Yabby Mornay anyone? Can you suggest other ways to cook em?

Yabbie, yabby, australia, mornay, cooking - Australia has over 100 species of crayfish. Crayfish are lobster-like freshwater crustaceans found in a variety of habitats such as rivers, streams, dams, lakes and swamps and include smooth-bodied species such as the Yabbie, Marron and Redclaw. Each of these have an enlarged pincer-like first pair of legs and their common name depends on the geographic area they inhabit. In New South Wales and Victoria they are called Yabbies (Cherax destructor); in Western Australia, the Marron (Cherax teniumanus) ; and in Queensland, the Redclaw (Cherax quadricarinatus). These Cherax species are the best known of the Australian species of crayfish and are the only species sold as pets in Australia. Pet crayfish are a relatively new phenomenon and they have actually been a native food for many thousands of years. Yabby and marron catching is still popular in country dams and they have become increasingly popular in the gourmet dining scene. Dam buster The yabby is the most hardy of crayfish. In its native habitat, it can tolerate poor water conditions and long periods of drought by burrowing deep into river beds or dam walls to stay moist. This is how it actually earned the name 'destructor' - because of the damage it can cause dam walls and levee banks after burrowing. Appearance Crustaceans are invertebrates, they are without a spine or bones and are protected by a hard outer casing, forming plates of calcified material which interlock to provide a shield-like structure around the animal's body. Yabbies vary widely in colour from dark greens, brilliant blues and near- white. Adults can grow to be over 25 cm (9.8 inches) and 300g but most commonly are 13cm (5 inches). Red Claw varies in body colour from bluish-green to brown whilst the claws have obvious red patches. Adults are the same size as the yabby. Marron usually vary in colour from brown to black but a striking blue form is now selectively bred and has become increasingly popular as a pet. This is the largest species of Cherax and has been recorded at up to 38 cm (15 inches) with weights of 2.5-2.7 kg. Pet adults are most frequently around 20 cm (7.8 inches). A crayfish's colour is in part influenced by the colour of the water. As the animal grows, it sheds its hard exoskeleton and produces a larger one. At each moult, the colour of the new exoskeleton will be influenced by the water colour. Muddied waters can produce darker crayfish, whilst blue and clear water can help produce the popular brilliant and iridescent blues and whites. Crustaceans also have the ability to regenerate lost limbs, a handy trick considering limbs and claws are often lost during fights with other crustaceans. The limb will start to grow back at the next moult, however total regeneration is not immediate and may take several moults to complete. Temperament Crayfish are very territorial and don't have those big claws just for looks. Overcrowding will cause continuous fighting, and any unsuspecting fish which also happen to get too close may end up between the large claws. Crayfish are opportunistic feeders and will sample anything within their reach.
Australia
January 23, 2007 11:52am CST
I've moved to a farm with several damn's, the yabbies are everywhere. I need to clean the damn's out a little. Although I give alot of them away, I dont mind eating them myself, but Im running out of ways to eat them. Anyone have any suggestions? YABBY MORNAY Ingredients: Method: 3 kg yabbies 120 grams butter or margarine 1/3 cup plain flour 2 cups milk (or 1 cup milk and 1 cup stock) 1 teaspoon prepared mild mustard 1 cup grated Gouda cheese Melt butter, add flour, mix well, slowly blend in milk and stock. Bring to boil, simmer 1 minute, add grated cheese and mustard. Heat through until cheese melts, add yabby meat, warm through. Do not boil as this will toughen meat If the sauce is too thick, add a touch more milk Serve in Yabby shells or ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese on top, grill until golden.
1 person likes this
3 responses
deberooney
@deberooney (418)
• United States
23 Jan 07
**dumb American alert** Whats a yabbie? lol
1 person likes this
Ruralchook
@Ruralchook (538)
• Australia
23 Jan 07
LMBO... its not a dumb alert, we do have some weird and wonderful things here. Yabbies are crustaceans, if you go to this site it will tell you a little about them with a couple of pic's. http://www.austmus.gov.au/wild_kids/freshwater/yabby.htm
deberooney
@deberooney (418)
• United States
24 Jan 07
Oh...like crayfish! I bet that would be good!
1 person likes this
Ruralchook
@Ruralchook (538)
• Australia
17 Feb 07
I love seafood, but cant eat too much or I do get sick, and right now Im sick of yabbies, koonaks and marron. Oh if only I could get some prawns to break that boring cycle of eating the same thing every week.
SplitZip
@SplitZip (1488)
• Portugal
23 Jan 07
I suppose this is some freaky australian crayfish? I haven't eaten crayfish in years. I ate them boiled alive. They're feisty creatures, they try to break free from the pot. For that, I respect them. But they're still delicious and if I had some fresh crayfish around, I'd certain boil it and eat it!
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Ruralchook
@Ruralchook (538)
• Australia
23 Jan 07
Yeap, its a freaky little Aussie style of cray. They are sweet, but not much meat in them, not that I can realy eat too many at once. There are plenty of them in farmers dam's, with plenty of poachers nicking them in the middle of the night. Seems Im the only one they dont target though, I realy cant get the numbers down.
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SplitZip
@SplitZip (1488)
• Portugal
23 Jan 07
Maybe you should put up a sign! "Get your free yabbies here!"
1 person likes this
Ruralchook
@Ruralchook (538)
• Australia
23 Feb 07
I thought about putting a sign up for ages, and didn't do it as Im 50km (or 50 minutes) off the main Highway, but I had quite a few people suggest that I do anyway. So I put the sign out, in the last 3 weeks Ive had an average of 4 people a week actually making the drive to come get some. So now my freezer is emptied and although some people have camped the night to get their own, my damns are slowly getting down in size. So yippee sometimes things amaze you.
nana1944
@nana1944 (1364)
• United States
23 Jan 07
Yabbie or Crayfish Fettuccine INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 3/4 pound (400 grams) sweet potato, diced 2 cups water 1 can of pumpkin condensed soup (see note) 1 teaspoon curry powder Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped 3/4 cup lite coconut cream 1 cup milk 1 dessertspoon corn flour 1 pound fettuccine 1 pound (500 grams) poached Yabbie meat or cooked prawns METHOD Heat olive oil in a large pot. Stir in onion and cook over medium heat until translucent, but not brown. Add diced sweet potato, and stir over low heat for about 4 minutes. Add 2 cups water and simmer for a further 4 minutes. Add can of pumpkin soup. Add curry powder and seasoning, together with chopped herbs. Add coconut cream. Lastly, add cup of milk, mixed with cornflour. Simmer together for five minutes. Remove from heat. Can either be served with vegetable chunks in sauce, or pureed in a blender. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add the fettuccine. Boil for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and toss with yabbies or prawns. Serve in a deep bowl with a generous ladle of sauce mixture and serve. Garnish with a sprig of fresh herbs. Serves: 4 -
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Ruralchook
@Ruralchook (538)
• Australia
23 Jan 07
Hey this sounds really nice, thanks. I'll definately give it a try tomorrow night and let you know how it turns out. mmm maybe I should go yabbie hunting tonight, na its 4.44am I better get some sleep....lol