The crayfish season has started and ready for the summer menus. This year’s new season of wild crayfish are now shipping from the 16th of June onwards. It is anticipated that that there will be a rush of orders after a six-month hiatus when the crayfish go to ground. This wonderful delicacy, popular in salads, pasta dishes, boils, seafood mixes and BBQ style grills are proving a treat in restaurants, gastropubs, wedding catering and for home indoor and outdoor parties.
Trapped in the nutrient rich chalk stream waters of the River Kennet in Berkshire, England, the wild crayfish from the Kennet Crayfish Company are fresh, humanely processed and delivered chilled, next day to your door; pair the menus with Kennets award winning gin to enjoy a real taste of summer.
Here are some suggested crayfish recipes:
CRAYFISH BISQUE
A great way to make the most of the whole crayfish, this bisque uses the shells, heads and small claws that are left over from your crayfish party!
The ingredient quantities are calculated for approximately 1kg of crayfish, so they can be increased or decreased, depending on how much crayfish you have left over.
Serves 4-6:
1 kg of leftover crayfish (heads, shells, small claws)
2 bay leaves
Handful of fennel stalks (optional)
1 lemon, peeled and cut into quarters
50g butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250ml white wine
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp. plain flour*
2 tbsp. brandy (optional)
A little double cream (optional)
Place the shells, bay leaves, fennel and lemon in a large pan, covering with cold water and boil for 20 minutes before straining and reserving the liquid. The bisque needs approximately 1.5 litres of stock so top up with boiling water, if needed.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook the shallots, celery and carrot over a gentle heat until soft and fragrant. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute or two before adding the wine. Cook until the wine is reduced by about half then stir in the cayenne and tomato purée, mixing well before sprinkling over the flour and whisking briskly to remove any lumps. Cook for a minute or two then add the crayfish stock a little at a time, mixing well to ensure no lumps are forming. Simmer gently until thickened, then blitz until smooth using a stick blender. Pour through a sieve in a large bowl, pressing down with the back of a spoon to push through as much as possible. Pour back into the pan and season to taste before reheating, adding the brandy and cream, if you fancy! Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
*Traditionally chefs would thicken the soup by grinding some of the crustacean shells into an ultra fine powder.
PAD THAI WITH CRAYFISH
Serves 4
Pad Thai Sauce –
40g palm sugar (it is possible to use normal sugar but palm sugar gives the most authentic flavour)
Juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp. Thai fish sauce
4 tbsp. soy sauce
1 large red chilli, sliced in half
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1cm chunk of ginger, finely grated
First make the Pad Thai sauce, I often do this in advance and store it in the fridge. Make sure you have some extra palm sugar, lime juice and soy sauce available.
Mix all the ingredients together in a small pan, bring to the boil for a minute or so, then reduce the heat and gently simmer until the sugar has melted. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The sauce should have a distinct blend of salty, sour, sweet and spicy. This is very personal, so add a little more of any or all the ingredients to get it just right. I usually remove the cooked chilli, finely chop, and add it back into the sauce.
Pad Thai –
150g dry rice noodles, medium size, soak in room temp water for about 30 minutes until soft
A little coconut oil for frying
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 carrot, peeled and finely sliced into batons
1 courgette, finely sliced into batons
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cm chunk of ginger, grated
2 tbsp. dried shrimp paste
4 roughly chopped spring onions
200g cooked, peeled crayfish meat (tail and claw)
Approximately 120g bean sprouts
50g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
Garnishes and condiments for serving –
Fresh coriander, chopped
Chilli flakes
Roasted peanuts
Sliced limes
Drain the noodles and cut in half with scissors. This makes them easier to toss and separate in the wok.
Heat a wok or a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat and add just enough coconut oil to coat the bottom. Add in the onions and carrot and fry for a few minutes, as you go pour over a little of the Pad Thai sauce. Continue to add the courgette, garlic, ginger, shrimp paste and spring onions to the wok and fry until everything is almost cooked but not too soft. Now tip in the noodles, crayfish, bean sprouts and peanuts. Pour over some more of the Pad Thai sauce and continue to stir and cook until the beansprouts wilt a little. Serve immediately with a selection of garnishes.
The Kennet crayfish are available fresh par-cooked & fully cooked. They also come in cooked ready to eat Micvac packs of 500g Net Weight in brine or in a Swedish style sauce with 21 days refrigerated shelf-life.
Kennet Crayfish can be purchased from the website www.kennetcrayfish.com
