Stuffed Crayfish

Crayfish dishes have been known since time immemorial. Old recipes mention everything from simply boiled crayfish to fragrant crayfish bisque, or more refined preparations such as « Cardinal » sauce, crayfish pudding, stuffed crayfish, and many others.

It is well known that the Swedes are great crayfish enthusiasts. In August, they celebrate the Kräftskiva festival. They decorate shop windows, light colourful lanterns, and wear funny little paper hats. The Spanish have adopted this tradition too, and since 2011 the town of Herrera de Pisuerga has been hosting the crayfish festival « Festival Nacional del Cangrejo de Río ».

While stuffing the crayfish, I found myself remembering how we used to play as children in the garden. In those far-off days there were no « gadgets », so we made do with whatever came to hand. One time, Grandma bought some crayfish and dropped them into a bowl of water — what fun that was! Armed with little sticks, we chanted: « I'm a poor little crayfish — one pinch and you'll know it! » We laughed and laughed! When the crayfish tried to crawl out of the bowl, the brave ones among us would nudge them back into the water with our sticks. And when a crayfish seized a stick in its claw, the shrieks were enough to be heard all across the garden. We played like this until the time came to cook them…