A Guide for Buying and Cooking Crayfish

Popular in southern American cuisine, crayfish (also called crawfish) are freshwater crustaceans that resemble tiny lobsters. The meat is in the tail, although recipes for soups, stews and sauces rely on the whole crustacean for flavor.

Crayfish sold alive should be very active, scuttling around all over one another. They are also sold frozen (whole) or as cooked tails, sometimes frozen.

Steam or boil crayfish like lobster and crab, or cook them in soups or stews.

Lobster or shrimp can be substituted.

Crayfish Recipes

• Crawfish Boil
• Crawfish Etouffee
• Creole Crawfish Boil
• Fettuccine in Lobster Broth with Shrimp, Crawfish and Crabmeat
• Grilled Crawfish with Spicy Tarragon Butter