Yevhen Klopotenko’s Secret Boiled Crawfish Recipe (Plus Hacks)

Recently I have grown very fond of crawfish. True, they aren’t very filling, and there are few cooking options, but there is something special about them. At the very least, I enjoy both the process of making crayfish and the process of eating them. Therefore, if your task is, first of all, to feed your guests, I advise you to use my recipes for appetizers from meat, fish or cheese, and if you want, as they say, to blow their minds, I will tell you how to cook delicious crawfish.

Cooked crawfish: history of the dish

It is difficult to say who and when first decided to try eating crawfish. In Australia, scientists found their remains at cooking sites and determined that the aborigines consumed them as early as 28,000 years ago. As for the history of crayfish consumption in Europe, the Romans preferred lobsters and shrimps, and they didn’t consider crayfish as a delicacy. However, the situation changed dramatically in the Middle Ages. In the treatises of that time, there are references to the beneficial properties of crawfish meat. And judging by the illustrations to these treatises, people already then knew how to cook crawfish. They began to actively use them for food during fasting in European monasteries. A little later, in the 15th century, they appeared on the tables of nobles.

Crawfish were an important source of nutrients for the Mexican Aztecs. Today they are prepared in this area with typical Mexican sauces. Smoked or sun-dried crawfish are practically the basis of the diet of people in some regions of Nigeria. In Finland and Sweden, it is customary to cook crayfish with dill. The stems and flowers of this plant are added to the water.

In China, crawfish are cooked with pepper, often steamed, and in Spain they are stewed in tomato sauce. Crayfish are very popular in the USA, they were eaten by the indigenous population of America. The Cherokee people cooked crayfish in a light corn grits breading. In the United States, traditionally, there are not only boiled crayfish on the table, but also fried ones.

The benefits of crawfish

Although crawfish have little meat, it is delicious and incredibly tender. But this is not the only great thing about them. It turns out that their necks are a valuable source of protein. In addition, with a high protein content, this meat has a little fat: the dry matter contains more than 13% protein and less than 1% fat. Crawfish meat is a source of fatty acids, iron, selenium, copper, niacin (nicotinic acid). Unlike many seafood and shellfish, crayfish do not accumulate much mercury, which is why they are classified as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

How to cook crawfish at home

Cooking crawfish is not difficult, this dish requires a minimum of ingredients and does not take much time. Many of us know how to cook live crawfish in theory, but actually cooking them is another matter entirely – many of us are too squeamish to actually boil them alive. The situation can be easily remedied by placing the crayfish in the freezer for a while. How to cook frozen crawfish? Easy. They must first be thawed, and then cooked in the same way as fresh ones.

There are some secrets on how to cook crawfish to make the meat delicious. Firstly, the water must be very well salted, do not be afraid to go overboard, it must be very saturated. Second, be sure to add spices and herbs. In Ukraine we traditionally add dill. But I decided to experiment a bit and add dill seeds. I will tell you that the taste and aroma of home-cooked crawfish is difficult to convey in words. This must be tried. Therefore, I advise you to cook crawfish according to this simple recipe.

Cooking boiled crawfish