So I have been getting a lot of mixed reviews on purging crawfish. People are telling me not to purge them in salt because it does nothing. They say just let them soak in water and dump it out 3 times. Is this right or are you supposed to still purge in saltwater?
you're better off using a .50 box of salt and pleasing the guests than have to try to explain why you arent cleaning their crawfish.
No kidding... There was a study a while back that determined that purging with salt does not do anything that straight water cleaning does not. Salt can actually kill some of the crawfish. The same for keeping crawfish covered in water and keeping them on ice for too long. Just fill up the chest with water and drain. Repeat multiple times. I know a guy that has a cleaning table and he cleans each by hand but that is too time consuming for me.
I am in Birmingham so I will be teaching most of the people how to peel them. I just have not boiled them before and wanted to do it right. I used to watch my dad do them years ago but this will be my first batch.
Seems like everyone has their own method and I am sure this link will be debated but here is a link that breaks down pre boil, boiling, and pealing. Louisiana Crawfish Boil, Crawfish Boil Recipe, How To Eat or Suck Crawfish, Purging Crawfish, Purchasing Crawfish, Crawfish Boil History
All purging with salt does is kill the crawfish. Rinse and repeat until the water is clear enough for you.
They're right...Rinse them and don't let them stay in the water too long either. The salt kills them and staying underwater for mor than a short while also kills them...(they use up all the dissolved oxygen in the water and suffocate)
I read the study a couple of years ago or whenever it was. like i said, it doesnt hurt and costs nothing. people have done it for years. i never have any dead ones. maybe it just sedates them in preparation for their demise. people suddenly say no salt because of one study then act like theyve known it was gospel. just look at it as pre-seasoning the crawfish plus its fun for the kids. so the thousand degrees of water doesnt clean them? strange. maybe a wire brush and some purell next time. they probably just drowned after you heard salt killed them.
we did our own study this weekend. used salt on one sack and none on the other and none died. weird. both tasted the same but the fun tradition remained intact.
