We all know that Aussies LOVE their seafood, and particularly crustaceans.
Mudcrabs, sand crabs, bugs and prawns all hold pride of place on dinner tables across the country…and we reckon there is a freshwater cousin of theirs that deserves a bit of recognition.
Redclaw, or Fresh Water Crayfish are abundant in many of the state’s lakes and dams. They range in size…as Scotty and the crew found a few MONSTERS in Lake Maraboon. Would you believe 43cm!!?
Catching them is a straightforward exercise. You can find your pots at your local BCF – but it’s worth checking the regulation of the dam you’re hoping to use them in. There are restrictions on the width of the opening of the pots.
Now, bait. We’ve heard of a handful of tried-and-true options before. Potato, rock melon and pumpkin are all standouts, as are dog and cat food. But Greg at the Big 4 Lake Maraboon Holiday Village has another suggestion… fruit loops. Would you believe it??
When placing your bait in the pot, make sure to affix it to the centre of the pots, to make sure the Redclaw can’t access it from the outside.
Check your local regulations, but most spots in QLD, Redclaw are considered a pest, so you can take as many as you wish!
Then when it comes to cooking, well check out two cracking recipes below.
All the Redclaw catching gear you could ever need you can find at your local BCF.
Scott’s Redclaw Roll Recipe
*serves 6
- 6 Redclaw tails (1 per bun)
- 6 Brioche buns
- 6 cos lettuce leaves
- Dash of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons garlic
- Garlic Aioli
- Dill/Spring Onion
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Method
Put live Redclaw in an ice slurry or the freezer for 1 hour to humanly euthanize them. Using a sharp knife, remove the head of the Redclaw and slice the tail in half
Turn BBQ/pan onto high. Once BBQ/pan is hot, melt butter and garlic for 30 seconds. Don’t let garlic burn.
Place Redclaw, flesh down onto the butter and garlic. Cook until flesh goes opaque, or shell turns bright red (no more than 5 minutes). Flip Redclaw tails on their shells and cook for 1 minute (this helps remove flesh from shell). Take Redclaw off BBQ/pan and place them on a plate to rest
Cut buns in half. Put a dash of olive oil on the cut side of the buns, place them facedown on hot BBQ/pan for 1 minute to crisp. Take buns off BBQ. Assemble with Aioli and Cos Lettuce. Cut redclaw into small chunks (that would fit on the buns) and garnish with Dill or Spring Onion
Greg’s Redclaw Cob Loaf Chowder
*serves 6-8
- 1 large Cob Loaf
- 6 Redclaw Tails – chopped into small pieces
- 1 small tub of Pure Cream
- 2 Carrots – diced
- 2 stalks of Celery – diced
- One Brown Onion – diced
- 1 cup Seafood Stock (Chicken Stock also works)
- 1-2cups of White Wine
- Tablespoon of Butter
- 2 teaspoons of Garlic
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees fan forced (or use camp oven). Toast whole cob loaf in oven until exterior is golden. Cut top off and hollow out loaf. Set aside under tea towel. Keep the top of the loaf you cut off.
On a high, hot frypan, fry butter, garlic and onion until onion is softened. Add Redclaw and stir through onion, garlic and butter. Add wine, carrot and celery. Allow to boil and reduce by half.
Turn heat down to half, add cream. Allow to reduce until texture is similar to soup. Uncover cob loaf and carefully pour the Chowder into the hollowed out loaf. Cut the lid up into slices to dip.
