Crayfish Information

Crayfish, also called crawfish or crawdad, are closely related to the lobster. More than half of the more than 500 species occur in North America, particularly Kentucky (Mammoth Cave) and Louisiana in the Mississippi basin. Crayfish also live in Europe, New Zealand, East Asia and throughout the world, including the Tristan da Cunha Islands. Nearly all live in freshwater, although a few survive in salt water. Crayfish are characterised by a joined head and thorax, or midsection, and a segmented body, which is sandy yellow, green, or dark brown in colour. The head has a sharp snout, and the eyes are on movable stalks. Crayfish are usually about 7.5 cm (3 inches) long.

Crawfish, like shrimp or lobsters, belong to the scientific class Crustacea. Their hard outer shell, called the exoskeleton, does not grow with the crawfish and is shed periodically. In Louisiana, two species of crawfish -- the red swamp and the white river -- provide for the harvest. Crawfish are harvested from both wild habitats (natural rivers, bayous, swamps, and lakes) and controlled, managed crawfish farms. Harvest takes place from November through June, with baited wire-mesh traps. Traps are checked daily, and the catch is packed into 50 lb. onion sacks for delivery to processors. Only the tail meat is recovered from processing. The claw meat is tasty but very meager and difficult to pick out. Tail meat can be purchased fresh or frozen, with prices varying with the time of season and supply.

Both species of crawfish occur naturally in the Mid-Atlantic region, but crawfish farming is a very recent development here. Small, shallow ponds have been stocked with red swamp crawfish and are managed for commercial production. The harvest takes place during spring and summer, coinciding with the tourist season. Production is still very limited, but there is considerable interest in exploring the potential of crawfish farming as an alternative crop.

Crawfish can be purchased whole and fresh, raw or pre-cooked, for immediate use of for your own crawfish boil. If you purchase whole, fresh crawfish, make sure they are alive. Dead crawfish decompose rapidly, resulting in mush, discolored meat.

Crawfish CULINARY DESCRIPTION

Boiling crawfish is a popular method of preparation, since the meat can be used in a variety of ways. Plan on 3-4 pounds of whole crawfish per person, and 3/4-1 pound of crawfish per gallon of water. Crawfish yield approximately 15% in tail meat, so count on 10 pounds of whole crawfish to get 1 1/2 pounds of meat. Bring water to a boil, and then add the live crawfish. Begin cooking time once the water returns to a boil, with time depending upon how the crawfish will be prepared.

Boil the crawfish for 5 minutes or less when you plan to peel them and use the tail meat for dishes such as bisque. Boiling time is 10 minutes when crawfish are to be eaten immediately. For a traditional boil, season the water by adding lemon wedges, onion, red pepper, garlic, commercial crab- boil seasoning and salt (1/2-1 pound of salt per 5 gallons of water, or to your taste). Whole potatoes, onions, and sweet corn can be boiled along with the crawfish. After the 10-minute boil, turn off heat and let the crawfish soak up the spices for another 10-15 minutes. Remove the crawfish and allow them to cool before peeling. Refrigerate those you don't plan to eat immediately. The crawfish will be red after boiling. Once cooked, the tail meat is tender, firm and slightly sweet, somewhat of a cross between shrimp and lobster.

To peel the crawfish, wash hands first, since you will be handling the meat, and peel them while they are still warm. Separate the tail from the head by slightly pulling and twisting, and discard the head. Hold the tail between thumb and forefingers and squeeze until you hear the shell crack. Grasp the first three segments of tail from the side and pull off by lifting up and pulling around the meat. Firmly grasp the exposed meat in one hand, the tail fin in the other, and pull gently. The meat is now ready to eat, freeze, or serve with your favorite cocktail sauce.

Crayfishing for fun and food

Call them crayfish...
Crawfish, crawdaddies, or freshwater lobsters. Whatever you call them, the little crustaceans are abundant in many Utah reservoirs and streams. They are great to eat and fun to catch. In fact, they almost catch you as they swarm and cling to bait tied to a piece of string.

"They're good to eat?" you ask. Scrumptious! Crayfish is the centerpiece of Creole or Cajun cuisine in New Orleans, a must during the national autumn festival in Sweden, equated with lobster in French gourmet restaurants, and from earliest times, a worldwide delicacy wherever available. In fact, in Larousse Gastronomique, the bible of French gourmet cooking, there are only 10 recipes for shrimp, three for crab, but there are 25 different recipes for crayfish! Not only is crayfish good, it's good for you. It is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and high-quality proteins. It is very digestible.

Crayfish in Utah waters...
are important to the overall health of our fisheries. Crayfish are food for bass in Lake Powell and gamefish in Flaming Gorge Reservoir. They can also clear weed-infested waters of algae or moss and thin out rooted plants, which sometimes improves the environment for gamefish. But prolific and aggressive crayfish compete with gamefish for food. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources seeks to achieve and maintain balance between gamefish and crayfish populations so that each sustains but does not diminish the other.

At some point, it may be necessary to limit crayfishing as we do gamefishing. For now, however, there is no limit to the number of crayfish you can legally catch or possess. You can go after them with a variety of gear in any Utah water, if you have a regular fishing license. Live crayfish cannot be transported away from the water where they were caught.

You can find crayfish in...
the Virgin, Price, Bear, Duchesne, Weber, and Green river basins and in Glen Canyon, Flaming Gorge, Deer Creek, Starvation, Lost Creek, Sandwash, Gunlock, Newcastle, Huntington North, Scofield, East Canyon, Strawberry/Soldier Creek and Willard reservoirs. Crayfish inhabit numerous other lakes, ponds, streams and reservoirs of Utah, except for the Sevier River drainage, where the critters have only recently gained a foothold.

They are found at elevations of 8,000 feet and below — they don't like higher elevations. Utah crayfish prefer clear, fresh water, and rocky habitat, so do your fishing where there is a rocky bottom at depths of less than 20 feet.

Crayfishers are advised to consult offices of the DWR, Agricultural Extension Agents, or fishing supply stores for guidance to likely sites.

Catch crayfish with...
chunks of meat, fish (no game fish), or offal. They are attracted to the odor. In Louisiana where crawfish is king, half the annual harvest is caught on artificial or manufactured bait.

The only gear you really need is a strong string with a large piece of bait tied to one end. For faster action, add a heavy sinker. Throw the bait out into the water; wait a couple of minutes; pull it in smoothly and rapidly; and drop the bait with attached crayfish into a bucket.

CAUTION: A nip from a crayfish claw can be painful! They can't reach you if you pick them up firmly between thumb and forefinger just behind the claws, but it's a good idea to wear gloves until you have practiced a few times.

Most Utah crayfish grow to about four inches long. Those under two inches should be thrown back, unless you want to keep some for gamefish bait. These can be frozen for future use.

For a bigger bag in less time, crayfish can be caught in seine nets pulled between two waders or slow boats, in dip nets, or in traps. (The seines may not exceed 10 feet in length or width.) Equipment is found in most sporting goods stores or can be made at home.

Several types of crayfish traps are illustrated. The ones with a crawl-in entrance are best for overnight settings (crayfish are most active at night). For one-day excursions, traps designed for lifting and frequent inspection are most effective. A loose mesh bag fastened to an old window screen frame with a pull-up string leading to the corners works very well. With any type of trap, the bait should be tied firmly to the floor or be secured by a wirehinged piece of mesh with a catch to keep it closed.

After you catch your crayfish,...
steps must be taken to kill and preserve them. Utah law forbids the transportation of live crayfish. They must be killed where they are caught to prevent their being introduced into waters where they are not wanted.

Because crayfish meat deteriorates rapidly, it is important to ice it quickly and keep it at a temperature of 40 F or below until processed.

Cleanliness is equally important to maintain freshness and flavor. Crayfish, like crab and lobster, have a rough shell and many joints where silt and algae can lodge. Thorough cleaning in the field is not practical, nor is it important if the crayfish body is kept intact. If, however, only the tails are kept, contamination may get into the meat. Another good reason for saving the body is the super-tasty meat in the claws and the nutritious, delicious internal organs and juices which can be used to flavor some dishes and soups.

The essential steps to preserve the texture and flavor of the precious meat are as follows:

1. Keep the accumulating catch alive until the end of the fishing day. As they are caught, pack the crayfish rather tightly in a large container between layers of moist fabric, such as gunnysacks. This reduces cannibalism among the crayfish. It is a good idea to put ice between the layers of fabric but not directly on the crayfish.
2. At the end of the day, discard any dead or mutilated crayfish and kill the keepers painlessly and quickly by stabbing each one firmly with a kitchen knife on the top, where the head joins the body.
3. In a large pot with plenty of cold, clean water, wash the whole crayfish vigorously to remove surface dirt even if you only wish to keep the tails.
4. Rinse thoroughly in another pot of fresh, cold water. Now remove the tails, if you want to.
5. Pack whole crayfish or crayfish tails in alternate layers of ice and filter in a large, prechilled ice chest so they do not touch ice or stand in water.
6. The chest should have a false bottom with at least four inches of space under it. Wood slats or hardware cloth nailed to 1" x 2" crossmembers will serve that purpose. Lay a plastic garbage bag on the bottom to prevent water from splashing upward, then place crayfish two or three deep.
7. Cover with plastic or newspaper, add two inches of ice, cover with another layer of plastic or newspaper, and then add more crayfish. Repeat until all your crayfish are packed. Top with ice.
8. Leave the ice chest drain valve open until you are ready to load your vehicle. After the ice chest is packed, don't open it again until you are ready to process the crayfish or transfer them to other refrigeration.

In contrast to the sometimes lonely sport of gamefishing, crayfishing can be a pleasant and productive group activity. If the several tasks are divided, the time from catching to icing is reduced. Preplanning assures you will have everything you need to handle combined catches of 20 pounds or more.

Washing and deveining
When you get your catch home, put the ice chest in a cool place and open the drain valve. The faster you can process the crayfish the better. If you can't process them for several hours, transfer the crayfish to plastic bags and store them in a cold refrigerator.

Discard any crayfish that are too soft or otherwise suspect. In very cold water scrub them, particularly their bottoms, until they look clean. Rinse thoroughly. To remove the thin, black intestine from the tail, grasp the top, middle tail fin (there are five fins), twist and pull. The vein should come out with the fin. Soak the crayfish in a strong salt solution for five minutes or more to further cleanse them and firm the flesh. Rinse.

Now, you must decide among several options, including whether to leave the crayfish whole or remove the tails. (The writer prefers the former.)

Option one: Decide how many crayfish your catch will serve, allowing about 24 per serving. Get on the phone and invite your friends to a crayfish bash. Refer to the cooking crayfish section of this brochure for serving instructions.

Option two: Pack uncooked, whole tails, peeled or not, in bags and freeze quickly. Peeled tails should be dipped in a solution of one-quarter cup lemon juice to one cup water to prevent discoloration. Freeze a few whole crayfish for decorating dishes you prepare later.

Option three: Cook your crayfish before you freeze them. In a large pot, bring one gallon of water and one-half cup salt to a boil. Add about two quarts of crayfish and bring back to a boil. Simmer, covered until crayfish turn red and rise to the surface — about five minutes. Remove all crayfish at once and cook additional batches in the same water. Peel the tails while they are still warm (unless you are freezing them whole). Chill cooked crayfish in ice water, then bag and freeze. Leave the nutrient-rich, flavorful fat attached to the tails if they are to be eaten fresh. Remove the fat to minimize spoilage if you are freezing the tails.

Peeling the crawfish tails
For uncooked tails, slit the bottom shell from front to fins with sharp-nosed scissors. Devein as described previously, and peel off the shell. For cooked tails, proceed as follows while the crayfish are still warm from the boil.

1. Separate the tail from the body by slightly twisting and pulling the tail,from the head.
2. Hold the tail lengthwise between thumb and forefinger and squeeze. You may hear the tail crack.
3. Grasp the lower tailfin pads from the side and loosen by lifting up and pulling around the meat. This piece can easily be pulled off and discarded.
4. Firmly grasp the last segment and tailfin with the thumb and forefinger of one hand.
5. Gently pull the meat out of the shell with the other hand. The vein will pull free from the meat.

Appetizing tidbits
Inside the head of the crayfish on either side are two pockets of a substance called the "butter." It is brilliant yellow or orange in color and, used in recipes calling for butter, improves both appearance and flavor. To remove the butter, open the crayfish head slightly and lift the butter out with a small spoon. It should be used immediately because it spoils quickly even when frozen.

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