Oh the humanity!

It's DH's birthday today so as a treat I went and bought a fresh crayfish for dinner. I had asked the guy at the fish shop to kill it for me, but he said the most humane way is to freeze it so it goes to sleep. He said it should only take about an hour. This was my first time cooking one so I had no idea..I just thought they would stick a knife in its head or something?..

Anyway, I got home and put it in the freezer and checked an hour later and it was still moving slightly. Left it another half an hour and it seemed to be kind of still moving but DH insisted it was just nerves or something. I still felt it was alive so I got him to chuck it in the boiling hot water and man I'm so sure it wasn't dead cause it really really moved! I felt so guilty!!!

So...who has experience with crayfish? Do you think it should have been well and truly dead by the time we cooked it? Is it normal for them to move quite a bit when you put them in the water?

Ah well...it was delicious..

I don't really remember, but I do have fond memories of crayfish trying to escape from Dad's kitchen sink I wouldn't imagine that it would have to be 100% dead before being put in the pot. You can rest assured it would've been completely dead by the time it reached your plate anyway YUM!

They do not die from freezing in my experience...maybe if you left them for quite a while.
We have found the best/quickest way to kill them is to place them fresh water.

I am surprised it didn't scream at you when you put it in the boiling water!

My uncle just chucks them straight into the pot after he brings them home - that does kill them.

PMSL, poor crayfish!
Did DH enjoy it?

ETA, Duh! I didn't read your post properly! I'm sure in the crayfish kingdom its like the coolest thing to be a birthday dinner. He'll totally be bragging about it to his buddies in the crayfish afterlife.



Edited by caraMel

it doesnt die when you freeze it just puts them in a coma =) and if the little blitter didnt scream then he was asleep and didnt feel anything.......its only its nerves that would have made him move so much...........hope this makes you feel alittle better :)

we just throw them in the pot alive and they let out a bit of a scream sometimes and then go red straight away

but LFAO pepsi!! yet another halerious thread form you!!!

Oh hilarious!!

Yum though

Glad it tasted good and happy birthday to Aron!

I can tell you a terrible story about a friend who went to an Asian restaurant and ate raw crayfish at the table.......... (she doesn't think it was dead either...)

From some recipe site that I found....

Place the crayfish in the cold court bouillon and bring slowly to a boil, simmer for approx. 20 minutes

Placing live crayfish in cold court bouillon (or salted water) achieves three important points:

    * It kills the crayfish in a humane manner
    * It gently cooks the flesh; plunging into boiling liquid will shock the flesh and toughen it
    * It keeps the legs attached to the body; plunging into boiling liquid will shock the flesh and cause them to fall off

and from the Kaikoura Craypots site...
    * To dispatch (euthanise) your crayfish humanely, put it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This is the method recommended by the New Zealand Rock Lobster Industry Council.
    * For best results, cook the dispatched crayfish in boiling seawater. If seawater is not available add a desertspoon of salt to the boiling water.
    * After the crayfish is cooked (between 6-12 minutes depending on size) drop it straight into a sink full of cold water for 30 seconds to prevent it from continuing to cook. Remove and let drain and cool. Many people prefer crayfish cold or lukewarm rather than hot!


Hope you had/have a yummy tea!!!