Crayfish recipe at home. How to cook crayfish correctly - a simple recipe at home. Delicious boiled crayfish with salt, dill, and beer. How and how much to cook live, frozen, crayfish? Boiled crayfish recipe

- a real delicacy, especially if you cook them correctly. Once they were served only in the homes of rich people, but now they are quite an affordable dish. Of course, crayfish are not an everyday food, but you can’t find a better snack to go with beer, especially if you have a good company. How to cook crayfish so that it turns out tasty, quick and appetizing?

Choosing the right crayfish

Before you do anything with crayfish, you need to either catch them in a pond or buy them. If catching arthropods is not your hobby, it is better to go to the store for them. First, ask where the crayfish come from. If they are caught in lakes and ponds, you should not take them. There are a lot of bacteria in stagnant water, so such crayfish can cause problems in the gastrointestinal tract. The best invertebrates are river ones; their meat is much tastier and healthier.

How to tell if crayfish are fresh? The answer is simple: buy them alive. They should look healthy and active. If the crayfish don't move, it's clearly not your product! The fact is that crayfish spoil very quickly, so if they look sluggish when you buy them, they won’t last long. Since crayfish feed on algae, their stomachs are teeming with bacteria that begin to actively multiply, even if the crayfish is still alive, but is no longer moving well. The tail of the crayfish must be pressed against the body - this is a kind of quality guarantee. The tighter the tail is pressed, the fresher and tastier the crayfish.

The water in which the crayfish were stored should be clear. Cloudy water indicates that it was rarely changed, which means that the crayfish most likely did not have enough oxygen. The water temperature should be +10 °C, and this is easy to verify, since aquariums in stores are usually equipped with thermometers.

The hardness of the shell is also very important. The harder it is, the meatier the cancer. There is almost no meat under the soft shell or it is very dry. As for the sizes, it is better to take large and medium crayfish. If they grew up like this, it means they had enough food, so the meat is rich in vitamins, microelements and nutrients.

How to prepare live crayfish for boiling

Before home, place them in cold water for an hour or two before cooking. For a more pleasant and delicate taste, you can keep them in milk.

Immediately before cooking, it is advisable to rinse the invertebrates under running water to remove sand and debris. To do this, it is recommended to use a brush, trying to hold the crayfish by the back so that it does not grab you with its claws.

Cooking crayfish correctly is not difficult. Take a large saucepan, pour in water and salt it at the rate of 0.5-1 tbsp. l. salt per liter. Turn on the heat, and as soon as the water boils, throw in the spices - bay leaf, peppercorns, dill umbrellas, currant leaves, fresh onion or garlic, lemon slices or lemon zest, ginger or mustard. Everyone has their own preferences for how to cook crayfish at home, but you shouldn’t overdo it with spices. Extraneous aromas should not interrupt the taste of this dish. You can freeze fresh crayfish for three months if you buy too many. But only in fast freezing mode at a temperature of −24 °C to preserve the taste and freshness of the product.

How to cook boiled crayfish

After the spices are thrown into the water, it's time to place the crayfish into the boiling water with the tendrils down. This is not easy to do, because they will resist with all their might. The best way to avoid getting hurt is to hold them by the back, use tongs or a potholder. Dead invertebrates cannot be cooked - they are not suitable for food.

How much to cook crayfish depends on their size. For small ones, 15-20 minutes may be enough, medium ones are usually cooked for 25-30 minutes, and for a large-sized delicacy you will have to wait 40 minutes. However, even without a clock you can determine how much crayfish to cook by time - the shell of the crayfish should turn bright red . If you overcook, the meat will be tough and tasteless. After this, turn off the heat and let the arthropods lie in the water for 20-30 minutes. They will become softer, more tender and tastier.

Store boiled crayfish in the broth in which they were boiled, but no more than two days.

A few secrets of cooking crayfish

If you buy live crayfish and don't plan to cook them right away, you can place them in water where they will float for two days. Monitor their activity and change the water more often. The second way to preserve invertebrates is to keep them in the refrigerator. By the way, never believe sellers who claim that crayfish are just sleeping. Only dying individuals fall asleep outside the refrigerator!

You can cook crayfish in different ways. If you pour a bottle of wine or even two into the water and flavor the resulting brine with rosemary, the taste of the crayfish will become noble and refined. Wine can be replaced with milk, kvass or beer, and sour cream and adjika can be added to the water. And some people boil crayfish in cucumber brine, obtaining a very bright and piquant taste. Don’t be afraid to over-salt the crayfish—their thick shell makes it difficult for salt to pass through. But, of course, more than 1 tbsp. l. There is no need to add per liter of water.

And be sure to try baking crayfish in a fire at least once - you will enjoy it immensely! To do this, rinse them well and dry them, wrap each one in foil and place in hot coals for 15 minutes. Crayfish cooked in the oven is delicious - in a baking tray with a small amount of vegetable oil. They need to be sprinkled with spices and baked for 20 minutes at 200°C.

And most importantly, how to cook frozen crayfish to preserve their taste and benefits. Defrost them naturally at room temperature, and then inspect them carefully. If the tail is bent towards the body, feel free to cook this crayfish. If the tail is straightened, it means that the crayfish was frozen already dead and it is better to throw it away.

How and with what do they eat crayfish?

It is common to eat with your hands, but you need to do it correctly. First, tear off the claws and legs. With a small crayfish, the contents of the claw can be squeezed directly into the mouth, but with a large one you will have to tinker, cutting the claw and opening it like an oyster. Meat is present not only in the claws, but also in those parts with which the claws are attached to the body, if, of course, the crayfish is large. It is also better to squeeze the meat from the legs directly into your mouth with your teeth.

Now lower the crayfish with its whiskers down and break it into two parts - the cephalothorax and abdomen. You should definitely drink the broth, eat the caviar, and it is better to carefully remove the stomach, trying not to damage it, otherwise its contents will spoil the taste of the meat. The liver sometimes tastes bitter - this is not an acquired taste.

Now you understand that tasting crayfish is a ritual with its own subtleties and characteristics. It remains to find out what to eat crayfish with. A dish with boiled arthropods can be decorated with fresh herbs and raw vegetables, and served with sauce and white bread croutons.

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!

Pilaf with crayfish and cheese

Pilaf with crayfish is fresh and original.

Cook 2 cups of rice until half cooked and combine it with half a cup of finely chopped onion. Boil the crayfish, chop 3 cups of crayfish meat and also add to the rice along with half a cup of grated cheddar cheese. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Then heat the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce to taste and 200 g of cream to the rice. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Garnish the finished dish with fresh herbs and crayfish tails.

Crayfish neck flan

This delicious appetizer is suitable for a light breakfast or dinner, and can also be served for lunch. And even on the holiday table, flan will not get lost among other dishes.

Boil 0.5 kg of crayfish in water with bay leaf and pepper, cool and remove the crayfish necks. Finely chop 50 g of dried tomatoes in oil with a knife, mix with crayfish meat and three sprigs of finely chopped dill.

Now beat 5 eggs, add 250 g of sour cream, a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp. l. corn starch. Stir well and add the tomatoes and crayfish meat into the egg mixture.

Grease the mold with butter, pour the prepared mass into it and bake in a water bath at 180 °C for an hour.

Cool the flan, invert the pan and carefully place the dish on a plate. Cut into portions and serve with herbs and any sauces.

The most delicious crayfish are those caught from early May to mid-June, as well as from late August to mid-autumn. Although summer crayfish can be tasty if you know the intricacies of cooking.

Learn to cook live crayfish at home and perfect your skill. And then you will always have something to surprise your friends and acquaintances!

One of the best snacks to go with beer is juicy boiled crayfish. To make the dish successful, follow two rules. First, the crayfish must be alive before cooking. Since the delicacy spoils quickly, you should not cook dead crayfish: there is a risk of food poisoning. Secondly, the size of the individual does not affect the taste of the finished dish. It’s just that large crayfish take twice as long to cook as small ones.

Recipe for boiled crayfish at home

Pour filtered water into a large enamel saucepan. Fill a little more than half the container and put on fire. Since crayfish meat does not have a distinct taste or smell, add salt and spices to the pan - they will add flavor to the broth. Crayfish cooked with dill is especially tasty.

Place thoroughly washed crayfish in the liquid and cook them over moderate heat. When the water boils, set the pan aside for 15 minutes and then return to the heat. There is an opinion that a reddened shell is a sure sign that the crayfish are ready. But there's no need to rush! Small crayfish are boiled for about half an hour, and large ones for at least 45 minutes.
Crayfish cooked in beer or milk will turn out noticeably tastier. The appetizer can be prepared in beer by adding it to a pan half and half with water. Crayfish boiled in milk will be very tasty. First, place the washed crayfish in boiled milk for 3 hours. After this, rinse and boil them in water. 10 minutes before cooking, drain the broth and pour the crayfish with the milk in which they were soaked. Cook them for another 5-10 minutes.

In any case, before serving the appetizer, you need to keep the crayfish in the liquid in which they were boiled. Then the meat will be more juicy and tasty. It is better to eat the snack immediately after preparation. But if you need to put the dish aside for a while, use the following tips:

• Place the crayfish in a pot of broth and place it in the refrigerator. This way the dish can be stored for up to five days.
• Dishes for storing the product should be either enameled, stainless steel, or ceramic. It is better to avoid aluminum containers, as crayfish quickly deteriorate in them.
• There is no need to store the snack in the freezer. Low temperature changes the taste of meat, and it becomes “rubbery”.

Boiled crayfish are an excellent snack for beer and a delicious delicacy that is not always available. But if you are lucky and have live crayfish in your hands, then all that remains is to prepare them correctly - and your beer party will be a success.

But don't think that boiling crayfish is that easy. There are subtleties in preparing the dish, and the most important of them is the choice of the crayfish themselves.

How to choose the right crayfish

The most piquant moment in the literal and figurative sense of the word - the crayfish must be alive! Of course, not every person can easily chop off the heads of chickens or plunge live crayfish into boiling water. But you have to come to terms with the idea that only live crayfish are suitable for cooking. This is the only way to get a tasty and healthy snack at the same time.

Dead or dormant crayfish can cause serious food poisoning.

When purchasing crayfish you need to pay attention to the following:

• the animal's shell should be shiny and clean, with an even color, the claws should not have any signs of damage or growths;
• crayfish are bluish-green or brown in color, their tail is tucked tightly to their belly;
• crayfish should be in constant motion, move their whiskers and limbs; it is better to discard sedentary individuals;
• crayfish weighing up to 100 grams and measuring from 10 to 15 cm have the best taste;
• the crayfish hunting season begins in May and ends in October; crayfish caught in the fall are considered the most delicious;
• It is best to choose females, as they are juicier and tastier than males - females can be distinguished by their wide tail.

You should not buy boiled crayfish, as you will not be able to determine the freshness of the product by eye. The common myth that if a boiled crayfish has a bent tail, then it was cooked alive has nothing to do with reality: dead and sick individuals have their tails bent in the same way when boiled.

If crayfish are in an aquarium with water whose temperature is less than +10 degrees, then they may be inactive. Crayfish are stored in such cold water for no longer than 48 hours, then they will hibernate or die. Immediately after you bring it home, cold crayfish should be baked in warm water at room temperature.

Frozen crayfish can be stored in the freezer for no more than three months.

How to cook crayfish correctly

• After you bring live crayfish home, release them into a bowl of cool water for two hours - this will make them easier to rinse. Then we wash the crayfish under running water, but with great caution: a live crayfish can easily bite your finger. It is not dangerous, but quite sensitive. Wash crayfish carefully, as they can be very dirty, especially those that lived in holes or on the muddy bottom.
• We thoroughly wash the claws and the places between the shell and the paws: this is where the most dirt accumulates. The process of washing crayfish is painstaking, but the result is worth it. Agree, it will be a shame if the excellent taste of the meat is spoiled by the crunchy sand between your teeth.
• Sometimes, to make the crayfish especially tender and soft, Before cooking, they are soaked in milk for 30–40 minutes.
• We choose a large container: the edges must be high, otherwise the crayfish will simply crawl out of the pan. The water should cover the crayfish by about 20 centimeters.
• Boil water, salt, add bay leaf and a few peas of black allspice. Now the most unpleasant moment: we take the live crayfish by the middle of the shell and put it in boiling water. Cook the crayfish over high heat for about 15–20 minutes- depending on size and quantity.
• If you suddenly come across a spoiled crayfish, you will immediately notice it: the animal will float to the surface, its body will be greatly swollen, and a characteristic unpleasant odor will appear. You quickly catch it and throw it away.
• The readiness of the crayfish is determined by the shell: it should turn a rich red color. It is very important not to overcook the crayfish - then their meat will become tough and tasteless.
• After the crayfish turn red, remove the pan from the stove and leave the crayfish to “simmer” in the hot broth for another 10 minutes. You need to cook and remove the crayfish immediately before eating - it is at this time that they are the most delicious.

How to eat crayfish correctly

Everyone eats crayfish differently. Some people prefer only the tail and throw away the rest - it's just an incredible waste! True crayfish lovers don’t throw away almost anything, and rightly so! Crayfish meat is too tasty and healthy to translate the product so mediocrely.

In fairness, we must admit that the tail is the most appetizing and fleshy part. The meat on the tail is always pleasant and even slightly sweet. After the tail is eaten, you can move on to the claws - the meat there is a little darker, but also very tender and tasty. True lovers savor and suck each leg, because it is incredibly tasty.

There is also some meat on the back. But not everyone likes it, as it is a little bitter. Under the shell you can eat everything except the intestines.

Eating crayfish is a fascinating activity that you get drawn into and cannot stop until there is nothing left on the plate. Fortunately, crayfish are not only tasty, but also low in calories, so you can eat as much as you like without worrying.

The best crayfish recipes

There are many ways to prepare crayfish; we will only tell you about the most delicious and at the same time simplest methods.

Crayfish in sour cream

Ingredients:

• live crayfish - 10–15 pieces;
• an umbrella of fresh or dry dill - 3 pieces;
• peppercorns;
• salt - to taste;
• Bay leaf;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• sour cream - 3 tbsp. spoons;
• vegetable or olive oil - 2 tbsp. spoons.

Preparation:

• Boil water, add salt, peppercorns, dill, garlic and bay leaf, add the crayfish last and boil everything for 15 minutes.
• Turn off the stove and put sour cream in the pan, stir.
• Then add vegetable oil and leave the pan with crayfish on the cooling stove for another 20 minutes.
• Crayfish prepared this way will be especially tender and shiny. All that remains is to place the crayfish on a wide dish and serve.

Crayfish in beer

Ingredients:

• light beer - 2 liters;
• water - 1 glass;
• salt and peppercorns to taste;
• bay leaf - 2–3 pieces;
• dill umbrella - 2–3 pieces;
• live crayfish - 15 pieces.

Preparation:

• Add all ingredients to boiling water except beer and crayfish.
• Boil the water for 5 minutes, then pour in the beer, bring to a boil again and throw the crayfish into the beer.
• Cook for 10–15 minutes until the crayfish turn red.
• Serve in a wide dish, pouring boiled beer over the crayfish.

Crayfish with lemon

Ingredients:

• large lemon - 1 piece;
• salt, peppercorns - to taste;
• dill umbrella - 2–3 pieces;
• crayfish - 10–15 pieces.

Preparation:

• Boil water and add all the spices.
• Cut the lemon in half, squeeze all the juice out of it into the boiling broth, put the peels there and boil for 10-15 minutes.
• Then add live crayfish to the broth and cook until tender. Crayfish prepared in this way will have a spicy taste that you and your friends will surely enjoy.

Classic recipe. To my great surprise, I did not find a recipe for classic crayfish cooking on the website. Once upon a time, in one of her programs, Alla Pugacheva said that Dima Dibrov had the most delicious crayfish she had ever tasted. Dibrov is a Rostovite, and he told on central TV a recipe that is used by almost everyone on the Don. At the same time, cooking crayfish in our country is a male prerogative. In the recipe I will describe in detail how to choose crayfish and how to cook them juicy and tasty, and also tell you about additional additives to the broth that are used on the Don.

Ingredients for Boiled Crayfish:

Recipe for Boiled Crayfish:

First, I want to dwell in more detail on the choice of crayfish. If you have a choice, it is better to buy crayfish. The larger the river, the tastier the crayfish (it is more elastic inside). Pond crayfish and crayfish from small rivers do not have the same taste properties that crayfish have. In Moscow we took good crayfish, in the Krasnodar Territory - this is problematic, since it is caught in small rivers. In Rostov now there is a choice between local cancer and Kazakh one. It is better to take a local one, although it is more expensive. When choosing a crayfish, pay attention to the shell. It should be hard. Next is the size criterion: the most delicious crayfish is 10-12 cm long. If the choice is visual, then it is better to take a dark green crayfish.

We put water to boil at the rate of 1 liter of water for 12 crayfish measuring 10-12 cm. Add salt at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water. Crayfish cannot be salted “to taste”, otherwise you can either over-salt or under-salt. I specifically photographed the salt, because the proportions of the brine are decisive for the taste of the crayfish. True, this time we added salt to the crayfish, but for classic cooking this is not important.
About additives. If you want to add an extra note of flavor to crayfish, there are 3 broth options (deviation from the classics):
1. 1 green sour apple and 1 sweet pear.
2. Vegetable mix - with the addition of carrots, sweet and bitter peppers and tomatoes.
3. If you plan to eat crayfish with wine, add 1 glass of wine to the brine, if with beer - 1 glass of beer.

While the water is boiling, wash the crayfish thoroughly to remove all algae and mud. My husband does this with a shower hose.

Throw the crayfish into boiling water.

There are few men who don’t like to drink beer and eat boiled crayfish. And some women will like such a light feast. Therefore, this entire article will be devoted to these arthropods. Why? Because their popularity can only be compared with the New Year’s Olivier salad. for a party that involves beer, you can never go wrong. No one will leave disappointed, and neighbors, hearing the enticing aroma, can join you to taste a magnificent dish.

Reasons for the popularity of crayfish

These arthropods are an important product that brings invaluable benefits to humans. In addition to its excellent taste, crayfish are a good source of protein, which is very necessary for the formation of cells in the human body. They also contain many important microelements such as magnesium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and vitamins B, C, D, K, E.

Meanwhile, they are almost completely free of cholesterol. And the low calorie content, 76 kcal per 100 grams, allows you to consume crayfish during diets. There are many different recipes for preparing our arthropods, but the best are, without a doubt, boiled crayfish.

The easiest recipe for boiling crayfish

The ingredients are minimal: crayfish, bay leaf (four pieces) and salt. For cooking we take live crayfish. Place a pot of water on the fire and wait until the water boils. Salt, and a lot - at least three to four tablespoons for 12-15 crayfish. Add bay leaf and mix. The most unpleasant moment begins - we put live crayfish into a pan of boiling water. They turn red very quickly. Cook our dish for 10-15 minutes. An excellent Lenten dish - boiled crayfish - is ready. We take it out and serve it on the table. Now let's look at a few other recipes. But first, let’s explain how to choose crayfish for beer.

Selection of crayfish

First, let's figure out whether you can cook them dead. Answer: no. If you eat this, you can easily get seriously poisoned. And no one, of course, wants this. In the body of a dead cancer, an active process of decomposition immediately begins, and toxic substances are formed.

In this case, the first to die are the sick individuals, which cannot be eaten anyway; they will not bring any benefit. Therefore, the very first and basic rule when buying arthropods is this: choose only those crayfish that move. You also need to pay attention to the size: the meat of a larger crayfish will be more tasty. It is best to catch them in winter and early spring, during the molting season. At this time, the meat will be the most delicious and nutritious.

Cooking crayfish in beer broth

If you are interested in whether it’s tasty, try this by mixing men’s favorite drink with water (in a one-to-one ratio) in a saucepan. There is no special secret here; you just need to dip the arthropods that are ready to be cooked into the resulting boiling liquid. They are served along with the broth. Boiled crayfish in kvass can be prepared in the same way. There is only one wish. If you want to get a tasty dish, take a sour bread drink for cooking.

Boiled crayfish: recipe with milk

To prepare such a dish, you will have to spend some time on this matter; it will not work quickly. But the result is a most delicate dish with a unique taste. So, if the recipe standards are followed, and you refrain from the method of quick cooking in plain water, then in the end you will get an excellent snack that has a variety of flavors. Most of the time will be spent soaking the crayfish in milk - three hours. It must first be boiled and cooled to a temperature of 20 o C. Now let’s talk about how to cook crayfish.

Recipe with milk:

1. We wash and cook in the standard way - in well-salted water with dill.
2. When the crayfish turn bright orange with a red tint, drain the water and pour milk into the same container. You can use something that has already been used for soaking. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.
3. An excellent gourmet dish is ready. You can take it out and serve it, not forgetting to garnish with herbs.

Crayfish with lard and mustard

If gourmets are interested in how to cook crayfish deliciously in another way, then we will present for consideration the following recipe - crayfish boiled with mustard and lard. With this option, the eating process will be more pleasant, since the smell of river mud will disappear.

1. Bring salted water to a boil and add bay leaf, sugar, dill, pepper and a whole onion.
2. Dip the crayfish into this broth and bring to a boil again.
3. Add lard in small pieces and squeeze out three tablespoons of mustard and the juice of one lemon. Mix everything thoroughly until the mustard dissolves.
4. Add the dill and cook covered for ten minutes.
5. We serve the finished arthropods on the table along with the broth.

The results were excellent boiled crayfish. The photo of this dish also confirms this.

An interesting way to bake crayfish in the oven

Let's talk about one slightly exotic way of preparing arthropods - baking them in the oven. This cooking process is similar to simple cooking - it will take you 15 minutes, after which you can delight your guests with a new appetizer. We already know how boiled crayfish are prepared, the recipe for which is in any cookbook. Let's bake them now. To do this, take a baking sheet, pour vegetable oil on it and place the previously prepared crayfish on it: washed, dried, salted. Add spices and place the raw ingredients in the oven, which should be cold. Gradually raise the temperature to 200 degrees. 15-20 minutes pass - and the wonderful, delicious dish is ready. No one will leave the table until all the crayfish have been eaten.

Cooking crayfish in cucumber brine

If you run out of cucumbers, there is no need to throw out the brine. You can use it to cook fresh crayfish. Many people like this unexpected way of using cucumber pickle so much that they then use it only.

Let us also consider how a recipe using cucumber brine first involves boiling them, as usual, in water. After they turn red well and “tell” us that they are ready, we replace the water in the pan with brine. Bring to a boil, add five tablespoons of sour cream and leave to cook for another eight minutes. We take out the finished product and serve it on the table, either together with the brine, or separately, hot.

How to properly store crayfish

Let's look at how these freshwater fish are stored, both fresh and boiled. The best thing, of course, is to cook them immediately and eat them. But the situations are very different, so let’s pay a little attention to both options. Live specimens can be stored in the vegetable section of the refrigerator for a maximum of three days. Just remember to look at them from time to time and get rid of the dead.

How to store boiled crayfish? Also, there is one difference - they must be in the same broth in which they were prepared. The freezer has the ability to store both live and boiled crayfish. When you decide to eat them, throw them straight into boiling water without first thawing them.

After cleaning the crayfish, there is no need to throw away their shells. You can grind them, add cream and various seasonings, and you will get an incredibly tasty, refined and original sauce. Moreover, they are very easy to clean. To do this, you need to unscrew their heads and remove the shell from their tails. In order for the meat of our freshwater fish to be tender and juicy, it is necessary to strictly follow the cooking recipes, especially the timing. Also, if you want the boiled crawfish to be cooked correctly, photos of the process will help you with this. So don't forget to look at the recipe.