# crayfish edible?



## horseman

We have alot of crayfish by us, I catch them all the time for bait, and then someone told me that you can eat them, so are crayfish really good to eat?? :shrug:


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## wildhorse

yes if you can get enough for a meal....not alot of meat there.


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## Guest

A lot of people prefer them much better then shrimp. We eat them often throughout the summer. We also cook them different then most resturaunts which cook them cajun style. We peel the head off and pull the middle tail out which removes the intestines. We then boil them in water till they turn cherry red. Then drain them and place them in a hot skillet and till most all the water has evaporated. When the steam quits rising we then add some bacon grease and salt and fry them for a few minutes. Then enjoy! They are absolutly delicious this way.


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## digdirtplanthar

No the big ones are bad for you. Tell me where you live and catch a lot of them. I will take all those bad big crayfish off you hands and take care of them for you.

I don't want you to get sick from eating those small lobster looking relatives. 

Like I said I will take care of them for you!

Now I don't need you looking over my shoulder to see why I would be happy eating things like the baby lobster that I like to eat. Don't get confused with the crayfish you just gave me. I just let them go.

Oh by the way I will take off your hands all the big one you catch tomorrow also.

Could you pass the hot butter! :angel: 

digdirtplantharvest


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## horseman

well were i was catching these crayfish was in Wisconsin, where i catch them is in the millwakuee river, but some of them are really big and some of them i would call average sized.


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## Metagirrl

My husband brought some home from a pond that his company had drained last year... they were so big, they had claw meat worth fighting for! 

Here's what we did with this year's crawfish... but we had to order them from Louisiana!

DH with the contents of our Crawfish Boil!~


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## swampgirl

Yep! They're delicious just eaten boiled with lots of seasonings or cooked in many different recipies, like etouffe, stew, bisque, etc.


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## big rockpile

Yea crayfish are good but if you get any Mudbugs send them my way I'll take care of them :shrug: 

big rockpile


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## busybee870

hey!! ill help you get rid of those varmits too, Im from Louisiana I know just how to handle them!! and i wont charge you a thing!! thats what friends are for. lol


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## Jolly

Boiled Crawfish
PREP TIME: 2 Hours
SERVES: 12

COMMENT:
The crawfish boil is the premier social event in the spring time here in Louisiana. Friends and family gather for an afternoon under the shade of an oak tree to enjoy a delicacy unequaled in the Southland.

INGREDIENTS:

30 quarts cold water 
12 medium onions, quartered 
6 heads of garlic, split in half exposing pods 
6 lemons, quartered 
1 cup cooking oil 
4 pounds salt 
1/2 pounds cayenne pepper 
4 (3-ounce) bags Zatarain's crab boil 
6 tbls celery salt 
24 medium red potatoes 
12 ears of corn 
50 pounds cleaned crawfish 
METHOD:
Live crawfish may be purchased already washed from your seafood supplier. However, a second rinsing in cold water would not hurt. The purging of crawfish, or washing the crawfish in cold salted water, has been found to be useless other than to place the crustacean under unnecessary stress. So forget the purging - rinsing in cold water will suffice. In a 60-quart stock pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Add onions, garlic, lemons, cooking oil, salt, pepper, Zatarain's crab boil and continue to boil for 30 minutes. This boiling of the vegetables will ensure a good flavor in the boiling liquid. Add red potatoes and cook approximately 10-12 minutes. Add corn and cook 10 minutes before adding the crawfish. Once the water returns to a boil, cook crawfish 7-10 minutes, turn off heat and allow to set in boiling liquid 12 additional minutes. Crawfish should be served hot with potatoes and corn and pitchers of ice cold beer.


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## Jolly

Crawfish Au Gratin
PREP TIME: 45 Minutes
SERVES: 6 

COMMENT:
Au gratins of many types are found on menus throughout Louisiana. The dish is most commonly made with jumbo lump crabmeat. Although, normally served casserole-style, I have also seen it served as the perfect topping over a sauteed filet of fish. Additionally, au gratins make excellent hors d'oeuvres and can be served with garlic croutons or crackers. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound crawfish tails 
1/4 pound butter 
1/4 cup onions, diced 
1/4 cup celery, diced 
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped 
1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped 
1 tbsp garlic, diced 
2 tbsps flour 
2 cups heavy whipping cream 
1 ounce dry white wine 
1 tbsp lemon juice 
dash of hot sauce 
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese 
salt and cracked black pepper to taste 
1/4 cup green onions, sliced 
1/4 cup parsley, chopped 
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, red and yellow bell peppers and garlic. SautÃ© 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Be careful not to brown vegetables. Add 1/2 pound crawfish tails and saute 3 additional minutes. Sprinkle in flour, blending well into the mixture. Using a wire whip, whisk cream into sauce pan stirring constantly until thick cream sauce is achieved. Reduce heat to simmer, add white wine, lemon juice and hot sauce. Sprinkle in half of the cheddar cheese stirring the mixture constantly. Season to taste using salt and pepper. Add green onions and parsley for color. If mixture becomes too thick, add a small amount of hot water or whipping cream. Place equal parts of remaining crawfish tails in the bottom of six au gratin dishes, top with sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.


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## Jolly

Louisiana Style Crawfish Etouffee
PREP TIME: 1 Hour
SERVES: 6

COMMENT:
The French word "etouffee" means to stew, smother or braise. This technique is found in dishes using shrimp, crab, crawfish and, in some cases, meat or game. Though more Creole in origin, etouffees are found throughout Cajun country. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds cleaned crawfish tails 
1/4 pound butter 
1 cup onion, chopped 
1/2 cup celery, chopped 
Â½ cup green bell pepper, chopped 
Â½ cup red bell pepper, chopped 
Â½ cup tomatoes, diced 
2 tbsps garlic, diced 
2 bay leaves 
1/2 cup tomato sauce 
1 cup flour 
2 quarts crawfish stock or water 
1 ounce sherry 
1 cup green onions, chopped 
Â½ cup parsley, chopped 
salt and cayenne pepper to taste 
Louisiana Gold Pepper Sauce 
2 cups white rice, steamed 
METHOD:
In a 2-gallon stock pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic and bay leaves. SautÃ© until vegetables are wilted, approximately 3-5 minutes. Add crawfish tails and tomato sauce and blend well into mixture. Using a wire whip, blend flour into the vegetable mixture to form a white roux. Slowly add crawfish stock or water, a little at a time, until sauce consistency is achieved. Continue adding more stock as necessary to retain consistency. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sherry, green onions and parsley and cook an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste using salt and cayenne pepper. Serve over steamed white rice using a few dashes of Louisiana Gold Pepper Sauce.


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## Jolly

Crawfish Pasta Salad
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
SERVES: 4-5 

COMMENT:
This dish is right at home everywhere from your holiday table to the parking lot tailgating party on LSU campus.

INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD:

1 lb pealed crawfish tails 
1 lb pasta, cooked (small shells) 
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped 
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped 
1/2 cup red bell pepper, minced 
1/2 cup yellow pepper, minced 
dill weed (to taste) 
INGREDIENTS FOR DRESSING:

1 cup vegetable oil 
5 tbsp red wine vinegar 
4 tbsp sour cream 
1 1/2 tsp salt 
2 tbsp garlic, minced 
1/2 tsp dry mustard 
2 tbsp sugar 
Coarsely ground black pepper 
2 tsp chopped parsley 
METHOD:
Mix dressing first by combining all dressing ingredients. Use a whisk to blend in the sour cream. The salad dressing can be made up ahead of time. In a separate bowl, combine crawfish tails, cooked pasta, green onions, red bell pepper, yellow pepper and celery. Season with dill weed. Pour dressing over crawfish mixture and serve.


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## Jolly

Crawfish Boulettes
PREP TIME: 1 Hour
SERVES: 8-10 Boulettes 

COMMENT:
In Louisiana, one of the most economical and tastiest dishes you can serve to your family is a platter of fish boulettes. Actually, folk elsewhere around the world call them fish cakes or fish patties. But, here in bayou country, we roll them into balls which is what boulette means in French. Here, we substituted crawfish in the place of fish for an interesting twist.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pound chopped crawfish tails 
1/4 cup sliced green onions 
2 cups white potatoes 
1/4 cup chopped parsley 
1/2 cup minced onions 
1 egg, whipped 
1/4 cup minced celery 
1 cup flour 
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper 
salt and black pepper to taste 
2 tbsps diced garlic 
oil for sautÃ©ing 
METHOD:
Place cubed potatoes in lightly salted water and poach until fork-tender. Drain and cool. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients other than flour and oil. Using your hands or a large mixing spoon, blend until all ingredients are incorporated. Since the crawfish are cooked, you should taste the mixture and adjust seasonings if necessary. Preheat oil in a ten inch skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in approximately half of the flour or more as needed to hold the mixture together. Form the mixture into hamburger-style patties approximately 3/4-inch thick. Dust the patties with remaining flour and saute until golden brown on each side. Patties may be eaten as an appetizer, as a sandwich or cooked in a crawfish stew.


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## Jolly

Hope I've given y'all a few ideas.

The above recipes are from John Folse, and are freely available on his website, along with a slew of others.

Different folks in Louisana have their favorites...Emeril, Folse, K-Paul, or even the everday country cooking like Miss Lucy.

It's all good, cher.


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## horseman

So what part of the crayfish do you eat?

 thanks


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## Jolly

The tailmeat.

Just pop or break your crawfish after boiling at the joint between the tail and the main body. Some folks peel the tail meat out of the tail and then eat it. Some like it staright, other like different dipping sauces, such as a ketchup+mayo+ hotsauce dip. Some experienced folks will take the tail (after they broken it off the body) and catch the meat sticking out between their front teeth and kind of pull and slurp the meat out of the shell at the same time. These guys can eat crawfish amazingly fast.

Of course, the way to tell a true ******* at a crawfish boil is that he'll eat the tails and suck the heads. :dance: Seriously. 

In Folse's original recipe for boiled crawfish, he talks about how to wash the crawfish before boiling...I'm sorry, but we still purge them. And depending upon how muddy the water is, you may have to purge, and subsequently wash them a time or two more.

Oh, and he talks about putting corn and potatoes in the water...that's to eat, of course. Some folks also will throw an onion or two in the pot, mostly for a little more seasoning along with the crab boil. And, if you have kids that don't care for crawfish, throw in a pack of weinies (just don't overcook).


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## Ed Norman

Ahhhhh. I read this thread this morning, we went out and got 4 gallons of crawdads this afternoon, and just got done eating and peeling. Half of them we boiled in Zatarain crab boil, never tried it before but it was good. The other half we steamed and froze for later. Tomorrow we'll have scrambled eggs with diced up crawdad meat for breakfast. Life is good.


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## horseman

Yum, sounds tasty I think i'm going to go out tommorow and catch me so 
me too!!! putting them on eggs sounds really good!


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## YounGrey

Crawfish Roe is a delicacy!


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## MELOC

i cook them just like shrimp...i boil them with old bay seasoning. they are awesome.


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## SteveD(TX)

I finally got eating crawfish peeling and eating down to a quick two-step process. Helps when you're eating a bunch. Don't forget to suck the head!


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## suburbanite

Crayfish are outstanding--just hard to eat due to size. They are very much like Maine lobster in flavor and can be used to substitute for lobster.


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