It turns out crayfish–those little mini-lobster-like critters that grow in fresh water–are a bit of a trade-off in terms of nutrition. They get high marks for being low in saturated fat while also being a good source of zinc and manganese, and a very good source of protein, vitamin B12, phosphorus, copper and selenium. Cholesterol, though–bad. (From Self Nutrition Data.) So you would not want to eat them every day. For some research students in Northern Wisconsin, the opportunity comes during just a few months during the year.
As reported in The Wall Street Journal, these researchers started trapping the tasty crustaceans to help rid their research lake of an invasive species, the rusty crayfish. They were quickly faced with an unexpected problem: What do you do with hundreds of trapped crayfish? Solution–eat ‘em!
Here’s an excerpt from the story:
“A tradition of Cajun cooking has emerged deep in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, spurred by the battle against the rusty crayfish. For years, students from the state university working with the department of natural resources have been hauling countless buckets of rusties from the waters of Sparkling Lake, five hours north of Milwaukee.
“About 100,000 of the invaders were removed in the effort to reclaim the 127-acre lake from the four-inch crustaceans, which disrupt the natural ecology of the waters by evicting native crayfish, mowing down plants and eating fish eggs.
“The question is what to do with the catch. The nature-loving students refused to simply throw the crayfish away. So they ate them—in jambalayas, étouffées or simply boiled and dipped in drawn butter. For the 40 or 50 students and researchers who live at the lake research station each summer, the feasts became part of the job.
” “What else are you going to do with them but eat them?” says Jake Vander Zanden, a University of Wisconsin, Madison, professor involved in the project.”
When Garrett and his sister were young, we once had a mini crayfish boil on a sailing trip. Our kids and some others started catching the little critters off the dock with a string and a piece of chicken. Once a crayfish clamps on to the bait with a claw, they won’t let go until dropped into a bucket. As I recall, they tasted pretty good.
Mark Gale 
