Cooking crayfish, crawfish or crawdads. Yes, depending on where you live, those are the same shellfish! There are many ways to cook crayfish live fresh, such as boiling grilling and sautéing. We will give you all the cooking time you may need! Translaton in French: écrevisse.
Crayfish
how do i cook crayfish?
- Preparing crayfish
- Cooking crayfish in a pot (in water)
- Cooking crayfish on a grill
- Cooking crayfish in a pan (sauteed)
- Cooking crayfish with a pressure cooker
What to pair crayfish with?
Crayfish can be served on their own as a delicious appetizer or main course. They can be used in a gumbo, jambalaya or an étouffée. Try serving crayfish with corn on the cob, garlic bread, rice, grits or steamed green beans, zucchinis or steamed carrots
Cooking shellfish & seafood: clams, crab, crayfish, lobster, mussels, octopus, oysters, prawn, scallops, shrimp, squid...
Preparing crayfish
If you are buying live crayfish, you will need to store them in a cool, damp place until you are ready to cook them. It is important to handle live crayfish carefully as they have sharp claws that can pinch.
To prepare crayfish for cooking, simply rinse them under running water.
If you need to remove the head, tail, and claws, you can do this by grasping the head and twisting it off, then pulling off the tail and claws. Some people like to remove the vein that runs along the back of the tail, but this is optional.
In supermarkets, crayfish are often sold cooked and ready to eat. They may be sold whole or pre-shelled, depending on the brand and packaging. You can also find frozen crayfish tails in the seafood section.
Cook crayfish in pot
Cooking crayfish in a pot (in water or a broth) is the simplest and fastest cooking method.
For 25 crayfish, you will need 1 liter of water with 1 carrot, 1 medium chopped onion, 1 bouquet garni, 1/2 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of coarse salt, 1 pinch of pepper.
1. Bring the water with the spices and chopped vegetables to a boil for 20 minutes, then add 25 cl of white wine and 1 teaspoon of vinegar and leave to simmer for a few more minutes.
2. Add the washed crayfish to the pot and cook for 4 to 6 minutes depending on the size.
Once cooked, drain and do not rinse the crayfish.
Grilled crayfish
Cooking crayfish on a grill. Grilling crayfish is great, especially during summertime BBQ.
1. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
2. Brush the crayfish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Grill for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until the shells are bright red and the meat is cooked through
Cook crayfish in pan
Cooking crayfish in a pan. Why don’t you try sautéing crayfish for once?
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add butter or olive oil and sauté the crayfish for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shells are bright red and the meat is cooked through.
Pressure cooker crayfish
To cook crayfish in a pressure cooker:
1. Put the crayfish and cold water (1 cup or 2 depending on the amout of crayfish you’re cooking) in the pressure cooker. Add a dash of white vinegar. Close the pressure cooker and heat it up.
2. Once the the pressure valve starts spinning, count 1 minute.