Cooking crayfish at home. Boiled crayfish: recipe with photo

Crayfish are considered a real delicacy in gastronomy; in addition, their taste will amaze any gourmet. If you have purchased crayfish and decided to pamper your family and yourself with a delicacy, then first you need to understand how to cook them correctly.

A few words about crayfish

Crayfish are arthropods, they live in seas and reservoirs with fresh water. Most often we can feast on crayfish. Their size is about 10-15 cm. The body of such a cancer is completely covered with a thick shell, which is endowed by nature for protection.

Several times throughout its life, cancer sheds its shell in order to renew it. Crayfish eat carrion and plants, algae, etc., which is why only crayfish meat is eaten; the gastrointestinal tract is not recommended for consumption.

How to choose crayfish for boiling

  • Crayfish should always be alive when purchased, and it is best if they are fresh from a reservoir. Always supervise how crayfish are kept in the store; they should swim in a large aquarium with cold water. Storing crayfish in the refrigerator is also allowed.
  • See how cancer behaves. A healthy cancer is very active; it actively moves its claws, tail, and antennae. He is in constant motion and strives to leave the aquarium. If you see that the cancer is very sluggish, it is bad sign. If the seller claims that the cancer is dormant, under no circumstances believe it. Under no circumstances should you buy dead crayfish carcasses.
  • Crayfish may be lethargic if they are refrigerated, for example in ice. Then yes, their metabolism may be weakened, then motor activity will be slowed down. But they must move anyway.
  • Cancer has a shell dark green, closer to brownish. It should be uniform and without damage.


Time to buy crayfish

Usually crayfish are caught in the fall or late summer. In summer it is prohibited to catch them. It is in autumn that crayfish will be juicy, tasty and nutritious.


Methods for storing crayfish

Having bought live crayfish, they need to be cooked immediately. If you want to store them, then only in the refrigerator and no more than 2 days. You can also store in the freezer, then the shelf life will increase to 3 months.


Preparing crayfish for cooking

  • Once you have purchased the crayfish, place them in cold water. If you want to make crayfish meat tender, you can place them in milk.
  • Rinse each carcass, removing dirt, especially on the belly. Please note that live crayfish are active; it is best to wear gloves while holding the crayfish by the back. Clean with a brush.


How long to cook crayfish

The cooking time for crayfish directly depends on their length. Small crayfish cook quickly, in just 20 minutes. Averages for 25 min. Well, the big ones are all 30 minutes. It is not recommended to cook crayfish for too long, otherwise the meat will be tough. When cooking, you can focus on the color of the crayfish - the finished ones will be bright red.


How to cook crayfish

Simple option

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg of crayfish;
  • 4 liters of water;
  • 3 tbsp. salt;
  • dill;
  • laurel;
  • a few black peppercorns;
  • lemon.

Preparation:

  • Pour water into a saucepan, wait for it to boil, then add 3 tablespoons of salt, pepper, bay leaf, dill and lemon juice.
  • Boil the water with spices for about three minutes, after which you can add the crayfish. After boiling, reduce the heat and cook until the dish is completely cooked.


Method with adjika

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg of crayfish;
  • 3 liters of water;
  • 1 tbsp. adjika;
  • 3 tbsp. salt;
  • 2 tbsp. sour cream;
  • greens – parsley, dill.

Preparation:

  • We set the water to boil, as soon as it boils, immediately add sour cream, adjika and salt.
  • Finely chop the parsley and dill and then add to the broth.

After about 5 minutes you can add crayfish to the broth.

We wait for the water to boil, and after that we put the fire on low and wait for the crayfish to cook.


Method with beer

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg of crayfish;
  • one and a half liters of fresh beer;
  • 3 tbsp. salt;
  • one and a half liters of clean water;
  • black peppercorns.

Preparation:

  • Pour beer and water into the pan and start boiling. As the liquid begins to boil, add salt and pepper.
  • Now, without waiting, you can add crayfish.
  • Wait for it to boil again, then cover it with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook the crayfish.
  • Once ready, remove the pan from the heat and let it brew for at least 30 minutes.


Method with milk

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg of crayfish;
  • 2 l. water;
  • 2 liters of milk;
  • 3 tbsp. salt;
  • greens – parsley, dill.

Preparation:

  • Prepare the crayfish properly for cooking, then put them in milk for 3-4 hours.
  • Boil the crayfish soaked in milk in water, after adding 1.5 tablespoons of salt to it.
  • After cooking, drain all the water and fill it with the milk in which they were soaked, add 1.5 liters of salt. Submerge any greens you have as well.
  • Bring to a boil. And let it brew for about 30 minutes, after which the crayfish can be pulled out.


Brine method

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg of crayfish;
  • 3 l. cucumber brine;
  • 3 l. clean water;
  • 4-5 tbsp. sour cream;
  • 1 tbsp. salt;
  • greens – parsley, dill.
  • 1 tablespoon salt;
  • dill greens.

Preparation:

  • Pour water into a saucepan, add salt and crayfish, cook until tender.
  • After cooking, drain the water completely from the pan and fill the crayfish with brine.
  • Put it on the fire and wait for it to boil.
  • Finely chop the greens, add them to the brine with crayfish, cook for literally 1 minute, then remove from the stove.
  • Let the crayfish sit in the brine broth for 15-20 minutes, then you can take them out.


Method in wine

Ingredients:

  • 1 liter of white wine;
  • 1 kg of crayfish;
  • 2 liters of clean water;
  • 3 tbsp. salt;
  • black peppercorns;
  • greens – parsley, dill.

Preparation:

  • Pour wine and water into the pan, put it on the fire, wait until it boils. Then add herbs, salt and pepper.
  • Crayfish can be put into boiling broth.
  • Cover the pan with a lid for a bit and cook until fully cooked.


  • When preparing these arthropods, always use a large container so that the crayfish do not crawl out of it.
  • Don't fill the pan with crayfish; they won't cook well.
  • There is no need to skimp on salt, the shell of crayfish is very dense, and it does not allow salt to pass through quite well. Salt at least 1 tbsp. salt per liter of liquid.
  • You need to immerse crayfish in water with special tongs, so they won’t hurt you with their claws.
  • Once the crayfish are cooked, place them on a large plate, leave to cool, and then eat.
  • After boiling the crayfish, always let them sit in the broth for a while, at least 15 minutes. So their taste will be very rich and bright.


Boiled crayfish is a delicacy familiar to everyone since childhood. After all, people have always eaten crayfish in Russia: both during the time of Ivan the Terrible and now. Imagine a mountain of bright red crayfish, from which fragrant, fragrant steam rises. Did you feel your appetite being stimulated? By the way, only moderately hot crayfish are served to the fullest enjoy their aroma and feel the spice-rich juice. Let's figure out how to cook crayfish correctly, how much crayfish should be cooked and what spices to use in order to fully preserve all the taste, aroma and tenderness, everything that we love so much about this delicacy.

What kind of crayfish to cook

Not everyone knows how to choose crayfish for cooking. It is important to understand two simple rules, other selection criteria are at your discretion.
  1. The first thing you need to learn once and for all is that you only need to cook live, fresh crayfish. When choosing crayfish, pay attention to their tails - in a living crayfish, the tail is tucked tightly to the abdomen.
  2. The second thing you should know is that crayfish are caught and cooked from May to October, but the most delicious are crayfish caught in early autumn. It is from the end of August to the end of October that crayfish meat becomes the fattest and most delicious.

Of course, you can buy frozen or already boiled crayfish, but in this case you can get a number of problems: the meat of frozen crayfish is dry and fibrous, and it is extremely difficult to determine the quality of already cooked crayfish (pay attention to the tails - for those cooked alive, it is tucked towards the abdomen).

What to do before boiling crayfish

Proper cooking of crayfish requires preparation. Preparation for cooking consists of washing, and soaking and cleaning is optional.

  • washing crayfish

Leave the crayfish you bring home in clean water for an hour or two to allow the silt or dirt to clear away. Afterwards, rinse them thoroughly under running water.

  • soaking crayfish in milk or sour cream

Some delicacy lovers recommend for improvement taste qualities place the crayfish for half an hour in full-fat milk or water with sour cream diluted in it. This will give the crayfish meat additional juiciness and tenderness. Rinse the crayfish soaked in this way with cold water and cook as usual.

  • cleaning crayfish

You can remove the stomach and intestines from them before cooking. The crayfish has fins under its tail, pulling them rotational movement you will remove sources of bitterness from cancer. But this procedure is not at all necessary.

How long to cook crayfish

Beginning housekeepers often worry that they don’t know how much to cook crayfish. Don't worry - boiling crawfish is easy. Of course, you want the crayfish to cook as quickly as possible, but you shouldn’t neglect the cooking rules, and besides, the cooking time for crayfish is not that long. On average cook crayfish for 10-15 minutes in boiling water. Please note - it is in boiling water. That is, the countdown of how many minutes to cook crayfish should be from the moment of boiling! You can determine whether crayfish are ready or not by their color - after cooking, their color changes to bright red.


How to cook crayfish at home - Recipes

There are many recipes for boiling crayfish. But they are all similar. In order to cook crayfish at home, you don’t need much: dishes, water, various seasonings. Let's find out the procedure that allows you to cook crayfish tasty and juicy. First of all, prepare your equipment and ingredients. The proportions are simple:

  • 1 liter of water - for 12 crayfish measuring 10-12 cm;
  • 1-2 tablespoons of salt per liter of water;
  • seasonings (dill, bay leaf, allspice, etc.) - to taste.

How to cook crayfish - basic simple recipe

We learn how to properly cook crayfish in salted water with spices. You will need:

  • deep saucepan;
  • water - 2 liters;
  • dill - 50 gr. fresh dill or 2 tbsp. spoons of dill seeds;
  • salt - 2-4 tbsp. spoons;
  • allspice peas - 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • bay leaf - 5-7 leaves.

Boil water and add allspice, bay leaves, dill seeds (dill), and salt. Let the spiced water simmer for a couple of minutes so that the pepper, bay leaf and dill release their aroma. Place prepared live crayfish into boiling water. Let the water boil and cook the crayfish over high heat for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let the crayfish sit in the hot water for another 10 minutes. You can serve it at the table, garnished with herbs and lemon slices.

How to boil crayfish in beer

Crayfish boiled in beer are very tasty. This recipe for boiling crayfish is no more complicated than the basic one. You need to cook crayfish in beer exactly the same way as in the main recipe, the only thing is that it is not used as a decoction. plain water, and a mixture of water and beer (1:1). Instead of brewing beer, you can use kvass - the crayfish will turn out very tasty.

How to cook crayfish in wine

Crayfish cooked in wine are tasty and piquant. This cooking recipe crayfish will do experienced. You will need:

  • crayfish - 20 pcs.
  • dry white wine - 1 glass;
  • water - 1 glass;
  • dill - a small bunch;
  • rosemary - a sprig;
  • carrots - 1 pc.;
  • onion - 1 pc.
For the sauce:
  • butter - 50 gr.;
  • lemon juice- 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • black pepper;
  • salt.
Bring the wine and water mixture to a boil, add the dill and rosemary, finely chopped carrots and finely chopped onion. Place washed live crayfish and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove the finished crayfish to a heated dish. Strain the sauce left over from cooking the crayfish, mix with butter and lemon juice, and add black pepper and salt to taste. Warm the sauce for 2 minutes over low heat and pour it over the boiled crayfish. Serve garnished with dill and lemon slices.

How to boil crayfish in milk

Recipe for boiling crayfish in milk for gourmets. Boiling crayfish in milk is a little more difficult, but it's worth the wait. First, the crayfish need to be soaked for three hours in milk that has been boiled and cooled to room temperature. Then remove, rinse and cook the crayfish in ordinary water, seasoned with dill and salt until done. Drain the water and add previously used milk, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Serve with sour cream or milk sauce.

How to cook crayfish in cucumber brine

To begin, cook the crayfish according to the basic recipe until they turn red. Then drain the water, and instead of water, pour in the same volume of cucumber brine. Bring this entire mixture to a boil, after which you should add 5-6 tablespoons of thick sour cream. Cook for about 7-8 minutes more. After this procedure, you can remove the crayfish from the brine and serve.

How to eat boiled crayfish?

Serve the boiled crayfish to the table, placing it in a deep dish, pouring a small amount of broth and garnishing with fresh dill, you can garnish with lemon slices. You should not remove the crayfish from the brine before serving; they should also cool in their solution. Otherwise, they will not be as juicy as you might expect.

Boiled crayfish are eaten starting from the tail. This meat is the most tender and juicy. Then they move on to the claws and back. If you come across caviar, do not deny yourself the pleasure of trying it. It is very tasty and healthy. If you remove the shell from the thin legs, then there is also meat under them, it is quite tasty and juicy, just like in the claws. Keep in mind that the meat that is located between the head and back under the shell may be slightly bitter.


Previously on the topic of Cancer:

Fans of boiled crayfish are eagerly awaiting the end of the ban on catching crayfish, making their own crayfish traps and eagerly studying recipes for cooking crayfish. If you are a beginner and don't know when you can catch crayfish, read our...
Catching crayfish is a fairly simple task if you know how and when to do it. The main thing to remember is that crayfish can be caught in different regions in different times, but you can’t always catch female freshwater crayfish carrying eggs and larvae. Also...

Boiled crayfish is an original Russian delicacy that has remained popular for many centuries. It is known that it was served on the table even in the times of Ivan the Terrible, and now almost not a single men’s party is complete without this snack. To make the dish aromatic, tender and juicy, you need to prepare it correctly. How and how long to cook crayfish after boiling? How to prepare arthropods for cooking? Do they need to be soaked? We will discuss all these questions right now.

How to choose crayfish for boiling?

The most delicious, tender and juicy are arthropods caught from spring to late autumn. Gourmets especially highlight individuals that are caught from late August to October. If you managed to get such crayfish, do not deny yourself the pleasure of eating them. Remember the main rule for preparing delicious crayfish - choose only the largest and most alive specimens. How long does it take to cook them at home?

Preliminary preparation

It is known that arthropod river inhabitants need to be pre-washed after they are caught, because pieces of silt, sand and other contaminants are packed into their shells. To get rid of them, fill the bathtub with cold water and place the catch there. When the dirt and silt particles are soaked, the crayfish must be rinsed under running water. It is advisable to repeat the entire process at least one more time. Do I need to soak my catch in milk or something else?

Some lovers of this snack claim that the catch will be much more tender and juicier if you first let it soak in fatty milk for half an hour. However, this makes sense if the arthropods no longer show signs of life. It’s still better to cook live “sweets” right away, without soaking them in anything.

Cooking crayfish at home

It is important to remember that the cooking time is counted from the moment the water in which the crayfish were lowered boils. If you have prepared a pan, put spices in it and waited for it to boil, then put live crayfish into the pan. This needs to be done correctly. On average, one liter of decoction should contain no more than 12 arthropods. Lower them head down, holding them by the back. Lay in a circle.

As soon as you immerse the delicacy in boiling water, the water will stop boiling. The cooking time has not started counting down yet. When the water boils again, we note the time... After boiling, the arthropods need to be cooked for 15 minutes. After a quarter of an hour, remove the pan from the heat and cover with a lid so that the delicacy is infused and well saturated with aromas and salt. Infuse the delicacy under the lid for 20 minutes.

What is the correct way to cook crayfish??

In fact, there are many ways to cook crayfish in a congee. They are boiled in water with the addition of spices, in beer, milk and even wine. On the Internet you can also find a recipe for boiling crayfish in cucumber brine. Each gourmet has his own idea of ​​the ideal taste of this delicacy, but there are several classic recipes, which we will consider.

Recipe 1 – in spiced water

Add 1-1.5 tbsp to 1 liter of water. l. salt (depending on preference), a lush bunch of dill or a tablespoon of its seeds, parsley half as much as dill, 2 bay leaves, 6 black peppercorns, half a lemon. All of the listed ingredients are placed in a saucepan with water, boiled and simmered for several minutes over low heat so that the spices impart maximum aroma and taste to the water. Only after this the catch is placed here, heads down. Turn up the heat. When the water boils again, we begin counting down the time - 15 minutes. Remove the container with the delicacy from the heat, cover with a lid and leave for 20 minutes.

Recipe 2 – with beer

There are recipes for preparing river inhabitants in water mixed in equal proportions with beer. It is best to use light beers. Then take a liter of water and a liter of beer into a two-liter saucepan, add the same spices as usual - dill or its seeds, salt, parsley, peppercorns, bay leaf and lemon. The product is boiled in beer broth for the same amount of time - 15 minutes after boiling again. Then be sure to insist for a while.

Recipe 3 – with the addition of white wine

Crayfish will turn out to be piquant and interesting in taste if you cook them according to a recipe that uses dry white wine as one of the ingredients. For one and a half liters of water, take a glass of wine (dry white), one whole peeled onion, one carrot, a bunch of dill, rosemary (one sprig or a teaspoon of dried), peppercorns - 6-7 pieces, salt to taste. Lemon is not added to this decoction, but served along with cooked crayfish to drizzle over the meat during the meal if desired.

So, how to cook crayfish at home? The answer is known - a quarter of an hour on high heat after the water boils. After cooking, remove the crayfish from the stove and leave to stand for 20 minutes under the lid. Immediately after this, the delicacy is served hot, laid out on a beautiful large platter. The crayfish are decorated with lemon slices and dill sprigs. The delicacy can be prepared using water, beer or wine. It all depends on your taste preferences.

Crayfish meat, especially crayfish, is rich in calcium, various vitamins (vitamins B and E), and proteins. Their meat contains virtually no fat, which is perfect for people who decide to go on a diet. Usually boiled they are presented as a beer snack or are one of the main components of restaurant dishes.

In order for them to turn out tasty, they must be cooked correctly. To do this you need to know exact time cooking How to cook crayfish? How to properly cook crayfish at home? How many minutes to cook crayfish? Want to know proven recipes? Then read our article. Today we will look at all the features of this interesting case.

What kind of crayfish are allowed to eat?

It is allowed to eat crayfish:

  1. Subjected to shock freezing. They are cooked directly from frozen.
  2. Which are alive during cooking. In order to determine whether a creature was alive or not, you need to look at its tail. The tails of live crustaceans are tucked under the abdomen during cooking. If the crustacean was cooked already dead, then its tail will remain straight.

Remember! By eating crustaceans that have not been cooked alive, you risk contracting severe poisoning. It is also imperative to get rid of crayfish that have fallen asleep or are simply barely alive, because their carcasses begin to decompose very quickly.

Active and large crustaceans that were caught in early spring are considered the most delicious.

How to cook crustaceans at home:

How to cook crayfish with dill. Crayfish boiling recipes

The main secret of taste is proper preparation in the decoction. According to the recipe, you need to take the following ingredients:

  1. Parsley.
  2. Water – 5 liters.
  3. Lemons – 2 pcs.
  4. Black pepper – 15 peas.
  5. Adjika – 2 tablespoons.
  6. Thick sour cream - 2 tablespoons.
  7. Multiple sheets bay leaf.
  8. Coarse gray salt - 5 tablespoons.
  9. Dried dill.

Preparation according to the recipe:

Recipes for cooking crayfish. How to cook?

Boiled crayfish in beer– cooking process:

  1. To determine required quantity beer, you need to fill the pan with crustaceans and fill them with water. Later this water needs to be drained into some container. Then determine its quantity. You will need five hundred milliliters more beer than the water that fits in the pan.
  2. To prepare crustaceans you need take a light beer. With the use of dark, they acquire a certain bitterness.
  3. Place one tablespoon of salt per liter of beer.
  4. After boiling, you need to add crustaceans one by one.
  5. They are boiled in beer for five minutes less than in water. This is done due to the fact that the crustaceans will be infused in the beer broth for about twenty minutes.
  6. Prepare a dish and put the prepared crustaceans in it. Garnish as desired (dill, lemon slices).

Remember! Used beer should be thrown away.

Recipe for cooking crustaceans in wine:

  1. Take up to five hundred milliliters of wine (dry white) per liter of water.
  2. You can add rosemary and dill.
  3. All other steps for cooking crayfish in wine are the same as cooking in water. Salt, boil, add crayfish.
  4. Cook for the same amount of time as in water.
  5. Add the juice of half a lemon to the infused decoction.

How long does it take to cook crayfish?

Many people have this question, especially those who are going to cook crustaceans for the first time. There is an opinion that large crayfish should be boiled for up to forty-five minutes. This is absolutely not true. If crustaceans are overcooked, they will become tasteless and their meat will be tough.

How then do you know how long to cook them? To do this, follow the rule (in most cases, crustaceans are cooked depending on their weight):

  • small ones should be cooked for no more than ten minutes;
  • medium ones are cooked for no more than fifteen minutes;
  • large crustaceans should be cooked for no more than twenty minutes.

How to eat crustaceans correctly? How to store them?

Only the shell and whiskers are inedible. The remaining parts of the carcass are edible. But many people do not know how to eat crustaceans properly, and therefore they only eat the meat that is on the tail and claws.

  1. First of all, the tail is separated from the body. They pull out white meat with pink streaks. The intestine of a crustacean looks like a small tube. It definitely needs to be thrown out.
  2. Then you need to separate all the claws. They contain juice and some meat.
  3. There is a tasty liquid inside the body, which also needs to be sucked out.

Storing crayfish:

  1. Live ones can be stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. However, you can't keep them there any longer. three days.
  2. Boiled ones are stored in the broth for no more than half a day.
  3. Frozen crustaceans are stored for a month.

Attention, TODAY only!

Boiled crayfish is a favorite delicacy not only in our country, but throughout 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 can be done by anyone, even someone far from cooking.

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

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

But their cooking time also directly depends on their size; in a word, when asked how long to cook crayfish, we recommend sticking to the following scheme:

  • You need to boil very small crayfish for about 20 minutes;
  • medium-sized crayfish - about half an hour;
  • but if you are lucky enough to acquire large individuals, then at least 45 minutes.

This is very important! As we have already written, crayfish meat is healthy and dietary, but crayfish 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 eating the crayfish, remember that it is better to cook crayfish at home or outdoors 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 preparing them and look at several general topics.

Very often, crayfish are boiled in beer, doing it simply, even primitively, namely, placing it in some kind of container 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 a bit rustic for such a sophisticated product, there are also best recipes, which are not much more complicated, but the crayfish turn out tastier.

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

Preparing the crayfish

As we said, regardless of the crayfish recipe, you need to prepare it before you cook it.

You need to start with sorting. Usually the catch contains individuals different sizes and therefore, before cooking, divide them into three piles, since this determines how much crayfish needs to be cooked. Those. small, medium and large. To cook them, also prepare dishes of appropriate sizes. 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, bigger!

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

Act carefully, or better yet, wear gloves; do not forget that crayfish have quite powerful claws with which they will try to bite you. You need to hold the crayfish by the shell from above, then it probably won’t reach your hand. You need to wash it well, since not only the hygienic aspect of preparation, but also the taste of the dish as a whole will largely depend.

At the same time, answering the question of how to properly cook crayfish, be sure to examine all the individuals 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 tuck its tail, do not take risks, it is better to throw it away. Also, there should be no ulcers or damage on its shell and other parts of the body. These may be traces of diseases that occur among crayfish, as well as among other animals.

When the crayfish are washed, they need to be placed in a container with cold water for about an hour and a half. This is necessary for them to brew before cooking.

The simplest recipe

Let's start from the very beginning simple recipe preparation of 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 preparation not only at home, but also in nature.

Cooking crayfish according to this recipe does not require any special skills, but we can advise you to take larger dishes. Despite the simplicity, it will turn out delicious, don’t worry! You need to add enough water so that there is 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, you need to take them individually and put them in already boiling water, but before that, first add dill, salt or other spices. If you are afraid that cancer may grab you with its claw, then we can offer you one original way. Namely, proceed as follows. Take, for example, an ordinary towel and place it in a container containing already prepared crayfish. Surely one of them, and maybe even several, will grab onto it. All you have to do is transfer them to boiling water. However, it is better to take them by the shell and place them one by one in water brought to a boil upside down. With this method, the cancer dies immediately without suffering. This is a very humane way.

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

Cooking crayfish doesn't end there. Now they need to be removed and left to steep for another ten minutes.

Crayfish are a delicacy and should not be served in the same container in which they were cooked. Therefore, take a large, beautiful dish and place them one by one, for example, in a mound. The bottom layer is the largest individuals, and then those that are smaller. Sprinkle fresh herbs on top.

Video “Cooking with dill”

Simple 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 aroma 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 pair of bay leaves;
  • lemon;
  • a couple of apples.

Required utensils

  • a large twelve-liter saucepan (if you don’t have one, any size will do, but the number of crayfish should be proportionally reduced);
  • skimmer;
  • large dish (for laying out crayfish).

Preparation

  1. The first step is to fill half a pan with water.
  2. Add salt, pepper and dill.
  3. Now we need to cut the apples and lemon into two parts.
  4. We put it on the fire and wait for it to boil.
  5. We prepare the crayfish, namely clean and wash them as described above.
  6. Place crayfish in boiling water
  7. After the water boils again, cook for about ten minutes.
  8. Turn off the fire.
  9. Infuse the crayfish in the same broth for about another half hour.
  10. That's practically all. Next, we take them out and put them on a dish.

Cooked according to this recipe, the crayfish turns out to be very tasty, and also very aromatic!

Cancer infusions

Spicy

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

Wine

For 1 l. Take 0.5 liters of clean water. wine (dry white), rosemary and dill. Upon completion of cooking, we insist, after adding lemon juice at the rate (half a lemon per 1 liter of decoction).

Cucumber

This is a very interesting recipe, which is very common in our country. The crayfish are pre-cooked for about ten minutes. Cucumber pickle is poured in. The proportions are as follows: 0.5 cups of brine per liter of water. Next, wait until the water boils and cook for the same amount.

Cook in wine

In our country, many people don’t know whether it’s possible to cook crayfish in wine; in our country, if they do add it, it’s beer. And in vain, crayfish boiled in wine turns out exceptionally tasty and aromatic. This recipe for boiling crayfish is a little complicated, so try it first. small quantity crayfish

Ingredients

  • twenty crayfish;
  • 200 grams of wine (dry white is best);
  • 200 grams of clean water;
  • a bunch of dill;
  • rosemary;
  • one carrot;
  • one onion.

To prepare the sauce, you need the following ingredients:

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

Preparation

  1. First of all, mix water and wine.
  2. Put it on the fire and wait until it boils.
  3. Add dill and rosemary.
  4. Cut carrots and onions into smaller pieces. Add to our mixture.
  5. We send prepared (well washed) crayfish to our broth.
  6. Cook over low heat for about twenty minutes.
  7. After this time, the crayfish should be removed and placed on a heated dish.
  8. After cooking, there will be a sauce left that should not be thrown away. It needs to be strained.
  9. Add butter and lemon juice.
  10. Next, add black pepper and salt.
  11. Warm the sauce for a couple of minutes over low heat.
  12. We pour it on 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

  1. Pour beer into a saucepan (preferably a light variety) and put it on the fire.
  2. While the beer is boiling, wash the crayfish thoroughly.
  3. Place them in a saucepan (the beer should already be boiling by this time).
  4. It’s up to you to decide how much salt and pepper you add, everything is done to taste.
  5. Cook for twenty minutes.
  6. Next comes the most interesting thing, namely in this broth the crayfish should stand for at least another twenty minutes, and preferably a couple of hours.

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

In tomato juice

If you don’t know how to cook crayfish quickly, but at the same time 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

Preparation

  1. Prepare the crayfish as we have already described above.
  2. Next you need to boil the water.
  3. Add salt.
  4. We add live crayfish.
  5. According to this recipe, the crayfish are boiled for ten minutes (but if they are very large, it will take longer).
  6. Cook until the crayfish turn red-orange.
  7. There is no need to take them out of the broth; let them sit, then their taste will become more intense.
  8. The water should still be hot and you need to put dill in it; you can also add other spices to your taste.
  9. When the crayfish are cooked, you need to separate their necks and clean them.
  10. The meat is placed in a heap in a small salad bowl.
  11. The large claw parts of the crayfish are separated from the shell and laid out along the edges of the dish, near the necks.
  12. Next, the almost finished dish needs to be poured with 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. Even though the crayfish meat is very tender, after cooking according to the method we recommend, it turns out even softer and tastier.

Ingredients

  • crayfish;
  • milk;
  • dill;
  • salt;
  • sour cream.

Preparation

  1. The first step is to boil the milk and let it cool.
  2. Next, immerse the crayfish in it and soak for three hours.
  3. Let's get it. We don’t pour out the milk, leave it in the same container or pour it into another.
  4. Mine.
  5. Cook in clean water, adding salt and dill.
  6. We drain the water and fill it with milk in which our arthropods were soaked.
  7. We wait for the water to boil and remove from the heat.

The whole dish is ready!

Serve with sour cream or milk sauce

In cucumber brine

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

Ingredients

  • crayfish;
  • cucumber pickle;
  • sour cream.

Preparation

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

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

On coals

This recipe is not only very good topic that crayfish can be cooked immediately after being caught in nature, but the process itself is also interesting and entertaining. In any case, any fisherman, hunter and simply those who prefer picnics in nature to ordinary home gatherings in the kitchen should know it.

Ingredients

Directly the crayfish themselves and the foil. Preferably one size.

Preparation


Before serving, the crayfish are unwrapped, decorated with herbs and placed on the table.

Crayfish soup

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

Ingredients

  • approximately 200-300 gr. boiled crayfish;
  • chicken broth 0.5 l;
  • 1/2 tbsp. l. cream;
  • oil;
  • 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 (thicker), dill, lime juice, pepper.

Preparation

  1. Cut onions and carrots into cubes.
  2. Next, we separate the necks, clean them, and chop the meat.
  3. We remove the insides from the shell and throw them away.
  4. We put the claws and legs in a bag and beat them off.
  5. Melt 0.5 tbsp in a saucepan. l. butter, add chopped onion.
  6. Add celery and carrots.
  7. Pour in the broth, if there is not enough, add water. A total of three liters of liquid should come out.
  8. Put on fire and boil.
  9. Add chopped shells, spices and salt.
  10. Cook for about thirty minutes.
  11. Next, pour all this into a blender and grind.
  12. We filter. Only the slurry should remain; pour it into a saucepan with heated butter mixed with flour.
  13. Place on the fire and cook for about thirty minutes.
  14. Add the necks, cream and dill.
  15. Salt, pepper, add lime juice and boil.

The whole dish is 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 Few know. Primarily 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 believe that the most delicious crayfish are those caught in the first months of spring. But you should know that catching them at this time is inhumane because... at this time they wear 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.
  • U large crayfish the meat is softer and tastier than that of 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 check, 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 boiled for no more than three days. You can freeze boiled and raw crayfish. The maximum storage period is no more than a month. It is worth knowing that after defrosting, crayfish lose their flavor, and the meat becomes tougher
  • When you are served boiled crayfish at a bar or restaurant, check its 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, this means that the crayfish were already boiled dead, and such crayfish cannot be eaten. The risk of poisoning is very high.

What can cancer eat?

Many parts of crayfish are edible, not just the neck, although it is the most tidbit. Crab is eaten slowly, you still need to understand that this is a delicacy from which you need to get maximum pleasure. From the dish on which these arthropods are presented to you, take one crayfish and place it on the plate. Next, the claws are pinched off and the tail is separated from the body. Then you need to suck out 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 crayfish neck is cleaned and eaten.

Which ones can you eat?

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

Benefit

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

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

You need to add a small amount of salt to the water or already boiled broth (depending on the recipe). Because their shell will allow them to absorb only a certain part. The volume of salt is calculated per volume of water - approximately one tablespoon per liter of water with crayfish. 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

  • The meat from early spring or early autumn is better.
  • In larger individuals, the meat is more tender and juicy.
  • Crayfish 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 consume it earlier, preferably within 12 hours after cooking.

How long can you keep alive?

Crayfish can be stored without water for three days in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.

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

If you froze the crayfish alive, then there is no need to defrost them, but immediately put them in hot water and cook.

Why should you only cook alive?

Dead individuals must be separated from living ones and discarded. Sick individuals die first, so you should never cook them with healthy ones. Don't risk your health and the health of those who will eat them.

This video explains in detail how and how much to cook crustaceans.