Crawfish
The Pacific Northwest is not famous for its crawfish. And yet, we have a native crawfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) that is common and widespread in our rivers and lakes. Signal crawfish are flavorful and sizable, yielding more tail and claw meat than other species.
Unfortunately, as it stands currently, finding somewhere to eat them in the Pacific Northwest remains a challenge. The best source I know of in Portland is from the Asian fish markets along Powell Boulevard, but I’ve struggled to find any restaurants that serve signal crawfish. Imported Louisiana crawfish is the rule, it seems, and I think that’s a shame when we have such a great product here already.
Cooking with crawfish
Signal crawfish are in season from about May to October.
Cleaning crawfish
Crawfish, like shrimp, have a digestive tract that runs down along their tail, where its waste accumulates. It’s a good idea to remove it, especially if using the shelled tail meat, because of its unpleasant texture and bitterness and the fact that it will discolor and stain meat a blue/black color if stored for even a day.
A common suggestion to remove the waste is to purge the crawfish in water prior to preparing them using saltwater. There’s no conclusive evidence that this process actually works; saltwater actually contributes to a higher mortality rate in the crawfish. Purging the crawfish with freshwater must be done with oxygenated water and only works to any degree if done for at least 12 hours. It’s not an easily accessible technique and usually performed in large vats by commercial operations. People who claim to “purge” the crawfish for only about 5-10 minutes are really only rinsing the crawfish, which to be fair, is still a good practice to remove debris.
Another option is to devein after cooking the crawfish, with the use of a knife, but my preferred method is one that I’ve only found referenced in French cooking, called “châtrer les écrevisses”, or literally, “castrating crawfish”, in which you remove the digestive tract from live crawfish by breaking the middle tail fin (called the “telson”) and pulling the guts out in a single motion. This kills the crawfish so it’s important to cook them immediately after this is done. Like crab and lobster meat, crawfish meat deteriorates quickly; don’t wait more than a half hour. To make it easier to handle live crawfish, keep them cold or on ice. This will keep them in a stunned/sleepy state.
Crawfish worms
Sometimes you’ll find small, white, leech-like worms attached to a crawfish’s claws, head, or shell. These are Branchiobdellid worms that have a symbiotic relationship with crawfish in which they provide a cleaning service by feeding on detritus on the crawfish’s shell. The worms are not an issue for us when eating crawfish. Gross, sure, but not dangerous or a problem: in all cases, for safety, crawfish should be cooked before consuming. Boiling the crawfish will kill and remove the worms, which fall off into the water. Just toss the water and enjoy your crawfish.
Species
Crawfish
Signal crawfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus)
Shasta crawfish (Pacifastacus fortis)
Invasive crawfish
Ringed crawfish (Orconectes neglectus)
Red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii)
Virile crawfish (Faxonius virilis)
Signal crawfish
Signal crawfish are native to the Pacific Northwest, from Oregon up to British Columbia, and east to Idaho. They are also found in California but were introduced there in the 1900s. Signal crawfish are also found as an introduced species in Europe, where they have become an invasive species.
Their bodies are a light brown color, though there is variability and signal crawfish may be bright red or blue in some cases. The claws on signal crawfish are bright red on their undersides, and a white or turquoise spot is found at the base of each claw joint. Signal crawfish have smooth shells and claws unlike other species such as the Louisiana red swamp crawfish.
Signal crawfish are found in a wide range of habitats throughout its native and non-native distribution. They prefer the calmer streams of lowland areas of the Northwest Coast region, but also inhabit both coastal and upland streams, lakes, and rivers. Signal crawfish are also somewhat tolerant of saltwater and can be found in brackish water.
A long-lived species, signal crawfish can grow up to 4 inches in three years when raised in ideal conditions. They can live almost 20 years and are known to grow up to 8 inches in length, possibly larger. Sure, we might not have lobsters in the Pacific Northwest (our ocean waters are too cold), but we do have signal crawfish. Their claws are also sizable, and good meat can often be extracted from them. The heads, which contain an organ called the hepatopancreas, are full of briny flavor and many people enjoy sucking the juice out of them.
In addition to the signal crawfish, there is one other species of crawfish native to our region, the Shasta crawfish (Pacifastacus fortis). Found only in Shasta County, California, the species is endangered and its population is negligible.
Invasive species
Species of crawfish from other parts of the US are found in our local waters. Their current effects are not fully known, but they are considered to have a high potential for negative impacts on their environments because they alter their environments by, for example, reducing vegetation, increasing water turbidity, and damaging river banks. They have been problematic for native species in other regions and are of primary concern to the U.S. Forest Service.
Ringed crawfish (Orconectes neglectus) from Kansas have been found in the Umpqua and John Day Rivers in eastern Oregon.
Red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) from Louisiana have been found in the Willamette River wetlands and scattered in the Salish Sea and Klamath Mountains regions.
Virile crawfish (Faxonius virilis) from the Great Lakes area have been found in Washington.
