How to cook crayfish

A couple of decades ago, boiled crayfish was considered a delicacy that was used as an appetizer to beer... Now you won't surprise anyone with this dish, but still it has quite a lot of fans. By the way, boiled crayfish are consumed not only with a foamy drink, but also with dry white wine.

How to cook live crayfish

Cooking boiled crayfish is as easy as shelling pears, even those who cannot cook at all can handle it. The main thing is to follow a few rules:

• It is better to purchase live crayfish for cooking.
• If there are no living ones, then you can buy frozen ones, but about them a little later.
• Real live individuals are most often brown, black and bright green.
• The main rule is that their tails should be drawn in, and the shell should be firm.
• If the tails are even, then it is better to refuse such a product, since they are stale or sick.
• The meat of large individuals is much tastier than that of small items.
• The ideal time for crayfish is spring or early autumn.
• Before throwing crayfish into a saucepan with boiling water, you need to soak them in water and then rinse them, or even better rub them with a brush to remove dirt, silt and greens.
• Some gourmets first soak the crayfish in milk or sour cream for a savory flavor. They become more juicy and tender.
• Usually lavrushka, black peppercorns, dill and salt are added to crayfish. But some add onions, sour apples, nutmeg, carrots, rosemary and more.
• The amount of salt is about a large spoonful per liter of water.

The simplest recipe: pour clean water into a large saucepan, bring to a boil and add seasonings, salt, herbs. Leave to boil for 2-3 minutes, after which you can throw live crayfish. Serve the finished dish with fresh dill and lemon wedges.

Beer crayfish are also prepared quite simply, you just need to pour water and beer in equal amounts into a saucepan and boil crayfish, as in the first option. By the way, foamy drink can be replaced with kvass.

Milk crayfish take a little longer to cook than regular crayfish, but they're worth it. Milk boil and cool to room temperature. Put crayfish in it for 3-4 hours. Rinse and cook according to the usual recipe in water with dill and salt until cooked. Then drain the liquid, pour the milk in which the crayfish stood and bring to a boil again.

Also crayfish are cooked in cucumber pickle with the addition of sour cream or in dry white wine with the addition of vegetables and seasonings.

How to cook frozen crayfish

You can cook frozen crayfish, but they will not taste the same as living ones. It will be better if you freeze live crayfish yourself, at least you will be sure of their quality and freshness. The shelf life is approximately 30-40 days.

If you nevertheless purchased frozen crayfish in a store, then after defrosting, carefully examine them for the presence of a set tail, if the tail is straight, it is better to throw out such individuals.

You need to defrost crayfish naturally, or in cold water, no defrosting in the microwave or hot water. They defrost for about 9-12 hours, after which they need to be soaked in water and cleaned from dirt, silt and algae. After that, you can cook in the usual way with any seasonings... After the crayfish turn red, turn off the heat, cover and leave for 10-15 minutes.

How many crayfish to cook after boiling

Some put crayfish in boiling water, others immediately put it in cold water at the beginning of cooking. But there is always one question - how long should they cook after boiling? The answer is simple - until the crayfish turn red. Small ones cook very quickly, about 10-15 minutes, large individuals a little longer than 25-35 minutes. The main thing is not to overcook them, otherwise the meat will become tough and not very tasty. The shade of finished crayfish is bright red saturated. After the right time is up, turn off the heat, cover with a lid and let it brew for 10-15 minutes for juiciness. The finished dish is stored for no more than three days in the refrigerator.