Most people are familiar with lobsters, but crawfish are less well known. This crustacean looks almost exactly like a lobster at first glance, but look closer and you’ll see the difference – for a start, crawfish are smaller. Crawfish are freshwater creatures while lobsters live in the ocean.
Depending on which part of the US you’re in, crawfish come by different names – mudbugs, yabbies, and crawdads, for example. They’re usually cooked by boiling them and are then peeled and dipped into a pre-prepared sauce.
The flavor of these creatures is said to be somewhere between crab and shrimp – slightly sweet, a little salty, and definitely not fishy.
Many parts of the crawfish are edible – the meat from the claws, tail, and legs; also, the tomalley and roe.
Yes, while enjoying your crawfish dinner, you might be surprised to come across a substance consisting of tiny red balls, usually in the tail region. This is the roe and it’s totally edible.
What Are The Red Eggs Inside Crawfish?
The red substance you’ve found inside your crawfish is its eggs. Once fertilized, they are found underneath the tail where the tail meat meets the tail shell. If they’re still unfertilized, they will be still inside the shell in the tail region.
The correct word is “roe”. This is edible and has a delicate, salty, mineralized flavor. Of course, it signifies that the crawfish was a female. If you prefer not to eat them, they can be easily scraped off or even rinsed away under running water.
Are They Safe to Eat?
Roe from crawfish and other crustaceans is not only safe to eat but is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. It has a mild, salty, sweetish flavor similar to caviar (which is fish eggs).
Crawfish roe is sometimes whisked into sauces to enrich their flavor. If the roe is still black, it means that it has not been cooked enough yet. When it’s properly cooked, it will turn red.
Crawfish eggs are nutritious and contain protein, zinc, calcium, and other essential minerals. However, they are high in saturated fat so should be eaten in moderation, especially if you have cholesterol problems.
Ideas for Using Crawfish Eggs
- Cajun sauce
Try making a Cajun sauce for your crawfish. Melt a generous amount of butter in a frying pan and add finely chopped onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Fry these until meltingly soft and aromatic.
Stir in a little cream and Cajun spice. At the end of cooking, stir in the crawfish roe. Serve this sauce with cooked crawfish.
- Toppings
You can also use crawfish roe as a topping for deviled eggs or mixed into an egg salad. The roe pairs well with the eggs and lends a delicate salty flavor. In fact, you can use crawfish roe anywhere you would use regular caviar.
The Bottom Line
The entire crawfish, from its legs, claws, tail, and roe, is edible. Even the shells are useful as they can be boiled and used to make a delicious stock. Now that you know what the red eggs in crawfish are, we hope you will give them a try.
Let us know if you enjoyed them!