Yabbies with Garlic Butter
Yabbies are little freshwater crayfish
I grew up catching yabbies from the creek. With a net made from a bent clotheshanger and an old stocking, you could scoop up a couple of dozen yabbles in half an hour.
My brother used a piece a meat tied to a couple of yards of string and Mum would have them on the table by teatime.
These days, yabbies are not so easy to find in the local creeks but still taste just as scrumptious.
Preparing Yabbies
Cook Time
Prep Time: 30
Total Time: 40
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 2 kg yabbies or approx 4 lbs
- 50 g butter
- 3 - 4 large garlic cloves
Instructions
- Put the yabbies in a deep bowl in the freezer for 1 hour. Boil a large pot of salted water, add yabbies, cook for 5 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Twist off the head, cut through the centre of the underside of the tail and gently peel the shell away from the meat. Remove the dark intestine. Place in a large bowl.
- Smoosh the garlic into the butter. Toss the butter very quickly in a pan over low heat. Don't cook it! You only want to warm it up.
- Pour the warm butter over the yabbies. Serve with crisp salad
Yabbies. Yum!
Yabbies keep their eggs under their tails - the eggs look like caviar. Throw back the ones with the eggs!
Catching Yabbies at the dam
Oil painting on Canvas board. Mrswillow
Catching yabbies in a dam near Eaglehawk, up in the gold country of Central Victoria. (I remember the yabbies swimming backwards into a very similar net )
You can catch yabbies during any month with an R in it
What's your take on yabbies?
Do you love yabbies too?
© 2010 Susanna Duffy
