Crawfish is a kind of freshwater treat that is delicious in gumbo, stews and other dishes.
In Louisiana, crawfish are plentiful from December to June. Because of this, you may quickly discover that you have more crawfish than you can reasonably eat right away.
By learning how to freeze crawfish, you can store this tasty ingredient for future meals.
How Do You Freeze Crawfish?
Luckily, learning how to freeze crawfish is fairly straightforward.
One of the easiest ways to prepare crawfish is by boiling them in seasoned water.
Once they are cooked, you can use the following steps to freeze them.
- Wrap the cooked crawfish in a freezer bag. Try to remove as much air as possible.
- Pop the crawfish into the freezer right away.
Whole crawfish do not last as long as tail meat. To help your crawfish last for longer, you can crack them open to access the tail meat.
In order to freeze the tail meat, you should use the following techniques.
- Place your thumbs on the underside of the tail.
- Your thumbs should press on the edges until the shell breaks apart.
- Remove the tails. They should be placed in a solution of water and lemon juice for one minute. This will help prevent discoloration.
- Remove the mustard. This section is high in fat, so it will become rancid in just a month or two. The vein should also be removed.
- Put the tails in vacuum bags or freezer bags.
- The tail meat can last for two to six months in the freezer.
Cooked crawfish is extremely perishable. If it is left out for any length of time, it will go bad.
Because of this, you should put it in the refrigerator or freezer as soon as everyone is done eating.
While tail meat can be frozen for two to six months, whole crawfish will only last for a month or two in the freezer.
Can You Freeze Raw Crawfish?
You can freeze raw and cooked crawfish. Many people recommend cooking crawfish first because the cooking process locks in their texture and flavor.
If you freeze raw crawfish, they will only last for two or three weeks. After that, the quality level will quickly start to decline.
How Do You Thaw Frozen Crawfish?
After you learn how to freeze crawfish, the next step is figuring out how to thaw them out.
Since most people cook crawfish before they freeze them, you should be careful about cooking them again. Overcooked crawfish can become tough and dry.
To thaw out the crawfish, you can start by placing the freezer bag or package in a sink of water.
Allow the crawfish to sit in the sink for three to four hours. Then, you should prepare a pot of boiling water. You can add seasoning to the water.
Remove any liquid from the crawfish. Then, you can add the crawfish to the pot of water. After the water reaches a simmer, turn off the heat.
Allow the crawfish to sit in the water for about five to eight minutes.
After this time period has passed, you can serve the crawfish with your favorite seasonings and side dishes.