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How to Cook Crawfish

Finished Dish

Homemade crawfish with tender meat, juicy flavor, and clean preparation.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Crawfish
  • Oil
  • Bay leaves
  • Star anise
  • Cinnamon bark
  • Green Sichuan peppercorns
  • Sichuan peppercorns
  • Bullet-head chili peppers
  • Scallions, ginger, and garlic
  • Pixian broad bean paste
  • Soybean paste
  • Beer
  • Light soy sauce
  • Salt

Measurements

The following quantities are for 1 kilogram (2 jin) of crawfish. Adjust proportionally as needed.

  • Crawfish = 1 kg (2 jin)
  • Oil = 70 ml (3 times the amount used for regular stir-frying)
  • Bay leaves = 2 leaves
  • Star anise = 1 piece
  • Cinnamon bark = 3 g
  • Green Sichuan peppercorns = 10 g
  • Sichuan peppercorns = 10 g
  • Bullet-head chili peppers = 5 g
  • Scallions = 1 large scallion
  • Ginger = 30 g
  • Garlic = 7 cloves
  • Pixian broad bean paste = 30 g
  • Soybean paste = 30 g
  • Beer = 500 ml
  • Light soy sauce = 30 ml
  • Salt = 10 g

Instructions

  • Scrub the crawfish clean and remove the digestive tract. Cut the scallions into 2 cm segments, and mince the ginger and garlic.
  • Heat the oil until slightly warm. Add bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon bark, green Sichuan peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns, and bullet-head chili peppers.
  • Once the spices release their aroma, add the scallions, ginger, and garlic.
  • After stir-frying the aromatics until fragrant, add the Pixian broad bean paste and soybean paste, stirring until red oil appears.
  • Add the crawfish and stir-fry until they change color.
  • Pour in the beer. Once it boils, add the light soy sauce and salt.
  • Cook the crawfish thoroughly until done, then remove from heat.

Additional Notes

Restaurants typically deep-fry the crawfish first. Deep-frying at home is wasteful, so this recipe uses slightly more oil than usual to pan-fry them instead. This method has been tested and yields equally delicious results.

Crawfish meat without the digestive tract removed has a slightly inferior texture compared to those with it intact. Additionally, removing the digestive tract can be challenging for beginners. If you are comfortable with the digestive tract, you may skip this step.

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.