Crayfish

[sherrardk]

Can anyone tell me what crayfish taste like and, more importantly, what the texture is like (I don't like certain textures like lobster). Thanks

[237SJ]

I`ve eaten crayfish tails. I love them. I would say the texture is somewhere between lobster and prawn. They`re not quite as fishy tasting as prawn. They`re lovely with a bit of vinegar on.

[tiggerblue10]

I would say its a bit of a cross between king prawn and lobster in texture. Tastes not to disimilar to lobster.

[tiggerblue10]

*dissimilar

[sherrardk]

Don't think I would like them then - don't like the texture of either lobster or king prawn. (Husband, who has many mad ideas, has heard that the local river is full of them and wants to get a crayfish pot thing to catch them.)

[Mamyalynne]

Agree with both of the above replies and I used to get them in tubs from Aldi, very affordable and very tasty.

[tiggerblue10]

Me too Mamy, but from Sainsbury's. Used to have them with marie rose sauce. Lovely :o)

[society]

I just Googled crayfish to see what it look like and damn it resembles an insect. Forgot the name of the insect I think resembles.

[Clanad]

Although there are crawfish in lots of places in the U.S., they're called "crawdads" in the south, especially in New Orleans (or Nar'lins to the residents) where they are eaten in a sort of ritual...When eating crawfish, there's no need to remove the peel from the tail. While you are laboring over the crust of the crustacean, your Cajun friends will eat five times as many crawfish as you do.
Here's the easy way to do it. First, break off the head and discard it. (There are those, however, who suck the heads and pick the delicious meat out of the larger claws.) After you break the head off, place your thumb on the ejection button near the tail of the crawfish on the underside and mash firmly to break the meat loose.
With the shell still partially intact, bring the tail meat to your mouth and sink your teeth into the exposed meat. Chomp down on it, and it will pop into your mouth as you leave the tail behind.
Crawdads (excuse me, crayfish) require "purging with salt water for at least 24 hours to enable them to literally throw up the mud in their intestines. In Louisiana (and elsewhere in the south) they are then just simply thrown in a large pot of water into which previously was placed a fist sized bag of "boil" (Zatarain's Crab Boil is the usual choice) which is a cheesecloth bag of spices. They're boiled for an hour or so and then eaten 'til the red juices run down your fingers and arms...
Flavor? Out of this world, but basically a cross between shrimp, crab and lobster... best I can do to describe it.
Absolutely required side dishes are hush puppies, skin on french fries, cheese biscuits (no, not cookies), dirty rice with andouille and/or gumbo... and maybe shrimp etouffee... and of course bread pudding with bourbon sauce for desert...mmmmm!

[sherrardk]

Hi Clandard, you're not really helping, ejection button, hush puppies and dirty rice? Thanks for your answer but now I am really out off!

[sherrardk]

Put^ not out (obviously)

[Clanad]

Eddie51... taste both...I'm sure you'll see the difference!