Crayfish
Crayfish should be thrown into boiling water, to which has been added a good seasoning of salt and a little vinegar.
When done, which will be in 1/4 hour, take them out and drain them. Let them cool, arrange them on a napkin, and garnish with plenty of double parsley.
Note. This fish is frequently used for garnishing boiled turkey, boiled fowl, calf's head, turbot, and all kinds of boiled fish.
CRAYFISH, POTTED.
A plain boil-and-cool method for freshwater crayfish, written when they were treated less as a dish in their own right than as a scarlet garnish. Two things need adjusting: the cooking time and the assumption that you can get hold of them freely.
- The timing is the main problemA quarter of an hour turns crayfish tails to cotton wool. Small crayfish need 3-5 minutes in fiercely boiling water, larger ones 6-8; they are done when the shells are uniformly red and the tails have curled tight.
- Which crayfishIn Britain the native white-clawed crayfish is a protected species and must not be taken. Trapping non-native signal crayfish requires a licence from the Environment Agency in England. Buy from a fishmonger, or check your local rules before setting a trap anywhere.
- Live handlingCrayfish are cooked from live, as here. Chilling them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before they go into the pot is commonly recommended to sedate them. Never boil ones that have died beforehand /,