How to cook crayfish correctly and tasty. How long until crayfish is ready to cook?

How to cook crayfish, how much salt

Before you cook crayfish, you need to choose them correctly and determine the amount of salt. It is difficult to over-salt boiled crayfish; the amount of salt is usually added according to your taste preferences.

The standard proportions of crayfish and salt are 1:1 per 1 liter of water. That is, for every kilogram of crayfish, take one tablespoon of salt and one liter of water.

Let's take a look at the intricacies of preparing fresh arthropods using the example of a recipe for boiled crayfish.

Boiled crayfish in brine

Crayfish in cucumber brine can be prepared in 2 ways.

The taste of crayfish will vary due to the inclusion of additional components.

First way

Crayfish comes with tender fillet and a special flavor.

What ingredients will you need?

To prepare crayfish in brine you will need:

If desired, you can add ground pepper (black or red) to the broth.

Step-by-step cooking process

Boiling crayfish is carried out in compliance with the following steps:

1. Pour the brine into a saucepan and place on moderate heat.
2. When the brine boils, you need to add onion, dill and laurel leaves. After 1 minute, add crayfish.
3. Boil the crayfish for about 20 minutes. 5 minutes before turning off the heat, add sour cream to the brine. Mix the broth well.

Let the cooked crayfish sit in the broth for about 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream sauce (you can mix sour cream with dill or garlic).

Second way

To boil crayfish you will need a minimum list of products.

What ingredients will you need?

To boil crayfish you need to prepare:

If desired, you can add garlic cloves, cut into 2 parts, to the broth.

Step-by-step cooking process

Boiling crayfish is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Pour water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
2. Add salt, pepper and crayfish to the water. Boil for about 5-7 minutes.

3. Then you need to pour the brine and refined oil into the pan. Boil for another 5-7 minutes.

Ready crayfish should sit in the broth for about 20 minutes. Serve sprinkled with fresh herbs.

How to choose the right crayfish

What kind of crayfish should I cook, living or non-living? Live fresh crayfish are considered the best product to eat. We choose fresh crayfish for cooking.

• In living specimens, a sign of freshness is determined by the tail, tightly pressed to the abdomen. When choosing crayfish, give preference to actively moving, living ones. It is better if they were caught in the fall. The meat of autumn specimens, caught from August to October, is fatty and tasty.
• Exactly how long to cook crayfish depends on the size of the selected individuals in their shells. Crayfish come in different sizes - large, medium and small. The size you choose affects the time it takes to boil the crawfish.
• Before the first preparation, after making the right choice, many questions arise: how much salt should I put in when preparing river inhabitants, what should I use to boil live live crayfish? Is it possible to boil dead crayfish?
• Dead crayfish should not be boiled. Before being sent to the pan, arthropods must move, actively move. You can only cook live crayfish! If one or more individuals in the total living mass do not move, they are taken out and thrown away because they quickly decompose.
• The meat of large specimens is tastier; when purchasing and catching, you should take into account the size of the arthropods in order to cook tasty crayfish for beer as a snack.
• The most delicious crayfish are those caught before molting, in winter or spring. This is the ideal period for fishing.
• Catching crayfish in winter or spring is problematic and difficult to find on sale, so after a large catch of live specimens, experienced crayfish fishermen freeze them at home in order to be able to cook frozen crayfish at any time.

FAQ

Most often, people who decide to cook crayfish for the first time have the following questions:

• How long does it take to cook crayfish after boiling?
• how much salt do you need?
• Should they be put into boiling water alive or should they be killed first?
• What else can be added to crayfish besides salt, and why is it not the arthropods themselves that are salted, but the water in which they are boiled?

But besides these important points, you will have a lot of questions during the cooking process.

Which crayfish is better to choose?

Before you start cooking, you should thoroughly wash the delicacy and clean it of dirt, because crayfish live in burrows on the muddy bottom. After this, the crayfish need to be placed literally for half an hour in a basin or bathtub filled with cool water. For what purpose is this being done? In order to keep crayfish alive, the same is done with frozen arthropods. You should not purchase dead crayfish, since it is unknown how long they have lain in this state. For your own safety, it is better to spend more time, but buy a living one. So, now that we have decided which arthropods are the most delicious, all that remains is to decide - how to cook live crayfish?

How can you tell if a product is spoiled?

In fact, the unsuitability of a product cannot always be identified immediately; most people find out about it only during cooking.
As a rule, “bad” crayfish begin to swell and emit an extremely unpleasant odor. At the same time, if several arthropods are cooked at once, but only one is spoiled, then the dish will still not work, since the fetid odor from the stale crayfish transfers to other products. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to leave the spoiled product and eat it. It should be borne in mind that if you eat spoiled boiled crayfish, there is a high risk of ending up in the hospital with food poisoning.

Useful tips

If you are choosing crayfish for the first time, you should give preference to larger arthropods. The reason for this choice is obvious, because their meat is tastier and juicier.

If you are trying crayfish for the first time in a ready-made form, then you can determine their freshness by their appearance - for live-boiled crayfish, the tails are tucked inward. If the tails are straight, it means the crayfish were already boiled dead.

After purchasing, crayfish can be placed in the freezer, where they can be stored for a month, that is, this product can be easily frozen without worrying about its suitability for food.

Once you remove the crawfish from the freezer, they will begin to move again. Because when frozen, living cancer goes into suspended animation.

You should not skimp on spices and salt when cooking, since the meat of arthropods is hidden under a strong shell and if there are not enough spices, the meat will become bland and tasteless. Now it remains to answer the main question - how to cook crayfish at home, the recipe is given below.

How long to cook crayfish after boiling water

How long to cook the crayfish in boiling water until done depends on their size. There is a misconception that when crayfish is thrown into a pan of boiling water, after the water boils, it is ready.

How long to cook crayfish in boiling water? After the water boils, arthropods in their shells reach complete readiness, depending on their size, in varying amounts of time. How many minutes should I cook the crayfish until done?

• Large crayfish are boiled for 45 minutes until tender;
• Medium crayfish should be cooked for 35 minutes;
• Small crayfish are boiled for 25 minutes until cooked; complete readiness is determined by the change in color of the crayfish shell.

Additional spices, herbs, and vegetables added to the broth during cooking eliminate the unpleasant odor of mud, which is often present after caught fish have been in a river or pond.

Cooking crayfish, knowing the intricacies of home cooking, is quite quick; the whole process, including preparation - washing, soaking, cleaning before boiling - takes no more than 30 minutes of time.

Cooking recipes

Despite the fact that most people believe that crayfish are only a snack for beer, arthropods can also serve as a separate dish.
Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to cook crayfish correctly, but thanks to our advice, you will be able to cope with any difficulties. There are a huge variety of recipes for their preparation, but the following are the most common. To understand that crayfish are finally ready, just look at their backs. As soon as the shells turn red, the crayfish are ready. Now, as a rule, they move to the beer hall, since crayfish are associated specifically with beer.

Classic No. 1

You will need the following ingredients:

• dill seeds - to your taste;
• salt - one tablespoon per liter of water;
• peppercorns - seven pieces;
• bay leaf - four pieces.

Place the pan on the stove, pour water into it and wait for the boiling process. After this, place all the seasonings in the water, then place the crayfish in the water and cover with a lid. The fire should be reduced a little. But how long to cook crayfish in boiling water, cooks answer this question ambiguously, for example, in this recipe, crayfish should be boiled for ten minutes, after which the pan with the contents is removed from the heat and left for literally another ten minutes so that the crayfish “simmers.”

Please note that the indicated cooking time will need to be increased if the crayfish are large.

Technology No. 2

To prepare the delicacy according to the recipe below you will need:

• peppercorns - eight pieces;
• bay leaf - four pieces;
• lemon - couple;
• dill seeds - to taste;
• adjika and sour cream - two spoons each.

Water is added to the pan, but unlike the previous recipe, you do not need to wait for the water to boil to place the first ingredients there. Place sour cream, dill, pepper, bay leaf and adjika into cold water; after the water begins to boil, you need to cook the contents for six minutes. That is, here, when asked how many minutes to cook crayfish, the cooks answer that only six to seven minutes will be enough.

The pan is then removed and left to brew for half an hour. Then you need to put it on gas again and wait until it boils, then add salt as indicated in the previous recipe and place the crayfish themselves there. After this, you will need to cook the contents of the pan for another twenty minutes, depending on the size of the arthropods. The proper sour effect can be achieved by sprinkling the crayfish with lemon after the crayfish are ready.

In beer and tomato juice

In order to prepare crayfish according to such an unusual recipe, you should have the following available:

• three tablespoons of salt;
• one and a half liters of tomato juice;
• beer in the amount of one liter;
• a bunch of parsley;
• a tablespoon of dill seeds.

When wondering how long to cook crayfish according to this recipe, we hasten to answer - just twenty-five minutes after the water boils.

Boiled in beer

You will need the same amount of beer as water, but half a liter more. Don't forget that you will also need salt for cooking.

A saucepan into which water and beer have been previously poured is placed on the fire, after which salt is added, but here its quantity is calculated as follows - a tablespoon of salt is added per liter of beer. As soon as it starts to boil, you need to place the crayfish in it and cook for fifteen minutes. After cooking, again, you need to remove the pan from the heat and leave it for twenty minutes.

Please note that when cooking crayfish it is better to use light beer, otherwise the crayfish will acquire a bitter taste.

In sugar

In order to prepare crayfish according to such an unusual recipe, you will need the following ingredients: two kilograms of the delicacy, five tablespoons of table salt, two tablespoons of sugar, dill, three bay leaves and three and a half liters of water.
In this case, it is enough to cook them for only twenty-five minutes immediately after boiling. You will need to rinse the arthropods, as in previous recipes. Then pour water into a five-liter saucepan, wait until the water boils and add sugar, salt, bay leaves and dill, of course, do not forget about the crayfish, which are placed directly in the boiling water. Once the contents of the pan come to a boil, you will need another twenty minutes. Before serving, place the crayfish on a beautiful tray.

How to properly cook crayfish at home

Not many crayfish fishermen and crayfish eaters know how to cook crayfish correctly. Cooking recipes are varied - in beer, water, milk, sour cream, along with corn on the cob. It’s easier to buy ready-made ones with home delivery; only the most delicious ones are crayfish, cooked at home, and, if possible, caught with your own hands in a pond.

As a result of boiling living, actively moving individuals, a classic beer snack is obtained. Boiled crayfish is a delicious meat dish, considered a delicacy among men, properly and tasty cooked at home.

A simple and tasty recipe suitable for cooking live and frozen crayfish with dill in water.

We already know how to cook crayfish, how much salt and what kind of brine to make, as well as how much salt needs to be added in order to cook crayfish correctly. Let's move on to the step-by-step recipe.

Serving: 5

30 min

100 kcal per 100 g

Crayfish in milk with and without sour cream

Crayfish can be cooked in milk with the addition of sour cream, which improves the taste and tenderness of the dish. Below we consider 2 options for preparing crayfish.

First option with milk

The principle of cooking crayfish in milk without sour cream is similar to the previous recipe.

What ingredients will you need?

To boil crayfish you need to prepare:

Additionally, you need to prepare a container with a thick bottom. Spices are used as desired.

Step-by-step cooking process

Boiling crayfish using milk is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Place the crayfish in cooled boiled milk for 2.5-3 hours.

   
   You can also cook crayfish in milk. The recipe is below.

2. After this, you need to pour water into the container and bring it to a boil.
3. Place 50 g of salt and crayfish into the water. Boil for 10 minutes.
4. Then you need to transfer the crayfish into a container with a thick bottom, pour cold milk and add the remaining salt.
5. Place the container on a stove with moderate heat. Stir the milk constantly to prevent it from burning.
6. After boiling, remove the container from the heat, cover with a lid and leave the crayfish in it for about 30 minutes.

After this, use a slotted spoon to place the crayfish into a dish. Serve with sour cream and herbs.

Second option

With the addition of sour cream, the dish not only becomes more tender, but also acquires a special sourness.

What ingredients will you need?

To boil crayfish with sour cream you will need:

Additionally, you can use 5-7 g of ground black pepper.

Step-by-step cooking process

The sequence of actions for boiling crayfish with sour cream is as follows:

1. Pour water and milk into a container with a thick bottom.
2. Place the container over moderate heat.

3. When the contents boil, you need to add salt and sour cream. Mix the ingredients and place the crayfish into the boiling milk mixture.
4. After the broth begins to boil, remove the container from the stove and leave in the broth for 30 minutes.
5. Next, the container must be placed on moderate heat again; if pepper is used, then it must be added at this stage.
6. When the broth boils, the crayfish need to be cooked for about 15 minutes.

Remove the finished crayfish from the broth 20 minutes after removing the container from the heat. It is recommended to serve with sour cream and garlic sauce.

How to cook delicious crayfish at home

1. We wash caught crayfish or purchased but living, actively moving specimens in running water. We clean the shell with a brush patiently and carefully so that no silt remains on the legs and shell.
2. When boiling crayfish, the right broth is very important. The composition of the broth affects the taste. To cook 15 crayfish, you need to take a larger pan. Pour water into a large saucepan to approximately two-thirds of the total volume of the pan, add carrots, bay leaves, pepper, dill, tarragon, and bring the water to a boil. Boiled crayfish taste better with dill; if you don’t have fresh dill, you can use dried herbs for cooking.
3. Place the prepared live crayfish one at a time into boiling water, holding the prepared live crayfish upside down by the tail. Add salt to taste. Boiled crayfish will take as much salt as they need; you don’t have to be afraid to over-salt them. Let the water in the pan boil, cook the crayfish in boiling water over medium heat, covering the pan with a lid.
4. The minimum cooking time for the smallest crayfish is 15 minutes; the readiness of individuals is determined by color. Ready boiled crayfish turn red. Remove the pan from the stove, cover with a lid, let the crayfish stand in hot water for another 5 minutes so that the meat does not boil, but becomes softer.
5. We take the boiled crayfish out of the pan onto a plate and serve it with beer or eat the delicious delicacy just like that.

Remember! You need to cook the crayfish for at least 15 minutes and be sure to keep them in the brine for 5 minutes.

Boiled crayfish storage

Boiled crayfish can be stored on the refrigerator shelf for 2-3 days. Without broth, live and boiled crayfish are stored in the refrigerator freezer for 1 month.

You should not store live crayfish in water - they will quickly disappear. If you store arthropods without water in a cool place, the crayfish will remain alive for several hours.

Frozen live crayfish remain alive; in the cold they simply hibernate and are stored frozen for a long time. After defrosting, the arthropods wake up and begin to actively move, like freshly caught live crayfish, ready for cooking.

Volga recipe with dill, lemon, apples

The recipe is especially recommended if the crayfish smell strongly of mud. The ingredients included in the recipe will not only eliminate it, but also give the dish a noble aroma.

What ingredients will you need?

The composition of crayfish in Volga style includes:

It is recommended to use soy sauce to serve crayfish.

Step-by-step cooking process

The process of boiling crayfish in the Volga style is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Pour water into a container of suitable volume and place it on moderate heat.
2. Cut the apple into 4 parts, lemon into 2 parts.

3. Place cut lemons and apples, as well as dill, into boiling water.
4. Boil the food for about 15 minutes. The apples should soften.
5. After this, the broth must be strained and brought to a boil again.
6. Add salt to the boiling broth and add crayfish. Boil for about 15-20 minutes.

Ready crayfish should lie in the broth for about 20 minutes. Then it is advisable to rinse them in running water to wash off excess salt from the shell.

Dish cooked in beer

Crayfish boiled in beer are considered a special delicacy. The following recipe will help you do it right. All ingredients are given based on 500 g of the original product.

• dill;
• salt 100 g;
• water 500 ml;
• beer 250 ml;
• black peppercorns;
• half a lemon.

How to cook:

1. Boil water and add salt, pepper, dill.
2. Place the crayfish and cover until boiling.
3. After the water has boiled, pour in the beer.
4. Next add half a lemon, cut into slices.
5. Cook until reddened (about 15 minutes).
6. Turn off the stove and leave in the broth for 15 minutes, covered.

To serve, place on a plate and garnish with dill sprigs and lemon slices, you can sprinkle with lemon juice.

How and how much to cook boiled frozen crayfish

1. Remove the cooked frozen crayfish from the freezer and place in a pan of cool water.

2. Carefully inspect all the ponytails - they should be tucked inward.
3. Place the pan on the fire, add salt, pepper and bay leaf.
4. Place the boiled and frozen crayfish into boiling water.
5. Cook for 3 minutes after boiling.

If you live in a private house, be sure to try cooking crayfish according to this recipe over an open fire. Cooked over a fire, they turn out incredibly aromatic and tasty.

Cooking frozen raw and frozen boiled crayfish

Before you start cooking boiled frozen or raw frozen crayfish, you need to defrost them. Defrosting in air takes from 2 to 5 hours. A faster way is defrosting in cold water.

Do not defrost in a microwave oven or other household appliances - the meat will lose its taste.

Frozen crayfish are cooked using the same technology as live ones. The defrosted product is placed in salted boiling water. Cooking time – 11-15 minutes. If the animals are frozen boiled, then it is enough to boil them for only 2-4 minutes.

Features of choosing live crayfish

In a large fish store you can find an aquarium with live arthropods. In order not to make a mistake with your choice, you need to know the features of the appearance of healthy crayfish.

• The color of living individuals is green with a blue tint or brown, always even throughout the entire carapace.
• The tail of a healthy and viable crayfish is pressed tightly against the abdomen. An unpressed crayfish neck is a sign of a sick animal.
• There should be no damage or foreign growths on the shell and claws.
• Cancers should actively move, move their whiskers and limbs.

Some sellers convince that the arthropod simply fell asleep and the “sleep” will not affect the quality. This is wrong. Inactivity indicates imminent death, and poison accumulates in the meat of a dead creature, which causes severe poisoning. Therefore, crayfish are considered a perishable product.

Delicious crayfish with garlic

Crayfish with the addition of garlic are especially aromatic. Their fillets can be used to prepare a variety of snacks, including salads.

What ingredients will you need?

To boil “fragrant” crayfish you need to prepare:

Dill seeds can be used as desired in an amount of 15-20 g.

Step-by-step cooking process

Boiling crayfish with garlic follows the following steps:

1. Pour water into a 4 liter saucepan and add the remaining ingredients (except crayfish).
2. Place the pan over moderate heat and wait until it boils.

3. Place the crayfish in the boiling broth and boil from the moment of boiling for about 10 minutes.

Leave the cooked crayfish in the pan for 30 minutes. After this, they need to be caught with a slotted spoon and placed on a dish.