Cooking Crayfish (Lobster)

Cooking Crayfish or Australian Lobsters is easy, dressed with a tropical mango salsa, just like my grilled snapper! Everyone loves a seafood bbq. This seafood platter is a perfect summertime feast, or any celebration like seafood for Easter!

Australian Crayfish vs Lobster

Rock Lobsters are type of spiny lobsters that are found in Australia, NZ and South Africa. They don't have the lobster claws found on North American lobsters. This can be confusing as Aussies refer to Rock Lobsters as Crayfish. Technically Crayfish aren't lobsters, but here we are! In recipes, cooking Crayfish or Lobsters species from around the world are interchangeable. Same same but different.

Aussie Seafood Feast

Seafood feast is a summertime favorite here, especially on Christmas Day. As our Christmas is in the middle of summer, it's hot and not everyone wants to eat a Roast Turkey. An easy Aussie seafood barbecue is what many prefer to make for Christmas or Easter.

• Grilled Octopus
• Oysters Kilpatrick
• Bbq Grilled King Prawns
• Fresh Oyster with Asian Dressing
• Mussels in White Wine
• Grilled Trout or Salmon Fillet
• Prawn and Mango Salad

Putting a Lobster to Sleep

It's pretty much accepted not to drop your live lobster into a pot of boiling water, although some people do. There are more humane ways to cook your lobster. I think it's always to prepare crayfish that are not alive.

• Ask your Fisho to quickly kill your lobster by stabbing it in the head before you take it home - best for grilling
• Place you lobster in the freezer to put it to sleep. RSPCA recommends you freeze it for 2 hours (basically frozen lobster). It's more common to freeze a live crayfish for 20-30 minutes before placing into boiling water.
• Make a salty ice water slurry in your kitchen sink (3:1 ratio of ice to water). Submerge crayfish for about 20 minutes until not moving. Do not use fresh water as it may induce osmotic shock, which can cause suffering for the crayfish. The salty water translates to 1⅓ tablespoons of salt per 1 litres (or quart) of water.

Salty Water for Cooking Lobster

Always boil or steam your lobsters and crayfish in salted water. There are varying amounts of salt that are recommended. You want to mimic the saltiness of the ocean.

Recommended Water Saltiness

• 1⅓ tablespoons of salt per litre (or quart) of water - approx 17 grams per litre
• For a larger pot, it translates as 5 tablespoons of salt per 4 litres (or gallon) of water

Cooking Crayfish Methods

There are 3 main methods that I use when cooking crayfish. Boiling, steaming and grilling crayfish on the bbq. Most crayfish sold at supermarkets are between 400-600 grams.

Some people par-boil the crayfish for 3-4 minutes before grilling. If serving the crayfish cold, then place immediately place in ice bath to stop the cooking. The video shows my easy grilled lobster method.

Boiling Crayfish in Water

• Prepare salty water in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil
• Place the whole crayfish into the pot
• General rule of thumb - boil for 10-12 minutes until the shells turn a bright orange, and flesh is white and opaque. Refer to cooking chart for precise weight cooking guide
• Crayfish is cooked at a minimum internal temperature of 63°C or 145°F by an Instant Read thermometer into thickest part of the tail. If flesh is still translucent, place back in water until cooked.

How Long to Cook Crayfish

Steaming Crayfish

• Prepare 2-3 inches of salty water into a large pot with steamer and lid
• Bring salty water to a boil
• Place whole crayfish into the steamer and close the lid
• General rule of thumb- steam for 12-15 minutes until the shells turn a bright orange and flesh is white and opaque. Refer to cooking chart for precise weight cooking guides

Bbq Grilled Whole Crayfish

• Prepare the crayfish by slicing it lengthways. Lay flat on a cutting board, with the pointy end of the knife, slice through the middle of lobster, and continue through
• Rinse the tomalley and any intestinal tracts with water
• Spread garlic butter on the lobster tails and place on the grill, flesh side down. Grill for about 5-6 minutes. Flip the lobsters and baste with garlic butter again. Grill for another 5 minutes until the lobsters are cooked, white and opaque.

Grilling Lobster Tails in the Shell

This grilled lobster tail method is done completely differently than most recipes. Grilled upside down, whole grilled lobster tails cooked with garlic butter in the shell. The benefit of cooking with the lobster shell intact is that the lobster meat cooks in the garlic butter.

• Flip the lobster tail side down. Cut along both sides of the underbelly of the lobster tail.
• Pull the flap away from the meat. Using your fingers, loosen the meat around the shell, but keeping the meat still inside the shell.
• Heat bbq on medium high.
• Generously slather the lobster meat with garlic butter, including around the sides of the meat.
• Place lobster tail, shell side down, on the bbq. To prevent curling, skewer the lobster tail.
• Cook for about 10-12 minutes (shell side down) until meat is white an opaque. Cooking time can vary. The shell will turn bright orange.
• Flip the meat side down and cook for 3-4 minutes. If flesh is still translucent, place back on grill until cooked.
• Lobster is cooked at a minimum internal temperature of 63°C or 145°F by an Instant Read thermometer into thickest part of the tail.

Removing Meat from Cooked Lobster

It's easy to remove meat from a whole cooked lobster. The tail is where all the good stuff is!

• To separate the head from the lobster tail, insert a knife into the gap between the head and the top of the lobster tail
• Cut along the top of the lobster, cutting the flesh
• Using your hands, twist apart the head from the tail
• Wash the tomalley and any intestinal tracts
• Flip tail side down, using kitchen scissors, cut down the sides of the lobster. Pull the flap away exposing the lobster meat
• Carefully loosen the lobster meat removing from lobster shell
• Keep an eye for a black vein (poop) and carefully pull out before serving

Garlic Butter for Lobster

It's easy to make a garlic butter to baste and serve with your lobster, grilled prawns or even garlic bread. Just mix these ingredients together and you're ready to go!

• ½ cup softened butter
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt

Dressing a Lobster Tail

Lobster is usually served with melted garlic butter, as the flavor is delicate and perfectly complements seafood. However, being an Aussie, I look for reasons to use mangoes when they're in season. The Mango Salsa is easy to make, can be made the day and is easy to spoon on top of the grilled lobster.

• 2 mangoes diced
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• ½ red onion
• ½ red capsicum
• de-seeded jalapeno
• apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup coriander (cilantro)
• juice of a lime

Seafood Sauces You'll Love

• Tartare Sauce - homemade Tartare always tastes better than store-bought. In addition to pickles and dill, you won't believe the secret is in the onion!
• Thai Sweet Chili Sauce - a sweet and spicy Asian dipping and grilling sauce. Spicy Thai peppers with garlic and ginger add the perfect sweet heat!
• Mango Chili Sauce - a perfect Aussie dipping sauce. Ripe mangoes blended with chili peppers and garlic. Tropical sweet and spicy!
• Creamy Sweet Chili Sauce - super easy to make with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce as the base. A tasty alternative to Tartare Sauce, my new favorite seafood sauce!

Cooking Crayfish Recipe Tips

• It's ok to buy frozen lobster, preferably un-cooked for best results
• If using live lobsters, make sure you euthanise the lobster humanely
• Prepare Mango Salsa in advance, it's one less thing to worry about when you are cooking lobsters
• Add 1 tbsp of sugar to your Mango Salsa, not all mangoes are ripe enough or sweet enough to get the right balance of flavors.
• When to server lobsters? Perfect for your Christmas Lunch or Easter Lunch

Grilled Australian Rock Lobsters or Crayfish are a tasty luxurious seafood that will elevate your meal. Boiled, steam or grilled, perfectly paired with fresh mango salsa. This dish will be the crowning glory of your dinner party or barbecue. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!