Crayfish as food

Crayfishare eaten all over the world. Like other edible crustaceans, only a small portion of the body of a crayfish is edible. In most prepared dishes, such as soups,bisquesandétouffées, only the tail portion is served. Atcrawfish boilsor other meals where the entire body of the crayfish is presented, other portions, such as the claw meat, may be eaten.
Claws of larger boiled specimens are often pulled apart to access the crayfish, as seasoning and flavor can collect in the fat of the boiled interior.
Australia is home to genusCheraxwhich is distinct from European, Asian and North and South American species. Two of the Australian edible crayfish are the common yabby (C. destructor) and the red claw (C. quadricarinatus). The common yabby is closest in size to the North American species, but is not considered to be commercially viable outside Australia because of its relatively slow growth and small size. The "red claw" crayfish are twice the size of North American crayfish and they contain 30% edible "meat" compared to 15% forP. clarkii. Other Australian species are fairly rare and thus usually are not used for food. Their slow growth generally makes them inefficient for aquaculture.
The crayfish culinary trend swept mainland China since the late 1990s, and now as the world's largest producer and consumer of crayfish, all of China's crayfish are farmedProcambarus clarkii. Crayfish are prepared in a variety of different ways in different regions, with the most popular way being spicy (a combined flavor of Sichuan pepper and hot chili) stir-fried with other ingredients, or stir-fried with minced garlic or salted egg yolk for those who can't eat spicy food, steamed whole for those who prefer lighter flavors, or putting them inHuadiao jiu(sometimes using other typeHuangjiu, or even more wines) for 5-8 hours after steaming. InBeijing, thema laflavored crayfish (麻辣小龙虾) is shortened to "ma xiao" (麻小) and is often enjoyed with beer in a hot mid-summer evening. Crayfish soaked in wine are more common in the East region, and are often referred to as "bing zui"（冰醉, which means ice-drunken).
In France, dishes with a base or garnish of crayfish (écrevisse) are frequently described asà la Nantuaise(in the style ofNantua).
Crayfish tails and butter are also used to flavor theNantua saucecommonly served withquenelles. Crayfish and fried eggs are the historically common garnish forchicken Marengo, although they are often omitted today.
Aninvasive species, theMarbled crayfishare eaten in Madagascar.This species isparthenogenicwhere the eggs hatch without fertilisation, meaning that they are all clones of each other. Human interest in consuming them may be helping them to spread100-fold from 2007 to 2017.
The Mexican crayfish locally namedacocilwas a very important nutrition source of the ancient MexicanAztecculture. Other regional names for crayfish are chacales, chacalines and langostinos. Today, crayfish is consumed mainly boiled, similarly to crayfish dishes in other parts of the world, or prepared with typicallyMexican sauces and condiments, particularly in central and southern Mexico. Traditional preparations include soups, tacos and "cocktails" similar to shrimp dishes.
Crayfish are usually smoked, and occasionally sun-dried, and they form an indispensable food item in the diet of the people of the entire southern states in particular and Nigeria as a whole. It is a core ofNigerian cooking.
Crayfish is a popular dish inSwedenandFinland, and is by tradition primarily consumed at acrayfish party, calledkräftskiva, during the fishing season in August. The boil is typically flavored withsalt,sugar,ale, and large quantities of stems and flowers of thedillplant. While most Americans eat them warm, the Swedes and Finns normally eat them cold after letting them sit in a brine over night.One traditionalSwedishand Finnish practice is to eat crayfish with a vodka orakvavitchaser. Most crayfish in Sweden are fished by professional fishermen or by lakeside property owners. The only lake where crayfish fishing is not limited to professionals and landowners is in Lake Vättern.The catch of domestic freshwater crayfish,Astacus astacus, and even of a transplanted American species,Pacifastacus leniusculus, is very limited, and to satisfy demand, the majority of what is consumed has to be imported.
InRussiaandUkraine, crayfish (раки, sing.рак) are a traditional seasonal appetizer that is used as an accompaniment to beer and liquor. Although native varieties tend to be larger (usually,Astacus astacus), rampant freshwater pollution and years of overfishing largely limit availability to imports—most from Armenia, Kazakhstan and China. Prior to cooking, the crustaceans are soaked in water or milk, then boiled live for 7–15 minutes in rapidly boiling salted water with additional ingredients, such ascarrots,onion,dill,parsley,bay leaf,peppercorns. More extravagant preparations include such ingredients as white wine, beer,sour cream,cloves,caraway seed,coriander seed,chili peppers,stinging nettle, etc.Russians rarely incorporate crayfish into complex dishes and, unlike other cultures, they usually consume the entire crayfish, short of the shell and the antennae. Russian and Ukrainian fascination with crayfish goes back quite far and generates considerable lore. An old proverb: "When there is no fish, even crayfish is a fish." There are as many myth associated with picking the freshest live crayfish as there are for picking ripewatermelons. Russians and Ukrainians, generally, will not cook fresh crayfish if the crustaceans are dead or perceptibly lethargic. (But pre-boiled frozen specimens are acceptable.)
In Spain, crayfish is calledcangrejo de río(lit. "river crab"). They used to be widely consumed, especially inCastile and LeónandAragon, but over-fishing and the introduction of non-native crayfish species (e.g.Procambarus clarkii, commonly calledcangrejo americano) led to a dramatic decline in crayfish population. Nowadays they remain as a seasonal delicacy, usually stewed intomato sauce, although fishing the native crayfish is strictly forbidden since the species is nearly extinct. Instead of the native crayfish, it is common to fishProcambarus clarkiiorPacifastacus leniusculus, also present in most of theSpanish rivers.
In the United States, crayfish are often referred to ascrawfish,crawdads,fiddlers,crawdaddies, ormudbugs. As of 2018, 93% of crawfish farms in the US were located in Louisiana.In 1987, Louisiana produced 90% of the crayfish harvested in the world, 70% of which were consumed locally.In 2007, the Louisiana crayfish harvest was about 54,800 tons, almost all of it from aquaculture.About 70%–80% of crayfish produced in Louisiana areProcambarus clarkii(red swamp crawfish), with the remaining 20%–30% beingProcambarus zonangulus(white river crawfish).Despite the large-scale production in Louisiana, most frozen crayfish available in supermarkets in other states are Chinese imports. As early as 2003, Asian farms and fisheries produced more red swamp crayfish (P. clarkii) than the Americas, and this trend accelerated in subsequent years. By 2018,P. clarkiicrawfish production in the Americas represented just 4% of total globalP. clarkiisupply, with Asian production accounting for the rest.
In Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Southeast Texas, crayfish are generally served at a gathering known as acrawfish boil. The crayfish are usually boiled live in a large pot with heavy seasoning (salt,cayenne pepper,lemon,garlic,bay leaves, etc.) and other items such aspotatoes,corn on the cob,onions,garlic,mushrooms, turkey necks, andsausage. There are many differing methods used to season a crawfish boil, and a wide variety of opinions on which one is best.Other popular dishes in theCajunandCreolecuisines of Louisiana include crawfishétouffée,friedcrawfish,crawfish pie, crawfish dressing, crawfish bread,crawfish bisqueand crawfishbeignets.
In Houston, Texas, a regional style ofVietnamese-Cajuncrawfish has developed.
TheCherokeehave a long tradition of catching crawdads bygigging. The crawdads are cleaned, then soaked, "in hot water with about one tablespoon of salt." The crawdads are lightly breaded withcornmealbefore frying, and seasoned with salt and pepper.
In the United Kingdom, the invasive North American speciesPacifastacus leniusculus(signal crayfish) are caught and exported to Europe for food.
Like all crustaceans, crawfish are notkosherbecause they are aquatic animals that have neitherfinsnorscales.They are therefore not eaten by observantJews.
In 2018,Switzerlandwas the first country to ban the live boiling of lobsters.Norway,Austria,New Zealandand someAustralianterritories also place restrictions on the inhumane treatment of lobsters. Cities inGermanyandItalyalso have explicitly banned the practice of boiling lobsters alive.
In 2021, a study conducted by experts from theLondon School of Economicsconcluded there was "strong scientific evidencedecapod crustaceansandcephalopodmolluscs are sentient". As of 2025, boiling lobsters alive remains common practice in the UK, although lawyers have argued that it could be considered illegal under animal welfare legislation. Lobsters in the UK have been legally recognized as sentient beings since the introduction of theAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022.