Louisiana Crawfish (Procambarus clarkii)

The oil spill has me thinking about Creole cuisine, and I had a chance to have some crawfish the other day (check back on Friday to learn more).  This is something I've enjoyed on probably less than 10 occasions, but this diminutive freshwater cousin of lobster tastes every bit as good, if you're into that sort of thing.

History: The word crayfish, or crawfish if you're from the South, is a generic term for any freshwater crustacean that resembles a lobster.  As such you can find some crawfish in most any cuisine, to a greater or lesser extent.  But the most well known use of the crawfish is in the Creole and Cajun cuisines.  The Louisiana crawfish, also known as the red swamp crawfish, is the most commonly eaten.

Worldwide Production: ~25 thousand tons, 90% of which are from Louisiana, and of that, 70% is eaten in Louisiana.

Growing: The majority of crawfish eaten today was farmed in a freshwater pool in Louisiana.  There are an estimated 500 square kilometers of such pools (that's five times the size of Quabbin Reservoir, for a size comparison).  These particular crawfish can grow unusually quickly, especially in warm waters; they can even tolerate a bit of salinity.

Harvesting: Even though they are farmed, they still need to be caught the old-fashioned way - by baiting and trapping.  I can attest from my childhood that crawfish can be caught with bare hands, although I don't generally recommend it!

Eating and Processing: Just like lobster, most of the crawfish is inedible shell.  Although the claws and legs have edible parts, practically speaking the only part of the crawfish that is eaten is the tail.  They are also cooked much in the same way as lobsters, i.e. boiled alive.  Then there is crawfish "fat" which is an orange oil extruded from an organ called the hepatopancreas.  This fat is along the lines of butter (about 30% fat) and is used in some types of dishes.

Health Information: A three ounce serving of crawfish meat has a lot cholesterol (116 mg = 39% RDA) and also a lot of protein (30% RDA).  There is also ample copper, phosphorous, and selenium.  A final nice bit here is that, like any animal product, crawfish has quite a lot of vitamin B12 (44% RDA  in those 3 oz.).  The crawfish "fat" has extremely high levels of cholesterol.  So is this type of dietary cholesterol bad or good?  No answers on that one, my friends.

Sustainability: Yay!  United States farmed crawfish earn the best choice ranking from Seafood Watch.  Not only are they native to the area where they're farmed, but they are often part of a crop rotation with rice which is mutually beneficial.  On the other hand, imported crawfish are generally not such a good thing, and earn the avoid sticker from Seafood Watch.  This is because the species is potentially invasive in other habitat, and farming conditions are not up to snuff, especially in China.

Where to Find: The crawfish season is March through June (now).  You don't need to go to Louisiana to find them but that would be the easiest thing...

Relevant Blog: LSU Ag Center Blog: Do not expect any comments about sustainability here, on this boosterish blog - but it does have interesting comments about the process.

Bottom Line: Crawfish are a sustainable alternative to lobster; if you can get any out of Louisiana, enjoy it!

References:
1. Wikipedia
2. Crawfish production information
3. Crawfish nutrition facts
4. Seafood Watch crawfish page 
5. Image from Flickr Creative Commons