Chargrilled Crayfish with Horseradish & Lime Butter
Producing crayfish at a barbecue or any entertaining situation always seem to create a mild frenzy amongst those lucky enough to be present. For lovers of seafood, it generally is at the top of most people's lists! For many years the price of crayfish has excluded it from most Kiwi tables. However over recent years we have seen the price of these "ocean bugs" drop dramatically. And with the resource being managed more effectively these days, supply is plentiful.
If I'm serving crayfish cold I generally accompany it with a mayonnaise based sauce such as tartare or herb aioli. When serving this delicacy hot, I find a liberal brush with our wonderful New Zealand butter and a squeeze of lemon juice, hard to pass up. Here, I'm using fresh limes and a good horseradish paste, which gives the butter some real zing and helps cut through the richness of the crayfish. I'd serve a nice chilled zesty Riesling with this.
DEALING WITH LIVE CRAYFISH
Firstly never buy a dead crayfish. That goes for all crustaceans, as once dead, they can go off extremely quickly. The most humane method for ending the life of a crayfish is to submerge it in cold fresh water for about half an hour. Once dead, take your largest and heaviest knife. To split a crayfish in half, start at the top of the head, applying a good amount of pressure and keeping centred as you cut down through the body, then tail. Once you have two halves, remove the gut section in the body and the poo tube from the tail.
Serves 10
Step 1: Horseradish & Lime Butter
Ingredients:
- 500gms Butter (unsalted)
- 3-4 Limes (Juice & Minced Zest)
- 1 Cup Horseradish Paste
- Salt & Pepper
Method
Bring the butter up to room temperature. Roughly chop and place in a cake mixer bowl with a whisk attachment. Whisk till airy and light, then add the lime juice, zest and horseradish. Scraping down the sides, mix until fully incorporated. Lastly add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate what you require to use and freeze the excess for another occasion.Step 2: Cooking & Serving
Ingredients:
- 5 Crayfish split and cleaned
- Horseradish Lime Butter (at room temperature)
- Salt & Pepper to season
- Lime halves to garnish
Method
Heat the chargrill to maximum temperature. Oil and season the flesh side of the crayfish and cook five at a time. Place on the grill flesh side down. Depending on the size of the crayfish, cook for a couple of minutes on both sides. You can tell the crayfish is cooked by two ways. Firstly, the shell has turned a bright orange and secondly, the flesh comes away from the tail with ease. Once cooked, brush liberal amounts of the butter over them, give them a squeeze of lime juice and garnish with an extra wedge of fresh lime.Site navigation
