Conditions and terms of storage of live and boiled crayfish at home

In this article, we will look at how to store live crayfish during transportation and at home.

Crayfish is a delicacy rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. Catching or purchasing crustaceans is not difficult, but storing them is quite difficult. Failure to comply with the rules leads to rapid spoilage of the product, loss of taste and beneficial qualities.

Crayfish can be stored live or boiled for several days (they cannot be stored for a long time)

Do not keep crayfish in tap water. It is rich in chlorine, heavy metal salts and other impurities, which cause animals to quickly die. The optimal environment for crustaceans is river, bottled or well water.

Rules for transporting live specimens

Crayfish die quickly after being caught, so you need to get them home and cook them as quickly as possible. Dead specimens, even if cooked, are dangerous to eat.

Not every container is suitable for transportation. You need to take a plastic container, fill it with water, put in the arthropods and cover with a perforated lid.

You can use wooden or cardboard boxes with wet cloth and seaweed on the bottom. There must be a supply of oxygen. Storing live crayfish in this way can last no more than two hours.

A canvas bag is also used for transportation, but it should not be exposed to sunlight.

The fishing store sells a special thermos into which river water is poured and crayfish are placed. In this form they can live up to 12 hours, but do not forget to change the water every 3-4 hours.

After catching the crayfish yourself, they should be transported in a plastic container. And alternate: lay out a layer of vegetation, then crayfish, again algae and quickly close them so that they do not crawl into the corners. Secure the container during transportation so that there is no shaking and the shells are not damaged.

During transportation, crayfish should be provided with food. Raw potatoes, chopped nettles, green peas or other plant products are suitable for this.

A little about water

Of course, the most suitable water for crayfish is river water. For the first time, you can bring it with you (if you caught the prey yourself). However, of course, no one will go to the reservoir to pick up a shift. To make tap water easier for crayfish to perceive, it is better to collect it and settle it, as is done for indoor plants.

You need to pour water into the container that is not cold, not lower than 17 degrees, but not higher than 23 - some species of arthropods have a negative attitude towards too warm water.

As for rigidity, you don’t have to fight it. Some crayfish do not live in soft water because it lacks salts and the shell gradually breaks down. But we don’t breed them, we simply maintain their viability, so this can be neglected.

Preserving live crayfish correctly

Experts in their sale and consumption know how to keep crayfish alive. It is recommended to comply with a number of conditions.

• The container must contain clean water without chlorine. Filtered or tap water will not work.
• Feed 2-3 times a day. You can use lettuce, grated raw carrots, or special food from a fishing store.
• Place the container in a cool place.
• Provide sufficient oxygen supply.

Large container with clean water

Crayfish will live longer if you prepare large containers made of ceramic, glass or plastic for them. Calculate the volume for each individual, 2 liters. This will allow them to swim and move freely along the bottom.

Wash, dry the container and pour in cool river or lake water, the temperature of which is up to +15°C. Make holes in the lid for the required air flow.

Change the water and feed the animals daily. If there is no suitable container, you can temporarily place the crayfish in a bath with river water. They will be able to live for about 4 more days.

If crayfish are trying to get out of some container and are fussing, it means they don’t like the living conditions. You need to change your habitat.

We imitate natural habitat

A very suitable place for crayfish is an aquarium with river or well water, equipped with a pump and compressor. You can add algae and river pebbles to imitate real natural conditions. Also add river insects, nettle leaves, and lettuce leaves.

Storing crayfish in a humid environment

How to store live crayfish at home so that they do not die? If there is no container, you can prepare a clean, large plastic box. A spacious place will help the crayfish move and actively move their claws.

Line the bottom with damp moss, seaweed or a wet cloth. A wooden lid with holes will help arthropods breathe freely. Water them with water every 4 hours. Remove dead crayfish. Storing crayfish will be effective if you place the container or box in a cool, draft-free place.

How to Preserve Crayfish Using the Refrigerator

It is possible to keep crayfish alive for some time even in the refrigerator. But there are some conditions.

• It is better to wash the crayfish well with lake water.
• Place in a container and cover with a damp cloth.
• In the refrigerator, containers with crayfish can be placed in the vegetable compartment, where the temperature is maintained from 0°C to +5°C
• From time to time, check for dead crayfish and remove them (the tail straightens and becomes even).

Fundamental Rule

So how do you keep crayfish alive? Each method is based on a single principle: no aluminum! Just half an hour - and the microelements present in the product are destroyed. In this case, live crayfish die, and boiled ones spoil. So an aluminum pan is not suitable for cooking, and you should not put ready-made arthropods in it.

Ceramic and stainless steel are considered ideal. However, an enamel pan/bucket is also suitable if there are no chips in them. Plastic is also suitable, but much less so: it tends to give the stored chemical smell.

Tips for freezing crayfish

1. Crayfish should be stored in plastic containers with a tight lid or sealed vacuum bags. Convenient packaging for use: several pieces in each bag.
2. The most effective way to preserve crayfish longer is in a container with broth and place it in the freezer.
3. To preserve their taste, it is better to place them in a quick-freezing chamber, if there is such a function.
4. Use a special compartment for fish.
5. Store arthropods only in shells.

Although after defrosting the crayfish will no longer have such a delicate taste as the first time, storing boiled crayfish in the freezer is still the best way.

How to choose crayfish to freeze

Live crayfish should be active, with their tail between their legs. Before cooking, they are pre-washed in salted water. If some specimens lie motionless and float up, then they cannot be eaten.

Boiled crayfish should be red, with the tail tucked inward. If the limbs are straightened, it means they were already welded in a dead state. It is best to buy live crayfish, cook it yourself and freeze it.

Live crayfish cannot be frozen, because... immediately after falling asleep, oxidative reactions begin in their body. There is a high risk of poisoning.

Criterias of choice

If you caught crayfish yourself or purchased them in a store, you should remember that not all individuals are suitable for storage and consumption. Crustaceans that meet certain criteria are suitable for storage:

1. It is better to choose live freshwater ones; it is obvious that such a product is fresher.
2. Pay attention to the color of the crayfish; it should be even, without spots or contrasting stripes.
3. The tail of a delicious freshwater fish should be tucked in; at a water temperature of +18...+22 C, freshwater fish should actively move.
4. The water containing live delicacies must be clean and clear.
5. Bodies must be free of damage, growths, and chips.
6. Tap on the shell - if the sound is loud and the back does not bend, then the crayfish is of high quality and fleshy; if the sound is dull, the back is not elastic, it bends, then there is very little delicious meat in such an individual.
7. Crayfish are clean freshwater animals; they should not give off an unpleasant smell of rot.

Note: the physiological parameters of a tasty crayfish are 15-20 centimeters in length, weight – 100 grams.

When choosing boiled delicacies, you should pay attention to the color; it should be uniform and bright red, and you should remember that such individuals can be stored in airtight packaging for no more than 5 days.

It is believed that the most delicious meat is the meat of November individuals; freshwater delicacies during this period accumulate fat for winter.

Shelf life of boiled crayfish under different storage conditions

The shelf life of boiled crayfish in the refrigerator, freezer and at room temperature is described in the table.

Useful properties and how storage depends on them

Crayfish meat is surprisingly tasty and has been used since ancient times. Today, for many, crayfish have become a profitable business. It is not surprising, because meat is filled to capacity not only with proteins, but also with calcium, magnesium, cobalt, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins C, D, E, K, group B, folic and organic acids. Iodine alone is 100 times more than beef recommended by nutritionists! Doctors suggest including crayfish in the diet to normalize the functioning of the liver, pancreas, thyroid gland and the immune system as a whole.

But there is no trace of harmful cholesterol, which is stuffed into many delicious foods, and the calorie content (only 76 kcal per 100 g) attracts women’s attention to the dietary product.

But nutritional value can play a cruel joke on inexperienced owners. A significant amount of sulfur is very useful, but it reacts actively with aluminum. Storage in containers made of alloys of this metal will lead to the destruction of most of the beneficial substances.

Consequences of eating dead crayfish

• When consuming dead, even boiled, crayfish, there is a high risk of poisoning or even death.
• 3 hours after death, oxidation and decomposition occur in the body of crustaceans, which is dangerous for the body. You can check for freshness by smell.

Most often, crayfish poisoning is caused by E. coli, Shigella, streptococci and staphylococci. Infection with pulmonary fluke larvae is also possible.

• Toxins irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, causing vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
• Penetrating into the circulatory system, these same toxins lead to general intoxication of the body.

Signs of poisoning

Unpleasant symptoms develop gradually. You should immediately seek medical help if you notice the following:

• Heaviness in the abdomen, pain, rumbling.
• Nausea, vomiting.
• The body feels weak.
• Intestinal disorder.
• Increased body temperature.
• Allergic reactions on the skin, sometimes swelling of the larynx. In case of severe poisoning - anaphylactic shock.

In this case, the clinic provides detoxification therapy to remove toxins from the body. In addition, antibacterial agents are added to the prescription. In case of severe poisoning, a person is taken to intensive care and more serious measures are taken to save his life.

Low temperatures

You can also store crayfish in the refrigerator, but only the vegetable compartment, where the temperature is not too low, is suitable for them. You can place crayfish washed with running water in a box or a clean, unclosed bag. You don’t have to worry that they will scatter throughout the refrigerator - below ten degrees is a signal for them to slow down their life cycle.

Crayfish can be stored in this section of the refrigerator for up to five days.