Warm Crawfish Salad

Crawfish cook in only a few minutes.

Crawfish, fresh water crustaceans, look similar to small lobsters. They are simple to prepare but you can only eat the tail. Also known as crayfish, crawfish are eaten around the world but particularly in the southeast United States.

Cleaning

Crawfish live in muddy waters so clean them thoroughly before cooking.

Clean the crawfish first by picking through the bunch and throwing out any dead ones. Rinse off the crawfish to remove salt and grit.

Cooking

For a warm salad the best way to cook the crawfish is to poach them. Lower the crawfish into a pot of boiling salted water and allow to cook for three to four minutes, until the shells have turned an orangey brown, says Chef Gordon Ramsay in The Times. Two pounds of crawfish will be enough to serve four people. Drain the crawfish and wait until they are cool enough to handle. Before removing the flesh, remove the crawfish's sand vein from the stomach.

Dressing

The warm crawfish meat will slightly wilt the greens.

Remove the meat and roughly chop. Make a salad dressing from olive oil, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard and lemon whisked together for an infused dressing. Place a handful of wild bitter greens on a plate. Top with the crawfish meat. Drizzle the dressing over the plate. You could substitute prawns or lobster for this warm salad. You can also add green herbs such as mint or basil.

References

• The Times: Crayfish Salad
• Crayfish King: Preparing and Eating Crayfish