Resembling a small lobster and having a similar taste when prepared, they have variant names depending upon the region of the United States you are from. These small crustaceans are generally known as “crayfish” in the north, “crawdad” in the central and west, “crawfish” in the south, and with regions of overlapping terminologies. I have even heard these called “mudbugs” in the deep south and generally nowhere else. They are the same thing and even if by any other name they taste just as good, requiring only minimal preparation.

Where Are Crayfish To Be Found?

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Any freshwater stream or river with lots of hiding places, shallow waters, swamps and riverbanks with sandy or clay solids are great places to locate crayfish. So long as the water does not freeze solid to the bottom, this is where crayfish can be found. They can dig terrestrial ‘dens’ that connect above the surface level and extend well below the water table line. They have been found in their tunnels living as much as ten feet (3-meters) below the surface level. Found only in fresh water and somewhat intolerant of polluted water, they can be somewhat be considered a sign of healthy non-polluted water.

“Astacology” is the Study of Crayfish

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Their name “crayfish” comes from Old French “escrevisse” and Old Frankish “-krebitja,” -the same root as the word “crawl.” The suffix “-fish” is just folk-etymology as ‘living in the water’ equals ‘fish.’ Some kinds of crayfish are also known locally as “lobster.”

So Many Varieties

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Eaten in the countries of Europe, as well and China, Australia, Canada, Africa and the United States, with nearly all the crayfish harvested in the United States coming from the state of Louisiana, where they are called either “crawfish” or by the French “écrevisses.”

Typically, these are boiled live in a large sieving pot with seasoning including pepper & salt, halved lemons, garlic, bay leaves, etc. The gathering where they are served is sometimes called by the vernacular expression “crawfish boil.” It is an untrue myth that a straight tail of a boiled crawfish means that it was dead before cooking. This just happens sometimes in the boiling pot, probably due to the crowding of other crays being prepared.

Close-up of an Old Crayfish Pincher Claw

I have seem crayfish claws about half this size, which is a notably large specimen. They can give you a fairly intense and painful pinch!

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The Mexican Aztec culture ate crayfish, known locally in Mexico as “acocil.” These days, the preparation of crayfish is boiled with sauces or other condiments, served in the central and southern regions of Mexico.

OMG Yum! Good Food!

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South Eastern North America has the greatest variety of crayfish, with over 330 unique species encompassing nine genera in the same family. Many crayfish can be found in wet lowland areas where the water is high in the element calcium and oxygen percolates up through underground springs and reservoirs.

Australasia has another large diversity in crayfish with over 100 species. The worlds largest crayfish species, found in the rivers of northern Tasmania is the “Astacopsis gouldi” which has been recorded to reach a weight in excess of 3-kilograms!

–No need to throw another shrimp on the barbi for me, mate. -One will be enough!

A ‘Blue Lobster”

I have seen these in pet stores, sometimes being called a “blue lobster.”

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I have seen blue crayfish in pet store aquariums, usually under the name of “blue Lobster.” They are just another specie of crayfish. Note that they can voluntarily travel across land. I have found the local species of crayfish a day or so after heavy rainstorms traversing land quite some distance from local water sources. Sometimes, crayfish get into ‘farm ponds’ that are ‘managed’ and what sometimes happens is that the eggs of the crayfish in the mud will stick to the feet of wading birds (ducks, geese, swans, etc.) and are transplanted into ‘isolated’ water sources. Crayfish females carry their eggs under their tails, but if a predator bird attacks the cray, the eggs can disperse into the mud and adhere to the feet of the bird. Similarly, this is the same vector how catfish and bullhead fish (not a desired fish) gets into managed land-locked ‘lake trout or bass ponds’ over fair distances of land.

A Good Ol’ Fashioned Crawfish Boil

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I’ve been to one of these. It was a graduation party and it was good times! The amount of edible meat in crawdads is small. One can pick cleanly the carapace to get a bit more than just the tail meat, which is the main part generally eaten. But with such plenty, it is just easier to eat the tails and discard the rest.

These Guys Eat Crayfish Too

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I like this photo; -it reminds me of the raft trip that my brother-in-law, my nephew and I took down the Big Piney River in western Missouri. We saw many similar turtles, along with the much larger ‘soft-shelled turtles’ and oh yeah, -several rather large poisonous water moccasin snake both in the water and lounging upon low hanging branches over the water. While rafting, we avoid going beneath branches with snakes in them for the can drop into the canoe and cause a bit of …confusion.

We swam in that river, unafraid of the snakes (-yes, there was beer involved that afternoon. -Need I say more?)

My nephew and I found and collected many fresh water clams and a few giant fresh water oysters on sand bars, and I noticed a lot of what appeared to be crayfish tunnels in the clay banks. We did see several crayfish, but mostly they were secretive and it was just a movement in the shallow water followed by a cloud of mud in their wake. A good strong net and we could have captured some. If you ever get a chance to try a ‘crayfish’ dish, -don’t be shy. Perhaps, in a soup or chowder would be a bit less intimidating if the thought of legs and pinchers of a boiled morsel is unappealing.

It is really delicious and it is always a party wherever they are served.