How to keep crayfish alive or boiled properly

Cancer is not only very tasty, but also a healthy delicacy with a limited shelf life. In order to preserve its taste and primary freshness for a longer time, it is necessary to ensure the correct storage conditions. With the right approach, the pleasure can be extended to several months!

how to store crayfish — Cancer is a delicacy rich in protein, vitamins and minerals.

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Rules and methods of transportation of crayfish
How to store live crayfish
Storage methods for boiled crayfish
- How many are stored
How to freeze crayfish properly
Video: how to keep crayfish alive for a long time

Rules and methods of transportation of crayfish

The choice of transportation method depends on whether you want to bring the crayfish - alive or dead. In the latter case, you can simply freeze them and carefully place them in a container with ice: a layer of crayfish, a layer of ice. It is important to ensure that the first row is not completely submerged in water, the crustaceans must have access to oxygen.

live crayfish — Catching or buying crustaceans is not difficult, but storing them is quite difficult.

How can you keep crayfish alive for a long time:

For 12 hours, the arthropods need to be fed, and then allowed to dry for about 10 hours. In this state, they are easier to tolerate travel. There should be no water in the tank!
For transportation, you need to pick up a box with sides up to half a meter. The material does not matter, wood, plastic and cardboard are suitable.
At the bottom of the box, you need to lay out marine vegetation, well moistened with water. Moss is best suited for this.
Crayfish are laid out on the vegetative layer, a layer of algae is covered. In a similar way, several more of the same layers can be built on top. It is necessary to carry out the calculation very quickly, otherwise the crayfish begin to get lost in the corner of the box.

When transporting crayfish in the heat, you need to protect them from direct sunlight and exposure to high temperatures. In winter, it is necessary to avoid freezing of the tank, do not allow ice to form inside. The best way to do this is with a climate control system.

transportation of crayfish — Failure to comply with the rules leads to rapid deterioration of the product, loss of taste and useful qualities.

How to store live crayfish

These marine inhabitants quickly adapt to the external environment, so their life can be extended by 3-7 days. The main thing is not only water, but also food (green peas or raw potatoes). If they are not fed in time, hungry individuals begin to eat each other, regardless of which method of storing live crayfish you choose.

breeding crayfish — The optimal environment for crustaceans is river, bottled or well water.

In a humid room

You can extend the life of crayfish by a week by placing them in a box that goes to a cool home cellar or pantry. At the bottom of the container, you need to line a cloth well-soaked in water. Periodically (2-3 times a day) crayfish should be sprayed with cool water from a spray bottle, not allowing the shells to dry out completely. It is advisable to feed it 2 times a day - in the morning and in the evening.

crayfish in container — Crayfish do not tolerate chlorinated water, that is, taken from the city water supply.

In fridge

Cancers can live in such conditions no more than 3-4 days. But, before storage, they must first be prepared:

Each crayfish must be rinsed under a stream of running cool water to wash off the river silt.
In the compartment for fruits and vegetables (which is closed and ventilated), you need to put a cloth soaked in water and put the crayfish there.
At least once a day, crayfish should be viewed and removed from the dead. the unpleasant smell spreads very quickly through the refrigerator.

live crayfish in the refrigerator — The exact shelf life of live crayfish at home depends on the initial state of the arthropods, the conditions and duration of transportation, as well as the conditions created.

Crayfish are comfortable to be in cool conditions, but they still need to be sprayed with water. It will not work to store them longer than the stated period - arthropods will begin to lose weight.

how to store live crayfish — Check the condition of the arthropods periodically and remove the dead individuals.

Imitation of the natural environment

To ensure survival conditions, you will need a reservoir - a bath or an aquarium. It needs to be filled with water, but not tap water - river or well. You need to change the fluid in the reservoir every day - arthropods should not be deficient in oxygen.

crayfish in the bathroom — You can organize the storage of crayfish for 1-2 days in the bathroom.

If crayfish are constantly trying to get out, it is worth thinking about the quality of the water: they instinctively try to leave the bad conditions. But it is better to replace the usual fish food with plant food in large quantities - so the crayfish will not compete and cripple in the pursuit of sweets.

bath with crayfish — Fill a container with cold water and run the crustaceans into it. Remember to change fluids and feed the animals daily.

Deceased individuals must be removed from the reservoir immediately! You can recognize them by the straightened tail, which in a living crayfish is bent towards the abdomen.

crayfish in the bathroom photo — If arthropods are trying to get out of the bathroom, then the conditions are not suitable for them (for example, there is not enough oxygen in the water).

Large container with clean water

This storage method allows you to extend the life of arthropods by 3-5 days. The conditions are the same as when simulating the natural environment - changing water once a day, timely feeding. It is advisable to take water purified or settled for at least a day - a large amount of chlorine will negatively affect the viability of crayfish.

Storage methods for boiled crayfish

Individuals that have acquired a characteristic red color are considered ready to eat. Their shelf life is sharply reduced and directly depends on the conditions and the chosen method of how to store boiled crayfish.

There are several ways to preserve the freshness of the finished product:

In the broth. The water remaining after cooking is not poured out, but the crayfish are placed back in it and boiled again, for 5-10 minutes. After the broth has cooled completely, it is placed in the refrigerator.
Freezing. Arthropods should be placed in a sealed box with a tightly closed lid. Crayfish have a strong odor that will spread throughout the space if not isolated.

How much boiled crayfish will be stored in the refrigerator also depends on the power of the device itself - it is better to put the container with the dish on the coldest shelf.

photo of boiled crayfish — For long-term storage, boiled crayfish are sent to the freezer.

Important! It is better to pre-clean boiled crayfish from the shell - after defrosting, it can lose its structure and begin to crumble.

cleaning crayfish — Crayfish can be cleaned before cooking, but this is not recommended.

How many are stored

Crayfish boiled in broth can be stored for no more than 5 days at a temperature of +3 to 5 degrees. It is believed that a boiled product should be kept in the freezer for no longer than two weeks - after that, the meat begins to lose its taste and elasticity.

how to cook crayfish — The easiest way to preserve boiled crawfish is to place them in the refrigerator in the saucepan in which they were boiled, along with the broth.

How to freeze crayfish properly

Pre-cooked and cooled crayfish should be packaged in portions in bags or containers and placed in the freezer. If you want to increase the shelf life, arthropods should be frozen together with the broth in which they were cooked.In this case, the frozen product is edible for 3 months.

freezing crayfish — You can store crayfish live, boiled and frozen.

Crayfish is a delicate food that must be properly transported, prepared and stored. You can extend the life of living individuals by no more than 3-5 days. A boiled product (subject to freezing and proper storage) can be eaten up to 3 months after preliminary defrosting.