red signal crayfish anyone ?

[stinkymilo]

just got theses two from the river Thames at Lechlade today after about 40 mins.

Yummy!!

 

[Ex Member lyndon]

ive had the ea application form for months now you have to name the water the owner and the time and date you intend to fish before the permit it given ........also had th traps for 2 or more months its about time i got off my butt and tried it, also have a canoe now .........i see a plan forming mwa ...mwa......mwahahahahahHAHAHA oops sorry its the mad doctor in me (tree surgeon lol)

 

[Toddster]

I'm very new to this forum, so forgive me if its been asked before, but has anyone tried eating these signal crayfish?

The reason for asking is that I'm based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire and have found a local part of the river that's stocked to the brim with the things! Although i now see i'm ment to kill the 'signals' if i catch them (And i do alot on rod and line) i do think its rather wastefull to do so for no reason.

Since its a free and abundant resourse & I'm not new to the 'taking from the natural larda' way of thinking, i was hoping to be able to put them to some use in my kitchen, but am relunctant to at the moment as i cant find any reference to whether they are 1) Safe to eat from the Thames or 2) Should be avoided because of the fungus infection they carry?

Any help would be most greatfully recieved!

Thanks

Toddster!

 

[Ogri the trog]

Hi Toddster and welcome to the forum,
From what I'm lead to believe, the red signal crayfish make excellent eating, cooked like lobster.
There are stretches of waterways that have large populations but your terminology of "stocked" made me smile.
I'm also lead to believe that you need a license to take them (which stikes me as daft in the extreme) despite the requirement to destroy any that are caught. A quick chat at your local fishing tackle shop should glean all the necessary information.

Oops, jusr reread the entire thread - all the info appears to be here already!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Toddster]

Thanks for the welcome & info 'Ogri' but i've tried that local source of info already and not really recieved a decent answer to be honest as i've just been told "I wouldnt eat them!"

As I'm an ex-chef, i'm more than able to find a suitable dish to do them justice. But its just the question of whether those from the Thames in Oxfordshire are OK to eat.

I guess its a water clarity issue i'm addressing really.....so has anyone actually eaten any fish /cray fish from Thames? Any thing to watch out for or any good sites to research?

Thanks again.

The Toddster!

 

[Toddster]

I've just spoken to Thames Water and althought the official line is 'dont eat them' the actually head guy i spoke to suggested i 'cook them with a little butter and garlic' so guess what going to be having for my dinner this evening!

If i dont post again you know not to follow my lead on the ones caught in and around Abingdon!

 

[madrussian]

Butter and garlic? Try cooking them Cajun style. You don't know what your missing. Here in South Louisiana we are experts at cooking crawfish (crayfish).

 

[Moonraker]

Butter and garlic? Try cooking them Cajun style. You don't know what your missing. Here in South Louisiana we are experts at cooking crawfish (crayfish).

Great idea madrussian. Just need an authentic recipe (big hint)

I found a few when I was looking at cajun recipes a while ago. Some ideas to get you going;

Cajun Crawfish - Recipes

They are not the most authentic of recipes (French Onion Soup in a Jambalaya ) but gives a start.

Here is a really good recipe for a crayfish sauce to go with steak and other dishes. Really intense flavour;

Makes: 2 2/3 cups servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Ready In: 48 minutes
Perfect sauce to put on steaks like Steak Diane, baked fish, flounder, fried fish or crab cakes and stuffed crab.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter divided (1 stick)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup bell pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp dry white wine
1 pound peeled crawfish tails
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup mushrooms
dash of hot pepper sauce

Directions
Melt half of the butter in a heavy sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until vegetables are wilted 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in wine, and then add crawfish, green onion and mushrooms. Cook about 5 minutes or until crawfish are hot and wine is slightly reduced. Stir in cream and hot pepper sauce and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until cream is reduced and thickened. Remove from heat. Cut remaining 1/4 cup butter into pieces and add a few pieces at a time stirring constantly. Adjust seasoning and serve.

A tip I use for getting even more flavour out of the crayfish is to flame the crayfish shells and use those to make a stock in a French style. Yum.

One recipe on my list for a BIG party is this one

Cooking Crawfish by Leonce Collins - How to boil crawfish Cajun style!

Now that looks the real deal

Finally a nice traditional French recipe which also has a snazzy video clip to go with the recipe (in French and English)

Crayfish Mousse in Aspic

You don't need to bother with the aspic/ jelly Also whack it into a dish and serve warm on melba toast....

Follow the link on the page for the regional speciality 'Crayfish à la Bordelaise' where they also show the tip for flambéeing the shells.

Remember, like prawns, to remove the black central gut to avoid a bitter flavour (see video clip) and a bit more detail;

Cleaning and Cooking Crayfish

The freshwater crayfish not only looks like a miniature lobster, but tastes almost as good as its
salt-water relative. The first step to preparing crayfish for the table is to wash the live crayfish in
cool, clean water. After washing, the crayfish are blanched (par boiled) in hot water for about
five minutes. This process kills and cooks the crayfish, kills any bacteria present, turns the
crayfish a brilliant red color, and facilitates peeling the meat from the claws and tail. Next,
remove the intestinal track by twisting and pulling the middle flipper of the tail. Some prefer to
cook only the claws and tails. After simmering, remove the meat from the claws and tail, add
butter, salt, and pepper, and enjoy; crayfish meat may be served hot or cold.

Or split the cooked and cooled crayfish in two and remove with a knife. Also, the way to kill a crayfish (which you have to do in France before you can move them) is to pull and twist the tail as this breaks the intestinal track and kills the crayfish.

happy eating

 

[madrussian]

I don't know if crawfish boil seasoning is available in your area. I use a brand called Cajunland. There are plenty in our area. Most are very peppered. :yikes: We like to boil or steam them in seasoning and add a few other items like corn, sausage, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, brusselsprouts, etc. You get the idea. Makes for a good time.

 

[asemery]

Several crayfish have wandered into the small trap I made for minnows. Tony

 

[beverley57]

Lyndon we have loads of creyfish in a pond by me, Pen y fan pond at Croespenmaen about 4 miles south of Tradegar, I used to catch them at night by the bucket full, all you needed was some bait and a childs fishing net, unfortunately the local council and the enviromental agency have imposed permits due to the fear of someone releasing them in the local rivers I'm going through the process of getting a permit and will keep you posted

Ian

Hi Elma...would like to send you a PM..but keeps telling me your inbox is full!!
cheers

Wayne