Lynne's Country Kitchen
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Crayfish or crawfish are first cousins to the highest of American haute cuisine, the lobster. Prepared in a similar manner, and in as wide a range of dishes - from Cajun to Yankee - crayfish can be substituted for lobster in many recipes.

Nutritionally, they contain the same amount of protein as their sea-going cousin, and more phosphorous than any other fish flesh. Since a large part of the diet of crayfish consists of carrion and vegetable manner, it is essential that crawdads caught for human consumption come from pollution-free water.

There are over 500 species of crayfish worldwide, ranging in size from the American dwarf crayfish, found in Missouri, which grows only up to 1.3 inches in length, to the Tasmanian crayfish, which grows up to eight pounds.

Crayfish flourish in waters 55 to 60 degrees. They shed their exoskeletons in proportion to their rate of growth, as often as three or four times a year. The average life expectancy for a crawdad is about three years, but the "granddaddies" may live to be seven or eight.

The amount of crayfish needed for a serving varies according to the size and variety captured. As a general rule only, 12 medium-sized crayfish (six to seven inches long) are sufficient for one serving; one pound of crayfish; live-weight, is equal to one cup of meat, using tails and claws; and one cup of crawfish meat will usually serve from two to six, depending on the recipe and amount of other ingredients.

Cooking times also follow very general rules; some directions, call for boiling up to an hour, while others suggest as little as five minutes for a small amount. A good general rule is to cook crayfish until they are bright red.

Now comes the hard part-removing the tail meat from the shell and the dark vein, or alimentary canal, from the tail meat. Crawdad connoisseur Jim Auckley recommends using the pointed end of a "church key" can-opener to strip out the vein, but fingernails are also known to work.

Because crayfish, like all fish, are highly perishable, it's good to follow three rules when preparing them: use only live, freshly-caught crayfish from clean water; kill instantly by dropping into boiling water; and keep them chilled until used. I soak in salt water before cooking as an extra cleansing measure.

As anyone who has caught, cooked and prepared a crawfish meal will tell you, it takes a lot of labor for a small amount of meat, but the taste is worth it.