An unusual, extravagant appetizer such as boiled crayfish impresses with its flavor bouquet. They go well with any type of beer and can be a great addition to salads. But for those who have never encountered eating crustaceans, the question may arise: how to eat crayfish correctly . In fact, there is nothing complicated about this, a little practice and you will “click” them like ordinary seeds.
How to eat properly
Now the actual description of this pleasant process.
- First of all, we tear off the claws and legs. Then you can act at your own discretion, namely, put them aside, as they say, for later, or immediately squeeze out what is in them with your teeth. Do not throw them away under any circumstances! In a large crayfish, the claws contain a lot of meat, about as much as the neck part.
We tear off the claws and legs - For large claws, the tips are gnawed or cut with scissors. Next, you need to open it like an oyster and a fairly large piece of meat will appear in front of you.
The tips are cut off and the claw opens - Now it’s time to separate the chest part from the abdomen (we’ll leave that for later). This is done carefully, otherwise the juice it contains may spill out. It should be drunk straight away, like from a glass. The juice contained in the shell is extremely tasty. At this stage, two options are possible, namely, the shell is lifted upward, torn off from the gills, which we leave on the belly with the inner part of the head, or we immediately separate the head and chest parts from the abdomen. In this case, the gills will remain inside. Both options will be correct.
Cephalothoracic compartment - Now you need to separate the crayfish head from the chest part where they grow together. To do this, you need to carefully pull the edges of the shell in different directions. If you do everything correctly, it should crack along the seam on both sides, then take it by the edge of the head and separate it completely from the shell.
Head separation - On the inside of the head there is a mass that has a pleasant orange color. On the inside of the shell there is white meat, it is extremely appetizing and can also be eaten.
The pulp is on the inner sides of the head and shell.
As a result, the following parts remain.
The parts that remain are unnecessary to eat. - Next, we separate the gills from the abdominal part. To do this, we pull them down, towards the bend of the abdomen. From the gills we suck out the juice containing an exceptionally delicious orange mass. Very often, in the inner part between the gills there is caviar, which is also extremely appetizing and even healthy.
Gills and abdomen - When all the previous parts are eaten, only the most important part remains, namely the abdomen, which, of course, contains the most meat.
Crayfish belly - The abdomen also needs to be able to open; to do this, first of all we tear off the feathers of the tail and suck out the juice from under the shell. Then we open it.
- Next, you can proceed in two ways - or, as usual, simply break off the tips, which have a triangular shape on both sides of the abdomen, but for some this is difficult (especially if the specimen is large) and you can get scratched. Or just take scissors and cut them off.
Cleaned neck - We separate the upper part of the shell from the lower and the neck itself appears before us.
- From the neck itself you need to remove a thin layer of meat, under which we find the rectum. It must be removed. Next, we simply eat pieces of delicious meat.
The most delicious pieces
So we learned how to eat crayfish correctly. You can move on to the next cancer!
Well, a lot of boiled crayfish!
What is special about crayfish?
First of all, the meat has an extraordinary delicate taste, pleasant texture and special aroma. Although many refuse this delicacy because they believe that the meat is dirty. But this is far from true. Crayfish are fairly clean animals whose main diet consists of algae and fish fry. Crayfish eat carrion as a last resort if they cannot find other food.
Much has been said about the benefits of crayfish fillet. It is rich in:
- easily digestible protein;
- vitamins (A, B1, B2, E, PP, C);
- magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, selenium and iron.
But, despite its usefulness, this type of meat is quite allergenic, so it is not advisable to give it to small children, and also with extreme caution for allergy sufferers.
Cancerous cervix
This is the best and most delicious thing about crayfish. It can be opened like a lady, with scissors. But the best thing, and the right thing to do, is to do without them: bite the side of the tail with your teeth, open the shell and take out the neck.
And then you only have one more procedure left - you will need to remove the intestines. Although if your cancer lives in an aquarium for a long time before cooking, then the intestines will be clean and you don’t have to take it out. If it was recently caught, it is still better to pull it out.
And one more tip - if you have to clean and eat a lot of crayfish, it is better to wear gloves. You will definitely ruin your manicure, because crayfish are quite a dirty business.
How to cook crayfish correctly? — read soon on AiF-Kitchen
Diet features
Depending on gender characteristics, the amount of food eaten differs significantly. For example, a male eats food 1-2 times a day, and a female once every three days. But at the same time, the female eats a larger amount of food than the male. Feeding should be done in the evening , since cancer is nocturnal.
It is also worth keeping an eye on the feeder; as soon as it is empty, new food can be added to it.
This individual has a special diet.
It is not worth giving supplements more often due to the fact that uneaten food will only clog the aquarium and it will have to be cleaned more often. Otherwise, this will affect the life of your pets, so you should monitor the condition of the feeder. And to keep the water in the container clean for as long as possible, it is best to use so-called clean food, for example, earthworms. And, of course, we must not forget that leftover food should not be left in the aquarium for more than two days, otherwise the process of rotting will begin.
Eating in nature
90% of the diet of arthropods is plant food, and only 10% is animal protein food. In the wild, the food of crayfish includes plants, algae, small invertebrates, phytoplankton and more. Crayfish feed differently in nature, it all depends on the time of year and the characteristics of the period. For example, after molting, winter or during mating, river representatives prefer more filling and nutritious food, such as snails, larvae, worms, and tadpoles. Rarely do crayfish get to eat fish and frogs because of their slowness.
It also happens that arthropods have to feed on carrion , but this happens extremely rarely. Crayfish have a very wide variety of plant foods, since everything is used - both leaves and rhizomes of various plants, especially since arthropods look for food not only in water, but also on land.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zkAhKCTb8PY
The most active feeding phase of crayfish occurs in the summer, especially just before winter, since they will have to eat nothing at all until spring.
Breeding at home
Breeding crayfish at home is not as difficult as it seems. You just need to know some breeding features:
- A reservoir with clean water is a must. You can purchase a pool with a height of no more than seven meters or make an artificial pond with your own hands, provided that there is a river or pond nearby. If there is no natural reservoir nearby, then construction will cost several times more.
- The water temperature in summer should be from 15 to 20 ⁰C.
- Two or three containers of water should be installed next to the pond. This is done in order to protect the young animals from extermination by their older comrades. Females should be transplanted into small aquariums to lay eggs.
There are several nuances to breeding crayfish
The main thing when constructing a reservoir is that the bottom is waterproof. Experts advise buying a special tank, which is distinguished by its durability and long service life.
Feeding in captivity
Today, arthropod farming has become very popular. There are even entire farms on reservoirs. Therefore, many people ask questions about what crayfish eat at home and how to properly care for it. Meanwhile, the diet in captivity is significantly different from what they eat in nature.
At home, crustaceans eat herbs , bread, vegetables, any meat, and cereals. But experts advise carefully monitoring food portions and feeding them in volumes of no more than 3% of their weight. Otherwise, the crayfish simply will not be able to eat all the food, and it will begin to rot. And this will affect the lives of arthropods, which will simply begin to die out. It happens that individual representatives are raised in ordinary small aquariums, and then you can simply purchase special food at a pet store. But you don’t have to buy it, but feed it with any meat, earthworms, algae or nettles.
Choosing the right crayfish
Before you do anything with crayfish, you need to either catch them in a pond or buy them. If catching arthropods is not your hobby, it is better to go to the store for them. First, ask where the crayfish come from. If they are caught in lakes and ponds, you should not take them. There are a lot of bacteria in stagnant water, so such crayfish can cause problems in the gastrointestinal tract. The best invertebrates are river ones; their meat is much tastier and healthier.
How can you tell if crayfish are fresh? The answer is simple: buy them alive. They should look healthy and active. If the crayfish don't move, it's clearly not your product! The fact is that crayfish spoil very quickly, so if they look sluggish when you buy them, they won’t last long. Since crayfish feed on algae, their stomachs are teeming with bacteria that begin to actively multiply, even if the crayfish is still alive, but is no longer moving well. The tail of the crayfish must be pressed against the body - this is a kind of quality guarantee. The tighter the tail is pressed, the fresher and tastier the crayfish.
The water in which the crayfish were stored should be clear. Cloudy water indicates that it was rarely changed, which means that the crayfish most likely did not have enough oxygen. The water temperature should be +10 °C, and this is easy to verify, since aquariums in stores are usually equipped with thermometers.
The hardness of the shell is also very important. The harder it is, the meatier the cancer. There is almost no meat under the soft shell or it is very dry. As for the sizes, it is better to take large and medium crayfish. If they grew up like this, it means they had enough food, so the meat is rich in vitamins, microelements and nutrients.
Structure and edible parts
The body of crayfish is covered with a dense chitinous shell, under which the rather vulnerable body of the animal is hidden. With its help, it protects itself from predators and is not injured on the rocky bottom of the reservoir. Suitable for consumption:
- tail part (in cooking called crayfish neck);
- front claws (due to the hardness of the cover, not everyone manages to get meat from there);
- walking legs (considered edible only in large individuals);
- caviar (located under the animal’s tail on small legs);
- liver (can be obtained if you remove the shell).
True “shell lovers” love to feast on the broth that flows from the back of the animal during cutting. But not everyone will like it.
Cooking
The smell, color and taste of finished crayfish depends on how well you wash them.
Step 1. First, the crayfish must be washed thoroughly. Pay special attention to the area under the abdomen. Rinse with a brush until clean water.
Step 2. Fill with water for 1 hour. We need to make sure that all crayfish are alive and active.
Step 3. Prepare all the necessary ingredients for the broth per 1 kg of crayfish: 1–1.3 liters of water:
- a bunch of dill;
- 3 bay leaves;
- 3 peas of allspice;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 1 generous tablespoon of salt.
You can take more water. Then increase the other ingredients of the broth accordingly.
Mix everything.
Step 4. When the water boils, check once again whether your crayfish are alive and active. Place them one at a time, preferably head down.
They don’t eat dead crayfish because they release toxins, since 10% of their diet consists of organic waste.
Step 5. Cook from the moment of boiling for 13–15 minutes, with the lid closed.
Step 6. 5 minutes before readiness, add 10-15 grams of butter to the broth.
Step 7. Leave for 15–20 minutes. The crayfish should be well salted and nourished.
Step 8. The crayfish are ready. Proceed to cutting and eating. Or you can wait until it cools down completely.
Crayfish puree soup
This unusual soup can be a real discovery for your family. Try cooking it.
Pre-cook the crayfish in water with spices according to the recipe given above. Cut the crayfish and remove the meat - there should be about 300 g.
Cut one onion and one carrot into cubes, finely chop the celery root with a knife. Melt a small amount of butter in a frying pan, lightly fry the onion, then add the carrots and celery.
Mix 0.5 liters of chicken broth and the same amount of water, bring to a boil, throw the fried vegetables into the pan and crumble the invertebrate meat. Add salt, bay leaf, pepper, thyme and coriander. Boil the soup for 20–30 minutes, cool slightly and blend with a blender.
In another saucepan, melt a couple of tablespoons of butter, mix with a tablespoon of flour and grind until smooth. Pour in the pureed soup, stir and bring to a boil.
Add half a glass of cream, 1 tbsp. l. lime juice and any finely chopped greens. This is a real treat!
Application in cosmetology and medicine
The use of crayfish in cosmetology and medicine is very common. With their help, specialists have learned to heal the human body and cope with diseases of the liver and thyroid gland (cancers are used as a component for medicines). These products are recommended in the diet for the prevention of heart failure, kidney and pancreas problems. And also regularly eating crayfish is an opportunity to improve metabolism.
Since ancient times, crayfish have been used as a natural antiseptic. The chitinous shell of the crustacean was ground into powder, which was used to treat purulent wounds and ulcers. Currently, a substance such as chitosan is obtained from the cancer shell. It is subsequently used to treat immunological disorders, malignant tumors, as well as to cleanse blood vessels and reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. Based on the same substance (chitosan), regenerating ointments, contact lenses, surgical threads, bactericidal patches and some other medicines are prepared.
Experts often recommend using the product for those who plan to lose excess weight. In terms of nutrients, crayfish are ahead of shrimp and oysters. All this, together with its low calorie content, makes the product one of the most valuable for a weight loss program. In particular, crayfish can replace a full meal. Their use is allowed even if you follow the “Kremlin” diet, which is famous for its strict restrictions. Crayfish will be especially useful in combination with cucumbers, broccoli, apples, boiled fish, seafood, beans and spinach.
In cosmetology, the area of use of crayfish is no less significant. Here, too, the main emphasis is on the use of chitosan. It is included in lotions to moisturize the skin, creams, masks and products to protect the skin from UV radiation. In addition, chitosan is used to prepare products that effectively fight fat cells, helping to break down cellulite. The main advantage of such cosmetic preparations is naturalness, harmlessness and non-toxicity.
Regular consumption of cancer is an opportunity to improve your own body. In addition, this product contains components that can have a beneficial effect on a person’s appearance and improve his mood. At the same time, crayfish is a surprisingly tasty dish that will appeal to even the most discerning gourmets.
General recommendations
- Live arthropods should be kept cool, away from light and heat, until they are ready to cook
- Wash the crayfish. This process is also called crayfish cleaning. Place them in a large bucket and fill it with clean water. Use the tool to stir them for a few minutes. Rinse them and place them in another clean container. If you decide to buy crayfish in Rostov-on-Don from our company, you can skip this procedure - all individuals have undergone preliminary training.
- Don't let live crayfish sit in the water for too long.
- Some people add a box of salt to the water to cleanse the crayfish.
- Dead crayfish float to the top and should be discarded.
buy boiled crayfish from us and skip all these preliminary procedures.
