Straight from the ditch into the pan? This is what you need to know about crayfish
Since the last time we wrote about the national crayfish infestation, the situation hasn’t improved much. On the contrary, the infestation is growing and becoming more urgent, and the invasive (American) species is still on a kind of tour of destruction. These little creatures are emptying local waterways and mowing down everything they can get their claws on, potentially weakening dikes and walls. What do you think: get your own back by throwing them in the pan?
First, of course, comes the question: is this an edible species? And then: are you actually allowed to do that, emptying a ditch or canal to put a tasty salad or pasta with crayfish on the table? It would certainly be a lot cheaper than those expensive little tubs from the supermarket…
Questions answered
To start with the first question: absolutely, these American crayfish are edible. In fact, they’re precisely the species usually farmed for consumption, because they’re hardy and contain plenty of meat. Many of the crayfish sold in supermarkets here are farmed in China and imported, so it might even seem much more sustainable to get started yourself with a landing net, right? But that brings us to the second question: are you allowed to?
Get your fishing rod out of the shed
In short: no. If, as a private individual, you start using a landing net or small trap and a bucket, you’re officially poaching. Only professional fishers with ‘shellfish rights’ are allowed to catch crayfish on a large scale. As a private individual, you’re limited to a fishing rod, and people even mention using a rod with a clothespin holding raw meat to lure them over and get them to bite. Then carefully pull them off while watching your fingers, and head home to the kitchen.
A sustainable choice
According to Bart van Olphen of Fish Tales and Irene Kranendonk of Good Fish (who also show online where you can buy crayfish if you don’t want to go fishing yourself), simply catching and preparing this species instead of buying the imported version from the supermarket would be a very sustainable and tasty alternative. According to van Olphen, you can use them for anything you would otherwise do with shrimp; when alive, they’re just a lot more aggressive. So if you decide to take the plunge and try that wild catch, be careful!
Read also:
- Shrimp vs. prawns: what’s the difference?
- Common mistakes when preparing shrimp
- 10x the most delicious dishes in the world
Source: RTL Nieuws, AD
