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I think they're similar to shrimp but a little sweeter. I've had them boiled, fried, in etouffee, etc. My favorite way, by far, is just boiled in spicy water and sprinkled with spice when they're pulled out of the water. Lots of people add corn and small red potatoes to the water too.
If you're going to boil some that have been freshly pulled from the water, it's important to purge them and throw out the dead ones.
Crayfish (crawfish, crawdads) are known as poor mans lobster. Crayfish has been known to be substituted for lobster in some restaurant dishes too. To me it does taste very similar to sweet lobster - similar texture also. Delicious prepped most ways you'd cook shrimp or crab. Boils, bakes, bisque - with drawn butter - you name it.
I like crawfish and I like lobster. However, the taste is not that similar. The crawfish has a sweet flvor but tastes more similar to a shrimp. Of course, this does vary by the location where they are grown.
Crawfish (the only thing you hear them called in Texas & Louisiana) are similar in flavor and texture to tender shrimp. You generally just eat the tails (and suck the fat/juice out of the heads), as PennyLane2 said above, boiled with seasonings, corn, potatoes, & even smoked sausage. Crawfish Boils are as much a cultural event as they are a meal, as it takes many pounds to make a meal, so it's best done for a crowd. Beer's usually flowing as well. We had crawfish the other day & just Mr. hellpaso & I ate 7 pounds. This time if the year you can buy them by the 30 pound sack at grocery stores & seafood markets.
If you want to have them in a casserole or pasta dish, it's much easier & trouble free to buy the tails cleaned & frozen. The frozen ones aren't as good as the fresh, but they'll do in a "pinch" (crawfish humor lol! ). If you can, try to only buy the Louisiana crawfish--the Chinese farmed raised ones are cheaper but questionably grown.
What is it most comparable to? Shrimp? Lobster? Other?
Been watching these guys the past 45 years down by my stream but that's as far as it went ... just watching.
Crawfish/Crayfish are fresh water critters, with a similar texture to shrimp or a tiny lobster. In terms of taste, they have somewhat a sweet taste but lack the brininess of saltwater shellfish as they have somewhat of a pond flavor that needs to be eliminated by heavy seasoning.
Most Crawfish boils use plenty of Louisiana style seasoning, and vinegar or lemon in the water. It HAS to be seasoned, and fairly heavily. They work great in gumbos, etouffee, that have a strong flavor profile to begin. One of my favorite ways to eat it is at the Vietnamese crawfish joints that shakes them with hot butter, garlic and cayenne.
A plain boiled crawfish doesn't taste very good, like the taste of a muddy pond and the scent of worms or a bog on a hot summer afternoon (which is basically where they live)
Last edited by ControlJohnsons; 05-14-2016 at 05:36 PM..
I was invited to a crawfish boil and helped the host prepare 2 big coolers worth. we tried our best to separate the dead ones and keep them flushed with fresh water.
I was amazed to watch a few people stand at the table and just keep eating non stop for about 1 hour. I ate a few and lost interest because it was too much work so I picked up some kielbasa and ate those instead.
I've had some and I thought it was like lobster. It was very nice!
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). If you can, try to only buy the Louisiana crawfish--the Chinese farmed raised ones are cheaper but questionably grown.
