African Dried / Smoked Crayfish


Whole and Ground African Crayfish [Nematopalaemon hastatus (Estuarine Prawn)   |   Exhippolysmata hastatoides (Companion Shrimp)   |   Macrobrachium vollenhoveni (African River Prawn)]

Confusion!   West African "Crayfish" are freshwater Shrimp (or Prawns, depending on your preferred terminology) and are not closely related to North American Crayfish, which are fresh water lobsters. The catch is predominantly of the three species listed above. West African Crayfish are usually smoked, which is why you will find recipes listing both "Dried Crayfish" and "Dried Shrimp". The shrimp are sun dried and not smoked.

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The packages from which the photo specimens came, when opened, smelled remarkably like Japanese shaved bonito (Katsuobushi), and the flavor of the shrimp proved also quite similar, but stronger.

Buying:

  Ground African Crayfish is not much available in markets in North America, but can be purchased on-line. The photo specimen of ground crayfish was from JEB Foods for 2018 US $22.89 / pound, and the whole specimens were from Happy African Tropical at 2018 US $3.98 / 2 ounces ($31.84 / pound). Dried Crayfish are exported from Nigeria and Ivory Coast.

Measures:

  African recipes almost never tell you if the measure is for whole crayish or ground, but most African recipes seem to measure the Crayfish whole. A cup of whole Nigerian Crayfish weighs 31 grams (1.1 ounces) and a cup of Nigerian Ground Crayfish weighs 55 grams (1.9 ounces) so your measure of ground should be just above half the measure for whole. Basically, use your own best judgement, because you may not wish to use as much as they do in Arica.

Storing:

  Dried Crayfish should be stored very dry in a tightly sealed container in a dark place. They should last about a year

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Subst:

  The usual recommendation is for Smoked Fish. as I remarked above, these products smell and taste a lot like Japanese shaved bonito (Katsuobushi), just a bit stronger. African smoke dried fish would be a lot stronger. I'm sure Maldive Fish would work well too, but that's rarely available in North American households.

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