Crayfish Concoctions

Crayfish with Poached Asparagus and Brandied Papaya

How to kill a crayfish kindly?

The crayfish (or lobster, which is the term used in other parts of the world), is a very primitive creature without a centralised brain; therefore it cannot be killed instantly with a knife thrust.

The general consensus is freezing it first, before putting it into boiling water is the kindest, and fastest way to kill this crustacean. (About 15 seconds according to experimental evidence). Apparently the poor creature never wakes up from its frozen doze, and in its senseless immobile state, hopefully neither knows or cares what happens to it in the pot.

If you’re wanting to cook crayfish for a gourmet meal, killing them is, of course, a first priority. Enough of this talk. Let’s get down to the business of cooking!

The delicate flavour of crayfish needs subtle accompaniments and sauces that enhance, not mask, the taste. The following recipe is designed to keep all the flavours separated so the diner can experience the true flavour of the cray. Try using one pot to cook everything in. Doing this saves using up too many utensils and precious space in the galley. A brandy bottle, full of the golden liquor, always comes in handy on a boat. For this recipe, use a slurp to steep the papayas in.

Ingredients

2 crayfish
2 bunches fresh asparagus spears (or use fresh beans if you can’t get asparagus)
1 papaya
200 gm butter
2 sprigs parsley
salt and pepper
15 ml brandy
1/4 cup dessicated coconut

Prepare the papaya by slicing and de-pipping it. Place in a small bowl and steep through with brandy.

Blanch the asparagus or beans in a large pot of heavily salted boiling water. The salt helps preserve the green colour of the vegetable. Blanch till softened but still firm, (around 3 to 5 minutes) then remove with tongs and immediately cool in chilled or iced water.

Keep the pot boiling on the stove, drop the crayfish in, cover and cook for around 15 minutes. The crays will be ready when they turn a bright orange colour. Being crustaceans, they will continue to cook after you have taken them from the pot. So even after you have tailed them, if they appear still a bit raw, they will continue to cook through for a while.

After tailing them, put them aside and wash out the pot. Add the butter and melt it over a low heat. Add the asparagus or beans to warm through the butter. When well coated with butter, remove them from the pot and arrange on a dish.

Cut the crayfish into round slices and layer it over the asparagus. Surround with the papaya and finally drizzle the remaining butter over the crayfish. Garnish with a touch of parsley and finish the papaya with a liberal sprinkling of dessicated coconut.