Crayfish

[chappers]

depends where you are no need for a licence here in the thames water region, If you want a top recipe search for crawfish/crayfish etouffe its the best thing to do with the little critters

[Newt]

Newt, you had me all raring to go out crayfishing.....well that was until you got to the bit about sucking the goo out the head!

 

I'll tell you true - a large kettle out in the yard, dump in 50lbs of potatoes with a heavy dose of crab boil (seasoning mix) and boil until the taters are ready then dump in 50lbs of live crays with more crab boil and cook another couple of minutes. (we bought them in 50lb bags so you needed to have a few friends around to help out)

 

Serve with plenty of beer and you have a feast that is near impossible to top.

[Jan O]

Crayfish are wonderful to eat, I usually boil them i salted water with half an onion and lots of dill (is thar the right word) and one piece of sugar. Tastes like heaven. A beer and a snaps is also needed to make the meal complete. But, crayfish is also anabolicfood for big perch... have you tried to use crayfish as bait? If not do so... and you will have a nice suprise...

[argyll]

Crayfish are wonderful to eat, I usually boil them i salted water with half an onion and lots of dill (is thar the right word) and one piece of sugar. Tastes like heaven. A beer and a snaps is also needed to make the meal complete. But, crayfish is also anabolicfood for big perch... have you tried to use crayfish as bait? If not do so... and you will have a nice suprise...

 

Yep, thats the right word. Got some in the freezer...buy them in the shell from IKEA. They don't just sell furniture

Edited December 2, 2005 by argyll

[Chris Plumb]

depends where you are no need for a licence here in the thames water region,

 

Are you sure??? Thames Region has ALWAYS had a licencing arrangement (my mate lives near Reading) - My understanding is that this has now been spread countrywide...

 

 

See:

 

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/...=&withoutwords=

 

 

C.

[argyll]

Are you sure??? Thames Region has ALWAYS had a licencing arrangement (my mate lives near Reading) - My understanding is that this has now been spread countrywide...

See:

 

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/...=&withoutwords=

C.

 

 

...and still has. A licence is defiinitely required for trapping crayfish in the Thames. The problem is that EA staff in local offices are not all aware that this is the case as I found out after phoning the Shepperton office.

Edited December 2, 2005 by argyll

[Bankside]

I lived in Texas for over 12 years and this is about the nearest I can find to the recipe I know, also you can keep the sauce/soup thick and serve over pasta using extra crayfish, and believe me it is damn good!!!!!

 

Crawfish Bisque Recipe

1/2 cup corn oil or bacon fat

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1-2 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 stalk celery & leaves, chopped

4 scallions, white and green parts chopped seperately

1 quart water

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

8 allspice berries

3 cloves

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 lbs uncooked crayfish tails, with fat if available

hot freshly cooked rice

 

 

1 hour 45 minutes 45 mins prep

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan.

Add the flour and cook, stirring, to make medium brown roux (the color of peanut butter).

Add the onion, garlic, celery and the white parts of the scallions and cook until softened, stirring occasionally.

Gradually stir in the water, then add the tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf, 4 Tbsp of the parsley, allspice berries, cloves, salt, peppers, cayenne to taste and the lemon juice.

Bring to a boil, stirring well.

Chop about one-quarter of the crawfish tails and add with the fat, if available.

Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining whole crawfish tails and simmer, covered for 15 minutes or longer.

Stir in the green parts of the scallions and the remaining parsley.

Serve hot over rice.

NOTE*** If available, add 12 or more stuffed crawfish heads (thawed if frozen) 5 minutes before serving.

[chappers]

You are both correct liciencing was spread countrywide on 1st June this year, when I enquired about licencing a couple of years back the woman at the EA told me I only needed a licence, in Thames region, if I was trapping for commercial purposes.

I miss my supply of crays now I used to work trapping them for a guy years back, we used to set 200 traps a night and he even had holding tanks in his garden fed from the stream so they could be starved for a few days to purge them (it definitely improves the flavour)we used to supply loads of top resteraunts including the savoy and the waterside.

His licence at the time covered him nationwide and was granted under some pest control bylaw, I believe he was one of the first in this country to be granted such a licence.

[Steve Walker]

But, crayfish is also anabolicfood for big perch... have you tried to use crayfish as bait? If not do so... and you will have a nice suprise...

 

Illegal in the UK, I'm afraid.

[Chris Plumb]

crayfish is also anabolicfood for big perch...

 

 

Perch certainly like Signals, this pic is of a baby cray that was sicked up by a 2½lb perch I caught recently. The crayfish was still wriggling! Pity you can't use them as bait...

 

C.

 

Edited December 2, 2005 by Chris Plumb