Recipe for boiled crayfish. How to cook crayfish - a simple recipe at home. Delicious boiled crayfish with salt, dill, in beer. How and how much to cook live, frozen, crayfish? How long to cook crayfish in time after boiling

Boiled crayfish is a favorite delicacy not only in our country, but all over the world. There are many recipes for their preparation and you can cook crayfish at home in different ways, besides, they are all simple and within the power of any person, even far from cooking.

Before cooking, of course, you must first choose the product itself, if someone has not figured it out yet and does not know which crayfish is better, we will inform you.

The larger the cancer, the tastier and softer its meat.

But their size also directly affects their cooking time, in a word, to the question of how much to cook crayfish in time, we recommend that you adhere to the following scheme:

it takes about 20 minutes to boil very small crayfish;
medium-sized crayfish - about half an hour;
but if you are lucky enough to get large individuals, then at least 45 minutes.

It is very important! As we already wrote, crayfish meat is healthy and dietary, but cancer is a scavenger and often its body may contain microorganisms that can harm human health. For example, worms. Therefore, in order for you to have only pleasant sensations after the crayfish are eaten, remember that it is better to cook crayfish at home or in nature for a little longer than to rush and remove from the stove before the time indicated by us.

After we answered the question of how many minutes to cook crayfish, let's move on to the best recipes for their preparation and analyze a few common topics.

Very often, crayfish are boiled in beer, doing it simply, even primitively, namely, they are placed in some kind of bowl with boiling beer. Cooking lasts about twenty to thirty minutes, and then in the same container they are allowed to brew for about the same time. It's simple, but somewhat rustic for such an exquisite product, there are better recipes that are not much more complicated, but the crayfish are tastier.

Although, for the sake of justice, it is worth noting that no matter what recipe is chosen, crayfish with beer and soulful conversation is one of the best pastimes.

Preparing crayfish

As we have said, regardless of the recipe for crayfish, before cooking you need to prepare.

You need to start with sorting. Usually, there are individuals of different sizes in the catch, and therefore, before cooking, arrange them into three piles, since how much crayfish needs to be cooked depends on this. Those. small, medium and large. For their cooking, also prepare dishes of the appropriate size. Of course, it will simplify the task if they are all the same size, but this rarely happens, but if you do not catch, but buy crayfish, take the same size. Yes, more!

Regardless of whether the crayfish were bought or caught, they need to be washed thoroughly. It is better to do this under a stream of cold water. If they are heavily soiled, then it is advisable to even clean the lower part with a brush. Pay special attention to the places between the paws, usually dirt accumulates there.

Act carefully, and preferably with gloves, do not forget that crayfish have powerful enough claws with which they will strive to bite you. You need to hold the cancer from above by the shell, then it will probably not reach your hand. You need to wash well, since not only the hygienic side of cooking, but also the taste of the dish as a whole will largely depend.

At the same time, when answering the question of how to properly cook crayfish, be sure to inspect all the individuals that you have, namely in what condition they are. Are there any sick or even dead among them? If the cancer does not move and does not tighten its tail, do not take risks, it is better to throw it away. Also on his shell and other parts of the body there should not be any ulcers or damage. These may be traces of diseases that are found among crayfish, as well as among other animals.

When the crayfish are washed, they must be placed in a container of cold water for about an hour and a half. This is necessary so that they are infused before cooking.

The easiest recipe

Let's start with the simplest recipe for cooking these crustaceans. Oddly enough, many people don't even know him. We will tell you how to cook crayfish with dill and salt. This is probably the most common cooking not only at home, but also in nature.

Cooking crayfish according to this recipe does not require special skills, but we can advise you to take more dishes. Despite the simplicity, it will turn out delicious, don't worry! Water needs to be poured so much that there are about 15 cm from the edges of the water to the edges of the pan. Otherwise, instead of cooking crayfish, you will end up chasing fleeing animals.

To prepare crayfish according to this recipe, they must be taken individually and put in already boiled water, but before that, put dill, salt or other spices first. If you are afraid that cancer can grab you with a claw, then we can offer you one original way. Namely, proceed as follows. Take, for example, the most ordinary towel and lower it into a container in which there are already prepared crayfish. Surely one of them, and maybe even several, will grab onto it. You just have to transfer them to boiling water. However, it is better to take them by the shell and put them one by one in water brought to a boil upside down. With this method, the cancer dies without pain immediately. This is a very humane way.

After laying live crayfish in water, they need to be boiled, depending on the size, from 20 to 40 minutes. Overdigestion is just as undesirable as underdigestion.

Cooking crayfish does not end there. Now they need to be removed and put to infuse for another ten minutes.

Crayfish are a delicacy and serving them in the same bowl in which they were cooked is not good. Therefore, take a large beautiful dish and lay them out one by one, for example, in a pea. The bottom layer is the largest individuals, and then those that are smaller. Sprinkle fresh herbs on top.

Video "Cooking with dill"

Easy recipe with apples

Cooking crayfish according to this recipe is no more difficult than the usual one, which we described above, and apples will add flavor and piquancy.

Ingredients:

crayfish (about three kilograms);
salt is taken at the rate of three tablespoons per 1 kilogram of crayfish;
dill, can be in seeds or dried;
two dozen black peppercorns;
a couple of bay leaves;
lemon;
a couple of apples.

Required utensils

a large twelve-liter pan (if there is none, any size will do, but the number of crayfish should be proportionally reduced);
skimmer;
a large dish (for laying out crayfish).

Cooking

First of all, you need to pour half a pot of water.
We put salt, pepper and dill.
Now we need to cut the apples and lemon into two parts.
We put it on the fire and wait for it to boil.
We prepare the crayfish, namely, we clean and wash as described above.
We put crayfish in boiled water
After boiling water again, cook for about ten minutes.
We turn off the fire.
In the same broth, we insist crayfish for about half an hour.
That's practically all. Then take them out and put them on a plate.

Cooked according to this recipe, very tasty crayfish are obtained, and they are also very fragrant!

Cancer decoctions

Spicy

To prepare this decoction, you will need the simplest ingredients: salt (1 tablespoon), 5 black peppercorns, dill seeds, a couple of bay leaves, juice of one lemon.

Wine

For 1 liter clean water is taken 0.5 liters. wine (dry white), rosemary and dill. At the end of cooking, we insist, after adding lemon juice at the rate (half a lemon per 1 liter of broth).

cucumber

This is a very interesting recipe, which is very common in our country. Crayfish are pre-cooked for about ten minutes. Cucumber brine is poured in. The proportions are as follows: 0.5 cups of brine per liter of water. Then we wait for the water to boil, cook the same amount more.

We cook in wine

In our country, many do not know whether it is possible to boil crayfish in wine, in our country, if they add, then beer. And in vain, boiled crayfish in wine are exceptionally tasty and fragrant. This crayfish recipe is a little tricky, so try it on a small amount of crayfish first.

Ingredients

twenty crayfish;
200 grams of wine (white dry is better);
200 grams of pure water;
a bunch of dill;
rosemary;
one carrot;
one bulb.

To prepare the sauce, you need the following ingredients:

butter fifty grams;
a tablespoon of lemon juice;
black pepper;
salt.

Cooking

First, mix water and wine.
We put it on the fire and wait until it boils.
Add dill and rosemary.
Finely chop carrots and onions. We send to our mixture.
Prepared (well-washed) crayfish are sent to our broth.
Cook over low heat for about twenty minutes.
After this time, the crayfish must be removed and put on a warmed dish.
After cooking, there will be a sauce that should not be poured out. It needs to be filtered.
Add butter and lemon juice.
Next, add black pepper and salt to it.
We heat the sauce for a couple of minutes over low heat.
We fill them with our crayfish.

That's all, now you know how to cook crayfish at home in wine. This recipe is more complicated than the previous ones, but nevertheless, if you do everything consistently, you will get an amazing dish.

Serve sprinkled with chopped dill and lemon slices.

in beer

Pour beer into a saucepan (better than a light variety) and put on fire.
While the beer is boiling, thoroughly wash the crayfish.
We put them in a saucepan (the beer should already boil by this time).
How much salt and pepper to lay down is up to you, everything is done to taste.
We cook for twenty minutes.
Next is the most interesting, namely, in this broth, the crayfish should stand for at least another twenty minutes, and preferably a couple of hours in general.

Serve on a platter, garnished with dill and lemon wedges.

in tomato juice

If you don’t know how to cook crayfish faster, but in the meantime to make the dish unusual, then this recipe will suit you better than others!

Ingredients

a dozen crayfish;
salt to taste;
wine;
tomato juice (the best is homemade thick consistency),
dill.

Cooking

Prepare the crayfish as we said above.
Next, you need to boil water.
Add salt.
We lay down live crayfish.
According to this recipe, crayfish are boiled for ten minutes (but if they are very large, then you need longer).
Cook until the crayfish turn red-orange.
It is not worth pulling them out of the broth, let them stand, then their taste will become more saturated.
The water should still be hot and dill should be put in it, it is also possible to add other spices to your taste.
When the crayfish are cooked, they need to separate the necks and clean them.
The meat is piled up in a small salad bowl.
Large claw parts of the crayfish are separated from the shell and laid out along the edges of the dish, near the necks.
Next, it remains an almost ready dish to pour wine and tomato juice.

The recipe for boiling crayfish in milk is a little more complicated than in water. But we highly recommend trying it. And without the fact that crayfish meat is very tender, but after cooking according to the method recommended by us, it turns out even softer and tastier.

Ingredients

crayfish;
milk;
dill;
salt;
sour cream.

Cooking

The first step is to boil the milk and let it cool down.
Next, we immerse the crayfish in it and soak for three hours.
We get it. Milk is not poured out, left in the same bowl or poured into another.
My.
Boil in clean water, adding salt and dill.
We drain the water and fill it with milk, in which our arthropods were soaked.
We are waiting for the water to boil, and remove from the fire.

The whole dish is ready!

Serve with sour cream or milk sauce

In cucumber brine

A very interesting recipe and at the same time from the most ordinary ingredients. If we talk about brine, then it is usually poured into the sewer, but here it will play the role of a key ingredient.

Ingredients

crayfish;
cucumber pickle;
sour cream.

Cooking

The first part of the recipe is similar to the basic, traditional crayfish recipe. Those. just boil it in water.
Cook until it turns red.
Next, drain the water and add the same amount of cucumber pickle instead.
Bring the resulting mixture to a boil and add five tablespoons of sour cream (sour cream should be oily, thick).
Cook for another eight minutes.

Drain the brine, and put the crayfish on a dish and serve.

On the coals

This recipe is not only very good because you can cook crayfish immediately after you catch it in nature, but the process itself is also interesting and entertaining. In any case, any angler, hunter and just those who prefer outdoor picnics to ordinary home gatherings in the kitchen should know it.

Ingredients

Directly themselves crayfish and foil. Preferably one size.

Cooking

Before serving, the crayfish are unrolled, decorated with greens and put on the table.

crayfish soup

It’s not difficult to just boil crayfish in water, but it’s much more interesting to make soup from the same ordinary crayfish.

Ingredients

about 200-300 gr. boiled crayfish;
chicken broth 0.5 l;
1/2 st. l. cream;
butter;
1/2 onion;
1/2 carrot;
1/2 stalk of celery;
flour 1 tbsp;
spices to your taste, but we recommend thyme, coriander, bay leaves, cream (fattier), dill, lime juice, pepper.

Cooking

Cut the onion and carrot into cubes.
Next, separate the necks, clean, and chop the meat.
We remove the insides from the shell, throw them away.
We put the claws and legs in a bag and beat them off.
In a saucepan, melt 0.5 tbsp. l. butter, add chopped onion.
We lay down celery and carrots.
Pour the broth, if not enough, add water. In total, three liters of liquid should come out.
Put on fire and boil.
We fall asleep crushed shells, spices and salt.
Boil for thirty minutes.
Next, pour it all into a blender and grind.
We filter. Only the liquid should remain, pour it into a saucepan to the heated butter mixed with flour.
Put on fire and cook for thirty minutes.
Add necks, cream and dill.
Salt, pepper, add lime juice and boil.

All meals are ready! bon appetit!

What is useful in crayfish and how to avoid poisoning

Probably, everyone knows about the benefits of crayfish, the fact that it also has healing properties is known to a few. First of all, because it contains a lot of iodine and other unique elements and rare vitamins. Crayfish meat contains easily digestible protein.
Those who adhere to any diets can eat crayfish without fear, one hundred grams of the product contains only 75 calories.
Many people think that the most delicious crayfish are those caught in the first months of spring. But you should know that it is inhumane to catch them at this time. at this time they carry caviar. Therefore, it is better to catch them in late summer and early autumn. In summer, crayfish have an active feeding period when they gain weight.
In large crayfish, the meat is softer and tastier than in small ones. Catching individuals smaller than 10 centimeters is prohibited.
In order to avoid poisoning, you need to cook only those crayfish that are not only alive, but also mobile. It's easy to test just put them in water and see how they behave.
Live crayfish, even if there are a lot of them, can be stored for no more than three days in the vegetable section of the refrigerator. Boiled crayfish should be stored in the same broth in which they were also cooked for no more than three days. You can freeze boiled and raw crayfish. The maximum storage period is not more than a month. It is worth knowing that crayfish lose their flavor after defrosting, and the meat becomes tougher.
When you are served boiled crayfish in a bar or restaurant, check for freshness in a simple way. Just make sure their tails are pressed against their bellies. If you find at least one crayfish with a straight tail, then this means that the crayfish were already cooked dead, and these cannot be eaten. The risk of poisoning is very high.

What can you eat with cancer

In cancer, many parts are edible, and not just the neck, although it is the most tasty morsel. Cancer is eaten slowly, you still need to understand that this is a delicacy from which you need to take maximum pleasure. From the dish on which these arthropods are presented to you, one crayfish is taken and placed on a plate. Next, pincers are pinched off and the tail is separated from the body. Then you need to suck the juice from the body. Next comes the turn of the claws. First of all, the juice is sucked out of them, and after opening, the meat is eaten. Next, the cancer neck is cleaned and eaten.

What can you eat

Any cooked crayfish can be eaten, but only on the condition that it has not been cooked already dead.

Benefit

crayfish are not only tasty, but also very useful, and they are also included in the diet for many diseases.
high content of easily digestible protein and such important elements as calcium and phosphorus;
if there are cracks on the legs from hypothermia;
in the treatment of the spleen;
with gallstone and urolithiasis.

The composition of crayfish that were boiled in ordinary salted water

elements containing nitrogen - 13.63 percent;
fat - 0.36 percent;
nitrogen-free elements - 0.21 percent;
water - 72.74 percent.

How to salt water

In water or already boiled broth (depending on the recipe), you need to put salt with a small margin. Because their shell will make it possible to absorb only a certain part. The volume of salt is calculated for the volume of water - approximately one liter of water with crayfish - one tablespoon. In order for the crayfish meat to be better saturated with salt, they need to be infused a little in the broth in which they were cooked.

How to choose

Better meat in early spring or early autumn.
In large individuals, the meat is more tender and juicy.
Cancers must be not only alive, but also mobile.

How long can you store boiled

Boiled crayfish are stored either frozen or in the broth in which they were cooked.

In the first case, no more than a month. In the second, no more than three days, but it is advisable to use it earlier, preferably within 12 hours after cooking.

How long can you keep alive

For three days, crayfish can be stored without water in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.

In a bathroom or a large container, if the temperature is not higher than 20 degrees, they can live for a week.

If you froze the crayfish alive, then it is unnecessary to defrost them, but immediately put them in hot water and boil.

Why you need to cook only alive

Dead individuals must be separated from the living and discarded. Sick individuals die first, therefore it is impossible to cook them with healthy ones in any case. Do not risk your health and the health of those who will eat them.

This video tells in detail how and how much you need to cook crustaceans.

Tender, tasty and healthy crustacean meat is enriched with vitamins and minerals. Raki is the best snack for beer, an original decoration for fish dishes and just a delicious delicacy. Any gourmet will love this dish. In addition, cancer meat is considered low-calorie, only 97 kcal per 100 g of product.

How to choose the right crayfish to eat

The taste of meat depends on the season of fishing. It is believed that in September and October it is the most delicious. This is due to the fact that the animals got stronger, gained weight by winter. In summer, catching crayfish is prohibited, as they breed.

In stores you can buy chilled and frozen crayfish. When buying, you should pay attention to the tucked-in tail - the main indicator that a live individual was cooked and frozen. The shell and pincers must not be damaged.

In frozen form, already cooked crayfish are sold. They can be identified by the scarlet color, you need to know that they are stored for no more than 4 days. If the crayfish were frozen alive, then storage is allowed up to 4 months.

Features of the choice of live crayfish

In a large fish store, you can find an aquarium with live arthropods. In order not to make a mistake with the choice, you need to know the features of the appearance of healthy cancers.

The color of living individuals is green with a blue tint or brown, always even throughout the shell.
The tail of a healthy and viable crayfish is tightly pressed against the abdomen. A non-pressed cancer neck is a sign of a sick animal.
On the shell and claws there should be no damage and foreign growths.
Crayfish must actively move, move their mustaches and limbs.

Some sellers are convinced that the arthropod just fell asleep and the “sleep” will not affect the quality. This is not true. Inactivity indicates imminent death, and poison accumulates in the meat of a dead creature, which causes severe poisoning. Therefore, crayfish are considered a perishable product.

Storing crayfish before cooking

After buying crayfish, you need to deliver them to your home alive. For this, plastic bags with water or a wet bag for transportation are used.

Important! Crayfish must be cooked only alive. If only one dead animal gets into the cooking container, you will have to throw everyone out to avoid poisoning.

in a vessel with a large volume of pure water
in a cold room with a high level of moisture (basement, cellar)
in the fridge.

Shelf life

Crayfish can be stored indoors without access to water for up to 2 days. To do this, use a large box, the bottom of which must be lined with a wet rag or moss. Place the crayfish on the bedding and cover with a damp cloth. Just remember to sprinkle with water periodically.

For refrigerated storage, arthropods are rinsed under running water, then placed in a spacious box or container and placed on the bottom shelf or vegetable section of the refrigerator. This method will extend the viability up to 4 days.

The longest can be stored in pure water. By placing crayfish in a large basin or bath and filling with clean water, they can be stored for up to 5 days. The main thing is not to forget to change the water and feed every day. Peas, potatoes, carrots, nettles or lettuce are usually used as feed. Top dressing does not require cooking.

Important! Dead individuals should be immediately removed from living relatives. They can be recognized by their straight tail, not pressed against the abdomen.

How to cook live crayfish

Before cooking, you need to clean the crayfish from dirt and rinse several times with a brush in running water. Thoroughly rinse the belly and paws. When working with arthropods, gloves should be used to protect your hands from damage by ticks.

Then place in a vessel with cold water for at least 30 minutes.

Don't be afraid to oversalt. The carapace of animals is very dense and poorly passes salt. You need to lay the crayfish in boiling salted water, holding it by the back.

Don't fill a full pot. 10-15 individuals are taken per 1 liter of water, depending on the size.

Cook over medium heat. Cooking time depends on the size of the animals. Small individuals are boiled for 12-15 minutes, medium ones - 18-20 minutes, and large ones will have to be cooked for about 25 minutes.

However, it is also impossible to digest crayfish, the meat will become tough. When the crustaceans turn scarlet, they are ready to eat.

Cooking frozen raw and frozen boiled crayfish

Before cooking boiled frozen or raw frozen crayfish, you need to defrost them. Defrosting in air takes from 2 to 5 hours. A faster way is to defrost in cold water.

Do not defrost in a microwave oven and other household appliances - the meat will lose its taste.

Frozen crayfish are cooked using the same technology as live ones. The defrosted product is placed in salted boiling water. Cooking time - 11-15 minutes. If the animals were frozen boiled, then it is enough to boil them for only 2-4 minutes.

How delicious to cook crayfish with dill - a classic recipe

The classic recipe will allow you to cook crayfish deliciously, quickly and with a minimum set of ingredients.

For cooking you will need:

crayfish;
dill;
salt (3 tablespoons for every 3 liters of water).

What to do:

Bring water to a boil, salt.
Lower the crayfish (washed, cleaned, defrosted).
Add dill.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until they turn a bright red color.
Turn off the heat and leave in the saucepan for 20 minutes.
Serve shelled or peeled.

It is allowed to store the cooked delicacy for no more than a day and always in the broth.

Dish cooked in beer

Crayfish boiled in beer are considered a special delicacy. The following recipe will help you get it right. All ingredients are given based on 500 g of the original product.

dill;
salt 100 g;
water 500 ml;
beer 250 ml;
black peppercorns;
half a lemon.

How to cook:

Boil water and add salt, pepper, dill.
Lower the crayfish and cover with a lid until boiling.
After the water boils, pour in the beer.
Next lay half the lemon, cut into slices.
Cook until reddened (about 15 minutes).
Turn off the stove and leave for 15 minutes in the broth under the lid.

To serve, put on a dish and garnish with dill sprigs and lemon slices, you can sprinkle with lemon juice.

Women's version with added wine

Women can also treat themselves to a delicious dish. But they have their own original recipe.

Ingredients for 1 liter of water:

20 crayfish;
500 ml of wine;
90 g of salt;
1 bunch of dill;
allspice to taste.

Process:

Add dill, pepper and wine to boiling water, boil for 10 minutes.
Put the crayfish and cook for 15 minutes.

Recipe for cooking crayfish in milk

Cooking crayfish in milk differs from the classic recipe and takes more time. But this is compensated by the most tender meat, bright taste and aroma.

How to cook:

First, boil the milk, remove from heat and let it cool.
Then place thoroughly washed arthropods in the liquid and leave for 2-3 hours.
Boil water with spices separately. Dip the crayfish marinated in milk there and cook until tender.
Hot crustaceans return the milk in which they were soaked. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
You can serve the finished dish with a sauce based on dairy products.

Brine cooking method

Cucumber pickle is often used to cook seafood, including crustaceans. We offer two interesting ways at once. The ingredients in both cases are given for 500 g of crayfish:

Recipe 1

onions - 2-4 pcs. depending on the size;
sour cream - 120 g;
brine - 1500 ml;
dill and bay leaves.

What to do:

Put crayfish together with spices in boiling brine.
Cook for 20-25 minutes over medium heat.
5 minutes before readiness add sour cream.
Serve with milk or sour cream sauce.

Recipe 2

water - 1 l;
brine - 300 ml;
salt and spices to taste;
vegetable oil - 40 ml.

Action algorithm:

Put crayfish into boiling water and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Then add brine and vegetable oil.
Cook until done.
Remove from heat and insist 20 minutes.

Spicy variation with spices

Do you want to surprise your friends or experiment at your leisure? Prepare the dish according to the following recipe.

Ingredients for 1 kg of crayfish:

3 liters of water;
60 g sour cream;
90 g of salt;
30 g adjika or hot sauce;
dill.

How to cook:

Add sour cream, adjika and dill to boiling salted water.
Lay the crabs. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
Cook under a closed lid until fully cooked.
Serve with sour cream or spicy sauce.

Cooking features

If you add umbrellas or dill seeds to the broth, instead of fresh herbs, the taste will become more intense.

If you hold crustaceans in milk, the meat will become more juicy and tender.

Dill best reveals the taste of cancerous meat, you should not replace it with other herbs.

The meat should be eaten hot, after cooling the taste will become less saturated.

And finally, an original dish from French cuisine, made from boiled crayfish.

Boiled crayfish is a popular Russian snack for beer and more. How to cook crayfish at home and in nature, every angler and those who live near warm rivers and reservoirs know by heart.

You need to cook these arthropods correctly with a maximum of spices and herbs - they absorb the whole bouquet of flavors dissolved in brine and become incredibly tasty! There is an opinion that you can catch crayfish in all months of the year, except for summer - during this period they molt and become skinny, that is, tasteless.

How much to cook crayfish from the moment of boiling - we will tell further. However, there is one secret in cooking - arthropods must be left in brine until it cools, more precisely, to room temperature!

Recipe Information

Cuisine: Russian.

Cooking method: boiling.

Total cooking time: 20 minutes.

Servings: 6 .

Ingredients:

fresh crayfish - 1 kg
salt - 1.5 tbsp.
allspice peas - 0.5 tsp
bay leaf - 5-6 pcs.
dill greens - 1 bunch.

Cooking method:

Note to the owner:

You can cook delicious or.
Ideally, crayfish should be alive, but sleeping ones will do, the main thing is that they are fresh. You need to navigate by the smell - pure river, without impurities of mustiness, etc. If the crayfish were caught yesterday or the day before and stored in a cool place, then this is a fresh product.
It is more correct to lower the crayfish into boiling, already salted water with spices. So much more humane and tastier. By the way, do not pour a lot of water - it should be enough so that the arthropods are slightly covered.
After boiling, you do not need to cook for a long time, otherwise the tender meat will become tough. Remember: small crayfish are boiled for 15 minutes, medium - 20, large - 25.
If you want to freeze crayfish for the future, then boil them first. Drain immediately, rinse with ice water and put in the freezer. When the need arises, just throw ice cream in salted boiling water with spices, let the water boil and delicious crayfish are ready.

Even experienced people sometimes make mistakes when boiling crayfish - as a result, crayfish meat turns out to be of the wrong consistency and does not quite have the same taste. Those who have never boiled crayfish do everything wrong.

Most often people ask the following questions:

How to cook crayfish in general;
How much do you need to cook crayfish;
How to salt;
What should be added to crayfish besides salt;
Is it possible to cook live crayfish.

How to cook crayfish

Let's start with the answer to the last question: crayfish should only be boiled alive by lowering them into already boiling water - this is the most humane, and dead crayfish cannot be boiled at all.

You need to cook crayfish for no more than 15 minutes.

Small - 5 minutes;
Medium - 10 minutes;
Large - 15 minutes.

Small and medium crayfish are boiled for 5 - 10 minutes, large - 15 minutes. It is impossible to digest crayfish, the consistency of meat suffers from this. Depending on the amount of salt in the water, crayfish are allowed to infuse in cooling water from 30 minutes to four hours.

How much salt

The amount of salt used for cooking crayfish is calculated based on the volume of water: one heaping tablespoon of salt is taken per liter of water - this is the minimum amount of salt. This amount of salt is taken with the expectation that after cooking, the crayfish will be infused for some time in the water in which they were boiled.

If there is no time to infuse, or you want to get a little more salty crayfish, the amount of salt increases, but slightly - for example, 6-7 tablespoons of salt can be added to 5 liters of water instead of five.

What spices and seasonings can be added

Onions and garlic cloves are added to the crayfish, but the main ingredient is dried dill with seeds in the form of "umbrellas".

Without dill and its seeds, the “same” taste of crayfish will not work, moreover, fresh dill does not give the desired taste and aroma.

Classic recipe

Ingredients:

Live crayfish - 2.5 - 3 kg;
Water - 6-7 liters;
Salt - 6-7 tbsp. spoons;
A large bunch of ripe dill with "umbrellas" or dill seeds - 3-4 tbsp. spoons;
Onions - 1 large onion;
Garlic - 4-7 cloves;
Black peppercorns - 1 teaspoon;
Butter - 50 grams.

Butter and black pepper are added as desired, onions and garlic can also be dispensed with, but ripe dill or dill seeds are a must.

Cooking:

Before cooking, crayfish must be thoroughly washed.

A sufficient amount of water is poured into the container in which the crayfish will be boiled and put on fire;
After boiling water, salt is added to the water, peeled and cut onions and crushed garlic cloves are lowered;
Live crayfish sink head first into boiling water;
Dill or dill seeds are added;
Everything is cooked from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the crayfish;
Turn off the fire and let the crayfish brew and salt from 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the amount of salt and the required salinity of the finished crayfish.

cancer to beer

The arrogant phrase "Everyone loves ..." is the best suited to crayfish and dishes prepared from them. Indeed, it is hardly possible to find at least one person who has tried this delicacy once, who refuses to enjoy the taste of crayfish again and again. Juicy, sweet, extremely tasty and fragrant crayfish meat is liked by both children and adults.

In Russian cuisine, crayfish have always been extremely popular. Since ancient times, crayfish prepared in various ways have been frequent guests on the tables of both ordinary people and aristocrats. In general, a lot of attention was paid to crayfish breeding, and ancient Russian laws ordered merchants who went on long trips to deliver live crayfish and release them into all bodies of water that came across on the way. A century ago, crayfish were not at all considered an expensive delicacy, as they are today. They were sold in buckets on almost every corner, both live and already cooked: boiled, fried, with and without caviar, of different sizes and varying degrees of salinity. Today, unfortunately, we do not have such a variety of choices, but we can also afford to buy live crayfish during the fishing season.

Crayfish are caught and cooked from May to October, but the most delicious are those caught in early autumn. It is during the period from the end of August to the end of October that crayfish meat becomes the most fatty and tasty. This means that it is best to go to the supermarket to buy crayfish at this time. However, choosing and buying crayfish is only half the battle. The most important thing is to cook them correctly, cook them in such a way as to fully preserve all the taste, aroma and tenderness, all that we love so much in this delicacy. There are a lot of different recipes for cooking crayfish. Crayfish are boiled in water, milk or beer, fried in oil, soups, soufflés and many other dishes are prepared from crayfish.

Today "Culinary Eden" tried to collect and write down for you the most important secrets and tips that will help you choose and tell you how to cook delicious, juicy and fragrant crayfish.

1. Contrary to the belief that has spread recently, it is better to buy and cook crayfish alive, and not asleep. The meat of dormant, and even more so dead crayfish, greatly loses its taste and can cause indigestion. When choosing crayfish, pay special attention to their tails. In a living cancer, the tail is tucked down to the abdomen, and the more its tail is tucked in, the healthier and stronger the cancer. However, be careful and take care of your hands! There are many sharp parts on the shell of cancer, which are easy to get hurt, and live cancer can grab it very painfully with its claws. To prepare salads, soufflés or soups, you can buy already boiled and frozen crayfish, but remember that such crayfish cannot be compared with live crayfish. The meat of frozen crayfish is much drier, fibrous and much inferior in taste to the meat of live, freshly cooked crayfish.

2. When you bring home purchased crayfish, immediately immerse them in a large container of fresh, clean water. This must be done in order to make it easier to wash their shells from adhering silt and dirt. After holding your crayfish in water for one to two hours, rinse them thoroughly under running water. To improve the taste of washed crayfish, you can put them in full-fat milk or water with sour cream diluted in it for half an hour. This will give your crayfish meat extra juiciness and tenderness. Soaked in this way, rinse the crayfish with cold water and cook as usual. True lovers of crayfish are advised to remove the stomach and intestines from the crayfish before cooking in order to rid the crayfish meat of even the slightest sign of bitterness. It's easy to do. Turn the crayfish on its back, find the movable fins under the tail, grab them firmly with two fingers and gently pull them out along with the intestines with a rotational movement.

3. The most common and popular way of cooking crayfish is, of course, boiling. The endless variety of ways to cook crayfish can confuse anyone who is going to cook them for the first time. Let's start with the simplest and learn how to properly boil crayfish in salted water with herbs. Boil 2 liters of water in a deep saucepan, add 50 gr. fresh dill or 2 tbsp. spoons of dill seeds, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of allspice peas and 2 tbsp. spoons of salt. Let the spiced water boil for a couple more minutes, and then immerse the washed and prepared live crayfish in it. Let the water boil again and cook the crawfish over high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat, cover and let your crawfish stand in the hot water for another 10 minutes. Serve immediately, putting the crayfish in a deep dish, watering with a small amount of broth and garnishing with fresh dill.

4. Delicious and piquant are crayfish cooked in wine sauce. Combine 1 cup dry white wine and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, add 2 sprigs of dill and rosemary, 1 finely chopped carrot and 1 finely chopped onion. Then drop 20 pcs. washed and prepared live crayfish and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Take out the finished crayfish on a warmed dish. The sauce left over from cooking the crayfish, strain, mix with 50 gr. butter, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of lemon juice, black pepper and salt to taste. Warm the sauce for 2 minutes over low heat and pour it over your crayfish. Serve to the table, garnished with dill and lemon slices.

5. Fried crayfish are no less tasty than boiled ones. In a deep frying pan, mix 600 gr. soy sauce, 150 gr. chili sauce and 10 gr. Tabasco sauce. Add two crushed garlic cloves and 100 gr. vegetable oil. Bring the sauce to a boil, dip 20 pcs. washed and prepared crayfish and fry over high heat for 10 minutes on both sides. Serve on a deep dish garnished with lemon slices.

6. You can also prepare a more complex, festive snack from crayfish. Boil 25 crayfish in water and peel off the shell. All you need is cancer necks. Wrap each neck with a thin slice of bacon and secure with a wooden skewer or toothpick. Prepare the batter by thoroughly mixing ½ cup water, 3 tbsp. tablespoons of flour, 1 large egg, 4 tbsp. tablespoons of melted butter, ½ teaspoon of soda and salt to taste. Heat 1 liter vegetable oil in a deep frying pan. Dip the crayfish neck rolls in the batter, then deep-fry until golden brown. Drain the finished appetizer from excess oil with a paper towel and serve by putting it on a dish and sprinkling with ground almonds.

7. Soups with crayfish are also extremely tasty. There are a lot of recipes for such soups. Let's try to cook simple, but very refined creamy crayfish soup. In a small skillet, place one finely chopped onion, pour in 1 cup of chicken broth and simmer over low heat for 7 to 10 minutes. In a saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. tablespoons of butter and whisk in 2 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour. Beat until the mixture resembles sour cream in consistency. Continuing to beat, carefully pour in the hot broth with onions, 2 cups of hot milk, salt, red pepper and 500 gr. peeled and finely chopped boiled crayfish. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring constantly, but do not let it boil! Pour the soup into bowls and garnish each with one whole crayfish neck and finely chopped fresh herbs.

8. In addition to hot soups, cold, summer soups can also be cooked with crayfish. A crayfish fridge will surely appeal to all lovers of old Russian cuisine. Boil 25 pieces of small summer crayfish in salted water, cool, peel and chop. Peel eight fresh cucumbers, cut into cubes and place in a deep bowl. Add 400 gr. sour cream, 1 glass of cucumber pickle and dilute everything with two liters of white okroshka kvass. Add 4 finely chopped eggs, salt and finely chopped greens to taste to the refrigerator. Fill with 1 - 2 tbsp. spoons of horseradish and refrigerate.

9. Despite the fact that crayfish caught in autumn are considered the most delicious, in spring you want no less crayfish, and perhaps even more. And only in spring we have a unique opportunity to try a delicious French dish of crayfish and fresh morels. In a small frying pan, heat 50 gr. butter and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vegetable oil. Fry six to eight large crayfish in this oil over high heat until red. Then reduce the heat and add one sliced carrot, one finely chopped onion, one chopped tomato, salt and black pepper to the crayfish to taste. Simmer everything together for 2 - 3 minutes, then add ½ cup of dry white wine and ½ cup of sour cream, bring to a boil and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove the crayfish from the sauce, cool slightly, remove the shell, chop into small pieces and place back into the sauce. 200 gr. Rinse fresh morels thoroughly and chop finely. In a separate frying pan, heat 50 gr. butter and fry the morels in it until tender. Add the finished morels to the crayfish sauce, heat everything together for a couple of minutes and serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh herbs.

10. It is not at all difficult to prepare, but at the same time, pilaf from crayfish. Combine and mix thoroughly 2 cups boiled rice, ½ cup finely chopped olives, 1 minced onion, 1 diced bell pepper, 3 cups minced boiled crawfish meat, and ½ cup grated cheddar cheese. Place the mixture in a baking dish. In a small saucepan, heat 3 tbsp. tablespoons of butter, whisk in 3 tbsp. spoons of flour and, continuing to stir constantly, fry for one minute. Continuing to stir, gradually add 2 cups of hot milk to the flour and heat everything together for a couple more minutes. Drizzle your pilaf with the prepared sauce and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Pour the finished pilaf with melted butter, sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve immediately.

Of course, in addition to those described above, there are hundreds and even thousands of recipes for how to cook crayfish. Today we were able to tell you only about the basic principles and secrets of preparing these delicious dishes. And on the pages of "Culinary Eden" you can always find even more new and interesting ways to prepare this great delicacy.

Zhalnin Dmitry