Boiled crayfish is an excellent beer snack that has long been recognized as a classic. Their meat is white in color, has a very pleasant delicate taste and has dietary properties. Uncomplicated cooked crayfish dishes captivate even the strictest connoisseurs of gourmet cuisine.
Features of crayfish
Crayfish have a hard chitinous cover and 6 pairs of limbs - 2 large claws, 8 walking legs, 2 remaining legs turned into a caudal fin. In length, these arthropods can reach 20 centimeters. The larger the crayfish is, the tastier its meat is. As a rule, males are larger than females and have more massive claws.
Cancer coloration is inconsistent. It varies depending on the properties of water, habitat and can be from greenish-brown to blue-brown. Crayfish live in fresh water - lakes and rivers. The key condition for their existence is the availability of clean water. In a polluted reservoir, this arthropod simply dies. In the daytime, crayfish hide in shelters: under stones, in burrows, in tree roots. At night, they get out to start hunting.
There are two kinds of crayfish: European and American. The most delicious are the large blue crayfish. They can only be caught in the Armenian Lake Sevan.
How to cook crayfish
The most popular way to cook crayfish is by boiling. For this, it is better to take live specimens. In addition, each cancer must be carefully examined.
Before cooking, the arthropod must be cut up, having previously boiled in boiling water, otherwise the meat will be difficult to separate from the shell. Boiling water will condense the meat and it will easily separate from the body.
For boiling crayfish, it's best to use a large saucepan or stewpan. It is necessary to pour water into it, add dill and salt. It is better to use dried herbs and the more the better. The dill will give the meat a great taste. You can also use dill seeds.
Crayfish absorb salt rather poorly, so you should not save on it. Unsalted crayfish are very tasteless. Add at least a tablespoon of coarse salt to a liter of water.
To improve the taste, you can safely add to the water, where crayfish, bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander will be boiled. With spices, you must observe the measure, otherwise they can drown out the taste of crayfish.
Live crayfish should only be thrown into boiling water. They need to be taken carefully by the back, otherwise they can easily grab a finger with their claw. After all arthropods have been placed in the pot, cover it with a lid. When the water with crayfish boils, the fire must be slightly reduced.
The crayfish's readiness will be signaled by their color, they should change it to orange-red. This usually takes 10 minutes. After that, the pan with crayfish must be removed from the stove and left alone for 5-7 minutes. During this time, the crayfish will have time to infuse. Now all that remains is to put them on a suitable dish, decorate with lemon slices, herbs and serve.
Boiled crayfish are good both cold and hot.
Storing boiled crayfish
Do not store boiled crayfish in an aluminum container. In it, the destruction of trace elements that are part of the meat of crayfish will occur. In this case, arthropods will acquire a dark, almost black hue and deteriorate rather quickly. The optimal container for storing them is ceramic or glassware.
Boiled crayfish should be kept in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment or "freshness zone" for no more than 72 hours. At the same time, it is permissible to keep them in the freezer for no more than a month.
When frozen, boiled crayfish cannot be defrosted. They should be immediately dipped in boiling water. The same goes for frozen live crayfish.
Nutritional value of crayfish
Crayfish meat has a delicate taste. Basically, it is located in the tail of this arthropod and takes up only 1/5 of its weight. There is also some meat in the claws and walking legs. Connoisseurs are happy to use the body of the cancer (what is under its shell), as well as its caviar.
Cancer meat is low in calories. 100 grams of the product contains no more than 76 calories. Cancers are high in protein and are almost free of fat, cholesterol, and carbohydrates. Their meat contains a lot of calcium, vitamins B12 and E.
