Crayfish

Name: Crayfish — small freshwater crustaceans that look like tiny lobsters, also called crawdads, yabbies or mudbugs. They live in rivers, lakes and ponds worldwide, and include signal crayfish in Europe, red swamp crayfish in the United States and China, and yabbies in Australia.

Description

Crayfish have been eaten for centuries in Europe, Scandinavia, the United States and Asia. In Sweden and Finland, a late-summer tradition, the crayfish party (kräftskiva), has friends gather outdoors to eat boiled crayfish with dill, bread, cheese and aquavit, in paper hats. In China, spicy crayfish (mala xiaolongxia) has become a hugely popular summer street food.

Many species have been introduced outside their native range, and the American signal crayfish has spread across Europe, where it has devastated native white-clawed crayfish by spreading crayfish plague. Commercial farming and fishing now supply most of the crayfish eaten.

Main nutrition value

Crayfish tail meat is lean and high in protein, and provides vitamin B12, selenium, zinc and copper, and omega-3 fats, with little fat.

How best to be consumed

Crayfish are boiled live, and eaten by hand, or the tails are used in cooking.

1. Boil live crayfish in salted, dill-flavoured water for 5 to 8 minutes, then cool in the brine, as in Swedish tradition.
2. Peel the tail and eat with bread, mayonnaise or butter, or add the meat to salads, pasta, risotto and sauces.
3. Cook in spicy broth with chilli, garlic and Sichuan pepper, as in China.
4. Use frozen peeled tails for convenience, and defrost gently.
5. Buy from clean waters and reputable sources, and cook thoroughly.

Overconsumption could cause…

Crayfish are healthy in food amounts, with some points to know.

1. Shellfish allergy, which can be severe and is usually lifelong, so anyone allergic must avoid shellfish and check labels.
2. Dietary cholesterol, which is higher in shellfish than most fish, although current evidence suggests it affects blood cholesterol less than saturated fat does for most people, and shellfish are low in saturated fat.
3. Parasites, such as lung flukes, from raw or undercooked freshwater crayfish, so cook them thoroughly.
4. Contamination with metals or pollutants from polluted waters.
5. Spoilage and food poisoning if raw or undercooked seafood is left warm or eaten past its date, so keep it cold and cook it through.

GroupsCrustaceansShellfishCrustaceansHigh proteinLow fatLow sodiumRich in seleniumRich in vitamin B12Fresh

Related foodsLobsterPrawnsShrimpCrabLangoustineCrawfish

Wikipedia — Crayfish, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crayfish