closest in size to the North American species, but is not considered to be commercially viable outside Australia because of its relatively slow growth and small size. The "red claw" crayfish are twice the size of North American crayfish and they contain 30% edible "meat" compared to 15% forP. clarkii. Other Australian species are fairly rare and thus usually are not used for food. Their slow growth generally makes them inefficient for aquaculture.[2]
Chinese crayfish consumption changed from a mainly locally caught and cooked dish as China became more affluent and more restaurants opened. Since the mid 1990s China consumption has rocketed and now is the world's largest producer and consumer of crayfish, many of the farmed crayfish are Red Swamp Crayfish [Procambarus clarkii]. The Red Swamp Crayfish was introduced to China in the 1930s, likely from Japan it is an invasive species and if farmed crayfish escape and become established, they can and have caused significant ecosystem changes. Non farmed fishing exists in most rivers and large areas of water, from ponds to lakes and rivers in nearly every city, town and village in central and southern China and beyond. In some regions like Yunnan crayfish can be found in some paddies in such numbers as to be a nuisance to the rice farmers. Several varieties of crayfish are commonly eaten although most of the native varieties can be both regional and seasonal. Cray fish are prepared in a variety of different ways in different regions, with possibly the most popular way for home cooking being "ma la xiao long xia" a hot spicy soup with chunks of cucumber and Sichuan pepper corns. Whilst restaurants often offer more varied spicy dishes (a combined flavor of Sichuan pepper and hot chili) stir-fried with other ingredients, or stir-fried with minced garlic or salted egg yolk for those who can't eat spicy food, steamed whole for those who prefer lighter flavors, or putting them inHuadiao jiu (sometimes using other typeHuangjiu, or even more wines) for 5-8 hours after steaming. Crayfish soaked in wine are more common in the East region, and are often referred to as "bing zui"（冰醉, which means ice-drunken).
In France, dishes with a base or garnish of crayfish (écrevisse) are frequently described asà la Nantuaise (in the style ofNantua).
Crayfish tails and butter are also used to flavor theNantua sauce commonly served withquenelles. Crayfish and fried eggs are the historically common garnish forchicken Marengo, although they are often omitted today.
Aninvasive species, theMarbled crayfish are eaten in Madagascar.[3] This species isparthenogenic where the eggs hatch without fertilisation, meaning that they are all clones of each other. Human interest in consuming them may be helping them to spread[3] 100-fold from 2007 to 2017.[4]
The Mexican crayfish locally namedacocil was a very important nutrition source of the ancient MexicanAztec culture. Other regional names for crayfish are chacales, chacalines and langostinos. Today, crayfish is consumed mainly boiled, similarly to crayfish dishes in other parts of the world, or prepared with typicallyMexican sauces and condiments, particularly in central and southern Mexico. Traditional preparations include soups, tacos and "cocktails" similar to shrimp dishes.
In Nigeria, what is commonly referred to as "crayfish" are actually small dried shrimp or prawns, not true freshwater crayfish. These are a staple ingredient in Nigerian cuisine, usually smoked or sun-dried, and form an indispensable food item in the diet across the southern states and Nigeria as a whole. They are a core component of many Nigerian dishes. While true crayfish are not native to Nigerian waters, these dried shrimp/prawns are widely used and are a significant source of flavor and nutrients in local cooking.
Crayfish is a popular dish inSweden andFinland, and is by tradition primarily consumed at acrayfish party, calledkräftskiva, during the fishing season in August. The boil is typically flavored withsalt,sugar,ale, and large quantities of stems and flowers of thedill plant. While most Americans eat them warm, the Swedes and Finns normally eat them cold after letting them sit in a brine over night.[5] One traditionalSwedish and Finnish practice is to eat crayfish with a vodka orakvavit chaser. Most crayfish in Sweden are fished by professional fishermen or by lakeside property owners. The only lake where crayfish fishing is not limited to professionals and landowners is in Lake Vättern.[6] The catch of domestic freshwater crayfish,Astacus astacus, and even of a transplanted American species,Pacifastacus leniusculus, is very limited, and to satisfy demand, the majority of what is consumed has to be imported.
InRussia andUkraine, crayfish (раки, sing.рак) are a traditional seasonal appetizer that is used as an accompaniment to beer and liquor. Although native varieties tend to be larger (usually,Astacus astacus), rampant freshwater pollution and years of overfishing largely limit availability to imports—most from Armenia, Kazakhstan and China. Prior to cooking, the crustaceans are soaked in water or milk, then boiled live for 7–15 minutes in rapidly boiling salted water with additional ingredients, such ascarrots,onion,dill,parsley,bay leaf,peppercorns. More extravagant preparations include such ingredients as white wine, beer,sour cream,cloves,caraway seed,coriander seed,chili peppers,stinging nettle, etc.[7] Russians rarely incorporate crayfish into complex dishes and, unlike other cultures, they usually consume the entire crayfish, short of the shell and the antennae. Russian and Ukrainian fascination with crayfish goes back quite far and generates considerable lore. An old proverb: "When there is no fish, even crayfish is a fish." There are as many myth associated with picking the freshest live crayfish as there are for picking ripewatermelons. Russians and Ukrainians, generally, will not cook fresh crayfish if the crustaceans are dead or perceptibly lethargic. (But pre-boiled frozen specimens are acceptable.)[8]
In Spain, crayfish is calledcangrejo de río (lit. "river crab"). They used to be widely consumed, especially inCastile and León andAragon, but over-fishing and the introduction of non-native crayfish species (e.g.Procambarus clarkii, commonly calledcangrejo americano) led to a dramatic decline in crayfish population. Nowadays they remain as a seasonal delicacy, usually stewed intomato sauce, although fishing the native crayfish is strictly forbidden since the species is nearly extinct. Instead of the native crayfish, it is common to fishProcambarus clarkii orPacifastacus leniusculus, also present in most of theSpanish rivers.
In the United Kingdom — escapees from 1960s fish farms that have introduced thecrayfish plague, displacing the native speciesAstacus astacus, the broad-fingered or noble crayfish — theinvasive species of North AmericanPacifastacus leniusculus, signal crayfish are caught and made into a soup with white wine,bay leaves, dill and parsley,[9] prepared as part of a fish pie[10] or exported around Europe for food.[11]
In the United States, crayfish are often referred to ascrawfish,crawdads,crawdaddies,fiddlers, ormudbugs. As of 2018, 93% of crawfish farms in the US were located in Louisiana.[12] In 1987, Louisiana produced 90% of the crayfish harvested in the world, 70% of which were consumed locally.[13] In 2007, the Louisiana crayfish harvest was about 54,800 tons, almost all of it from aquaculture.[14] About 70%–80% of crayfish produced in Louisiana areProcambarus clarkii (red swamp crawfish), with the remaining 20%–30% beingProcambarus zonangulus (white river crawfish).[15] Despite the large-scale production in Louisiana, most frozen crayfish available in supermarkets in other states are Chinese imports. As early as 2003, Asian farms and fisheries produced more red swamp crayfish (P. clarkii) than the Americas, and this trend accelerated in subsequent years. By 2018,P. clarkii crawfish production in the Americas represented just 4% of total globalP. clarkii supply, with Asian production accounting for the rest.[16]
In Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Southeast Texas, crayfish are generally served at a gathering known as acrawfish boil. The crayfish are usually boiled live in a large pot with heavy seasoning (salt,cayenne pepper,lemon,garlic,bay leaves, etc.) and other items such aspotatoes,corn on the cob,onions,garlic,mushrooms, turkey necks, andsausage. There are many differing methods used to season a crawfish boil, and a wide variety of opinions on which one is best.[17] Other popular dishes in theCajun andCreole cuisines of Louisiana include crawfishétouffée,fried crawfish,crawfish pie, crawfish dressing, crawfish bread,crawfish bisque and crawfishbeignets.[18]
In Houston, Texas, a regional style ofVietnamese-Cajun crawfish has developed.[19][20]
TheCherokee have a long tradition of catching crawdads bygigging. The crawdads are cleaned, then soaked, "in hot water with about one tablespoon of salt." The crawdads are lightly breaded withcornmeal before frying, and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Like all crustaceans, crawfish are notkosher because they are aquatic animals that have neitherfins norscales.[22] They are therefore not eaten by observantJews.[23]
 | This sectionis missing information about why boiling alive is the conventional way; how the ban is executed in practice. Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(April 2024) |
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