Crawfish, also known as crayfish or crawdads, are fascinating critters that frequently appear on our plates in a variety of gastronomic delicacies.
Knowing whether a crawfish is dead or alive is vital whether you’re a seafood fan or simply intrigued about these aquatic crustaceans.
In this article, we’ll look at the signs that can help you tell the difference between a dead crawfish and a live one. Let’s explore the world of crawfish and learn how to detect minute signs of life or death.
The Anatomy Of A Crawfish
Before we get into the process of recognizing the indications of life and death, let’s take a moment to get a basic understanding of a crawfish’s anatomy.
These beasts feature a hard exoskeleton, a body that is segmented, two enormous pincers, and many legs. The powerhouse of the animal is the tail, which is often referred to as the abdomen. It is responsible for driving the animal through the water.
How To Tell If Crawfish Is Dead?
Look out for these signs to tell if your crawfish is dead:
Take A look At its tail
Looking at the tail is one way to tell if the crawfish is dead. According to the notion, crawfish with straight tails died when they were placed in boiling water.
When a crawfish dies, its abdomen, which is located in the tail, contracts, causing the curling. At a crawfish boil, you should avoid straight-tailed crawfish.
Take A Whiff Of It
You should also smell the crawfish. This can be difficult because it was most likely cooked with spices and other dishes, but if the crawfish was dead and decayed, it would still stink.
Taste The Crawfish
You have to be brave to try this procedure, but you can really taste the crawfish to see if it is dead or alive. Fresh crawfish are virtually addicting, but dead crawfish may taste terrible. If the crawfish tastes awful, it was most likely dead before it was cooked.
Crawfish boils are popular throughout the South, particularly in Louisiana. They boil a lot of crawfish and then spread them out across picnic tables. Cajuns always warn against eating the ones with straight stories, which could indicate that they were dead before being cooked.
If you believe your crawfish smells nasty, don’t eat it. It should have a distinct aroma from the spices and other ingredients used in its preparation.
Texture
Poking and prodding a live crawfish is a sure way to lose a fingertip, but you may take comfort in the fact that the crawfish is looking at you and that its flesh will be firm and unharmed. Your fingertips will feel scratchy and odd in the shell.
If you locate a dead crawfish, the muscles will be lax, the legs and pincers will be easily flopping around, and the tail will be fully exposed and on display. The shell may sometimes form a film or slim, indicating disintegration.
Mould
Crawfish, whether live or fresh, should never have anything like mould on them. They should never expel any liquids or produce any mucous.
Crawfish that have perished are a different story. If the crawfish has been dead for some time, it may have begun to degrade, resulting in the flesh spilling liquids. The rest of your senses will pick up on these cues.
How Long Do Crawfish Stay Good For?
There are a few ways to store crawfish so you can enjoy them for as long as possible, depending on whether you buy them live or already cooked.
How Long Can Crawfish Stay In The Refrigerator?
As was said at the beginning of this piece, crawfish or crayfish must be bought and kept alive before they can be cooked. Fresh crawfish should only be kept for 1-2 days at most because the meat goes bad quickly.
Crawfish and crayfish can be kept for another 3–4 days after they have been cooked. They can be eaten on their own or cooked in a range of tasty dishes. If you need to keep your plain crawfish or extra crawfish for longer, you should freeze them.
How Long Can You Keep Crawfish In The Freezer?
You can enjoy crawfish for days, weeks, or even months by putting them in the freezer. But it’s best to clean the crawfish first and then freeze the tail meat within two hours.
It is terrible to live crawfish to freeze them, so you should not do this. At -17 °C/0 °F, cooked crawfish will last forever. However, it’s best to eat your crawfish within 3 months to get the best taste and quality of the meat.
How Long Can You Keep Crawfish On The Counter?
This is not the best choice. Crawfish shouldn’t be left out on the bar for more than a few minutes before they are cooked. The warmth of the room won’t help them, and it might even be cruel to the crawfish that are still alive.
Crawfish that has already been cooked shouldn’t be left out on the bar because it will go bad faster. If it has to be kept outside, it should be put on a bed of ice and covered to keep bugs and germs from getting in.
Thanks for reading. I hope you find it helpful.