TEN CRAYFISH RECIPES
AMMOGGHIO DIP
A Mint Flavored Dip
1 cup mint leaves, packed
1/2 head garlic (medium size head)
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Crush mint leaves and garlic together until they are almost
in a paste. Place in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Pour hot
water over the garlic-mint paste. Add salt and pepper,
stir. Close lid tight and let stand for 5 minutes. Add olive
oil and shake well to blend.
Use as a dip for dunking boiled crawfish tails. The flavor
blend grows steadily as you eat. This dip can also be used
for marinating lamb or chicken.
CRAWFISH COCKTAIL DIP
3 to 4 pounds large crawfish tails, peeled and cleaned
Simmer cooked crawfish tails in well salted water 10 to
12 minutes, until tender. Fill bowl with chopped ice and
arrange tails over top. Provide toothpicks for handy
dipping. Serve with cocktail sauce or serve in individual
cocktail glasses for a meal. This can be used at receptions
and parties.
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup horseradish
1 1/2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 cup celery, minced fine
Pepper sauce or cayenne
Mix ingredients thoroughly.
CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons green onion tops chopped fine
2 cups chopped onion
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (1/2 teaspoon)
1 lb. or 2 1/2 cups cooked and peeled crawfish meat
2 tablespoons green pepper, chopped
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
1/4 cup celery chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons minced parsley (1 teaspoon dehydrated)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Melt butter in iron skillet or heavy pot. Saute onions,
garlic, green pepper and celery until onions are clear. Add
1/8 cup water and simmer covered until vegetables are
tender (about 15 minutes). Add crawfish and other
seasonings. Cook 15 minutes. Add green onion tops and
parsley and cook 5 minutes for seasoning to blend. Serve
with hot steamed rice. Serves 4 to 5 people.
KRAFTOR
A very Swedish way to prepare crayfish
2 pounds crayfish, about 25-30
2 1/2 quarts water
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 lump sugar
lots of dill, preferably the crowns
Combine water, dill, salt, and sugar in a very large pot.
Cover and bring to a boil. Meanwhile check crayfish,
making sure that all are alive. Rinse under cold running
water. Drop crayfish into briskly boiling dill-water and
cover at once. Bring to boil again and cook 7 munutes
from the time the water starts boiling. Let cool in cooking
water. Place in refrigeraator overnight, still in water. When
ready to serve, pour off cooking water and remove soggy
dill. Arrange crayfish attractively on a large platter and
garnish with crowns of fresh dill.
Serve with hot buttered toast, Swedish spiced caraway
cheese, and perhaps with well chilled aquavit or beer.
These plus a lot of good cheer and songs are vital
ingredients for a Swedish crayfish party. Serves 3 to 4
people.
FRIED CRAWFISH TAILS
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pound large cooked and peeled crawfish tails
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
In a bowl beat the eggs, add the milk, prepared mustard,
salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well. In another
bowl, sift the flour, cornmeal and baking powder together
and stir well to blend ingredients.
Dip the crawfish tails in the egg-milk mixture, one at a
time. Let drain a little then dip in cornmeal-flour mixture.
Put on a plate until you have enough to fry. Drop in deep
hot fat (390-400 degrees) and cook until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with catsup or tarter
sauce.
BOILED CRAWFISH
Wash 12 pounds of live crawfish. In the meantime
prepare the boiling water as follows: to a 10 gallon can
with a tight fitting lid add 5 gallons of water. Bring the
water to a boil and add:
1 large onion cut into 6 wedges
2 lemons cut into 4 wedges
1 box salt
6 oz. red pepper
2 stalks celery
1 small head of garlic
Put the lid on the can and boil for approximately 15 to 20
minutes to extract the flavors.
Put washed live crawfish into the boiling water. Cover and
bring to a boil. When the steam appears around edges of
the cover, begin to count cooking time. Cook 10 minutes,
stirring occasionally. The true test for doneness is when
the crawfish float to the top of the water. Turn off heat
and let soak for 5 minutes longer. Remove a few crawfish
and sample. If not seasoned enough let soak an additional
5 minutes. Lift crawfish from water and serve hot or cold.
To boil more crawfish in the same water, add more
seasoning and you are ready to cook the next batch.
Twelve pounds of crawfish will serve 6 people.
CRAWFISH CREOLE
1 cup flour
1 cup oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
3 chopped cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 lbs. cooked and peeled crawfish tails
1 No. 2 can tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops
2 small cans tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
6 cups water
Make a roux by cooking the flour and fat together until a
golden brown. Stir constantly. Add onions, celery, bell
pepper and half of the garlic. Cook until onion is
transparent. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and stir to mix
well. Cook for 5 minutes. Add water, bring to a boil,
lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add 3 pounds crawfish
tails and garlic. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add parsely and
onion tops and cook 5 minutes longer. Serve over fluffy
steamed rice. Serves 10 generously.
SOFT SHELL CRAYFISH
Thaw soft shell crayfish if frozen. Remove the two calcium
deposits (gastroliths), about half the size of a pencil eraser,
by cutting through the head just behind the eyes and
pressing down on the carapace. The "Cajun pearls," as
they are called, will pop right out.
First, dip the soft shell crayfish in a mixture of egg white
and milk. Then, roll in a mixture of flour, cornmeal, and
cajun spices. Add enough cajun spices to reach the level
of spiciness you like. Seafood seasoning can be
substituted for cajun spices if you prefer less bite to your
food. Deep fry for 2 to 3 minutes in hot oil. Drain and
serve.
A sauce that can be used to drizzle over fried soft shell
crayfish or that can be served on the side as a dipping
sauce can be prepared as follows:
1 egg yolk
3 finely chopped green onions
1 teaspoon brown mustard
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoon dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Place all of the above ingredients except the oil in a food
processor or blender. Process for about 30 seconds.
With the blender running, add the oil in a thin steady
stream. Continue procesing until smooth, about 1 minute.
Makes about one cup. Recipe from Paul Prudhomme.
CRAWFISH JAMBALAYA
1 lb. or 2 1/2 cups cooked and peeled crawfish tails
1/4 cup crawfish fat (optional)
1 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons salad oil
1/2 cup parsley (2 tsp. dehydrated)
1/2 cup bell pepper chopped
1 1/8 cups rice-uncooked (long grain)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup green onion pepper
1 cup onion chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped celery
Brown flour in oil to a golden brown. Add onions. Stir
constantly until onions are almost cooked. Add 1 1/2 cups
cold water and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add crawfish tails
and fat; cook until crawfish turns pink. Add about 2 cups
less 2 tablespoons water and bring to a boil. When water
is rapidly boiling add remainder of ingredients. Stir to
blend and cook on low heat covered for about 1/2 hour
or until rice is tender. Five minutes before serving, using a
2 prong fork, fluff up jambalaya so rice will have a
tendency to fall apart. Serves 4 to 5 people.
CRAYFISH BOIL
Wash 8 pounds of live crayfish. Prepare the boiling water
as follows. Put 5 gallons of water in a 10 gallon pot. Bring
the water to a boil and add:
1 large onion cut into wedgees
2 ounces red pepper
2 lemons cut into wedges
2 stalks of celery
1 pound salt
1 head of garlic, peeled and sectioned
Boil for about 15 minutes to extract the flavors. Add 8 to
10 washed small red potatoes. Return to boil. After 10
minutes, add 6 ears of sweet corn broken into thirds and
the live crayfish. Return to boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Crayfish will float to the top of the water when done. Turn
off heat and let soak. The longer the soak the spicier the
flavor. Sample potatoes, corn, and crayfish to check the
flavor. Five minutes is a typical soak time. Remove
crayfish potatoes and corn from water, drain and serve. A
basket that fits inside the pot will make removing and
draining easier. Serves four.
To boil another batch in the same water, add more salt
and red pepper and repeat the process. Water can be
boiled outdoors over an open fire or indoors on the stove
top.
