Crayfish Tacos

December 15, 2022

With their roots in Mexican street food but with a New England twist, these crayfish tacos are big on flavour and low on effort. Sure to become a family favourite, they're the perfect hand-held food for informal get-togethers and nights in front of the TV.

What are tacos?

Tacos are a staple of Mexican street food and are incredibly versatile. While they might act as a delivery system for a range of delicious toppings, they come in a range of shapes and sizes.

Typically, tacos are made from either wheat or corn. For flour tortillas, the flour is mixed with water, vegetable oil, and salt to create a light dough. This is then rolled out into a small disc and cooked according to your needs. Wheat tacos are soft, much like a flatbread, and are traditionally steamed or grilled. Corn tacos are even more straightforward: just corn flour (masa) and water rolled into small balls, then squashed flat (usually in a tortilla press) and cooked quickly on a comal (a flat griddle) or a cast iron frying pan will do. Once cooked, they can even be fried, resulting in a crunchy, flaky shell. As a bonus for those with gluten intolerances or coeliac disease, corn tacos are gluten-free, so no one has to miss out.

A hand-held food, tacos are perfect for popping straight into your mouth. Make a batch; they're ideal for sharing with friends and family. While they might have started as street food, tacos are completely at home at parties and even find themselves onto breakfast tables - usually as the classic huevos rancheros.

The origins of the taco are up for debate. Some believe they were brought to Mexico by the Spanish conquistadors, while others think they were born in the Valley of Mexico long before the Spanish arrived. Another theory suggests that Mexican silver miners invented them as a convenient way to carry food.

Whatever the truth, the humble taco has established itself as one of the most popular foods on the planet, giving Mexican cuisine its time in the spotlight.

What are crayfish?

Crayfish are the freshwater cousins of the lobster. They can be green, red, yellow, or brown in colour and are cooked in the same way as their bigger-clawed brothers. Delicious steamed, boiled, fried, or roasted, they taste something like a cross between a crab and a prawn, offering sweet and salty meat.

If you've never eaten one before, they can be peeled, although the shell, claws, tail, legs, roe, and tomalley are all edible and mouth-wateringly delicious. However, for newbies, a peeled tail is the best place to start.

Key ingredients

While the fresh ingredients each introduce your tastebuds to a new layer of flavour, the fajita seasoning gives your crawfish tacos that authentic Mexican edge. Containing ingredients such as chilli powder and smoked paprika, it packs a little heat while still delivering those sweet and smoky Mexican spices.

Another critical ingredient in virtually any type of taco, avocados are something of a superfood. Their creamy consistency, coupled with their mild, nutty, grassy flavours, helps to counter the heat of the fajita seasoning, making your tacos accessible to everyone, no matter how low their tolerance to spice might be. On top of that, they're packed with vitamins and high levels of those all-important Omega-3 fatty acids.

Top tips from our chef

Our chefs prefer to use Grand ‘Or Sour Cream when making crayfish tacos. In addition to its cooling effect, the cream's sourness helps balance the sweetness of the fajita seasoning and the crayfish meat. An absolute taco essential, its rich consistency gives them a little extra body and a sense of indulgence.

Crisp and crunchy lettuce adds that welcome freshness to cut through the creaminess of the avocado without overpowering any of the other ingredients, while lime adds that zing that makes the whole thing sing.

 

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