Cooking
Redclaw Crayfish:
Season
Available farmed year round.
Size and Weight
Can reach 600g, but commonly 15cm and 45-120g.
Price
Medium-high priced (live are dearer than cooked).
Similar: Marron (larger) and
Yabby
(generally smaller); Redclaw males can be distinguished by a
red patch on the outside of each claw.
To Buy
Sold mostly whole live, and occasionally cooked and chilled
or frozen. Look for brightly coloured, firm, intact,
lustrous shells, without any discolouration, particularly at
joints, and a pleasant fresh sea smell. If possible buy
live, avoid green (raw dead) chilled Redclaw as it’s hard to
tell how long they’ve been dead.
To Store
Live crustaceans should be consumed as soon as possible
after purchase. Place in a covered container, with
ventilation holes in the top and wet butcher’s paper or
cloth in the bottom and keep in the coolest part of the
house (below 20ºC) for up to 2 days, keeping the paper or
cloth wet. Wrap dead Redclaw in plastic wrap or place in an
airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze
for up to 3 months below -18ºC.
To Cook
Average yield is 25% (lower in larger specimens). Has a
sweet, delicate flavour, low oiliness and moist, firm flesh,
which is translucent when raw and white with orange tinges
when cooked. The most humane, and easiest, method of killing
any crustacean is to chill it in the freezer for about 30
minutes until it becomes insensible (but not long enough to
freeze it). Once chilled, it should be killed promptly by
splitting in half or dropping into rapidly boiling water.
See www.rspca.org.au for more details.
Cooking Methods
Steam, poach, deep-fry, pan-fry, stir-fry, bake, grill,
barbecue. The firm flesh holds together well during most
cooking methods. Undercook, rather than overcook, them, as
they will continue cooking in the residual heat; overcooked
Redclaw become tough. The head and shell can be used to
flavour stocks, soups and sauces.
Marinated Cray Tail Salad
- Redclaw crayfish marinated in balsamic and lime juice,
served over a bed of mixed salad greens with a Balsamic
vinegar, olive oil and mustard dressing.
Redclaw Bruschetta -
Cucumbers, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice and sesame
seeds.
Redclaw salad with Pawpaw (or mango) salsa
- Redclaw crayfish meat cooked with lemon and white wine,
tossed with a salad of papaya, capsicum, coriander, mint,
avocado and spring onions.
Salt & Pepper Yabbies - Yabbies, sea salt,
Alpine pepper, breadcrumbs, rocket leaves.
Yabbies with Aioli - Yabbies, garlic, salt,
eggs, lemon juice.
Crawfish Michaela - Crawfish tails, garlic,
green onions, muchrooms, tomatoes, andouille, white wine,
lemon juice, tomato sauce, cream, red bell pepper, tarragon,
parsley, basil, cracked black pepper, pasta.
Crawfish & Eggplant Casserole - Crawfish tails,
onion, eggplant, bell pepper and celery
Video Recipes showing how to cook Crayfish:
Redclaw Crayfish Recipes (or Crawfish)
Yabby, Marron, Crayfish & Crawfish Recipes
|
Nutritional Information
For every 85g grams raw product
for Yabbies, Crawfish, Crayfish. |
| Kilojoules |
70 |
| Cholesterol |
113 mg |
| Sodium |
80 mg |
| Total fat
(oil) |
1.0 g |
| Saturated
fat |
1% of total
fat |
| Total
Carbohydrate |
0 g |
| Protein |
14 g |
| Dietary
Fibre |
0 g |
| Vitamin A |
1% |
| Vitamin C |
1% |
| Calcium |
5% |
| Iron |
4% |
|
See Also:
Redclaw Crayfish (Cherax
quadricarinatus) Photographs and Information
Catching Redclaw
Crayfish | How to fish for Red Claw Crayfish
Cooking
Redclaw Crayfish | Recipes for Red Claw Crayfish
Fisheries & Aquaculture of Redclaw Crayfish (Cherax
quadricarinatus)
Redclaw
Crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) Links, Resources &
Publications |
