Kräftor - river crayfish

"Earlier crayfish was abundant in most Swedish fresh waters. However, beginning in early 20th century a severe fungus infection has diminished the crayfish stock considerably. Most of the crayfish consumed in Sweden today is imported from Turkey and the U.S.A."
Recipe by: aÏssatou

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Preparation Time:

20 Min

Serves:

Difficulty:

Moderate

Cost:

Main Ingredients:

10 - 20 river crayfishes per person (alive!)
plenty of dill (best is to use the inflorescences, if not available dill sprigs will do)
enough water to cover the crayfishes
2 tablespoons of salt per liter of water

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

Proceed as follows:
Bring the water, the salt and half of the dill to a boil. Add the crayfishes, 10 at a time and let the water come to a biol between the successive additions.
Add the other half of the dill, cover and let boil for 10 minutes.
Leave the crayfishes to cool overnight in the refrigerator, submerged in the brine.
When ready to serve, pour off the brine and remove the soggy dill. Arrange the crayfish on a platter and garnish with dill inflorescences.

Serve together with buttered toast and "snaps" (Swedish aquavit). At a crayfish party, it is mandatory to sing each time you take a "snaps". Most meat is in the tail. Simply twist off the tail section from the rest of the body and split it open.