Swedish Summer Crayfish
7 servings
30 minutes
Swedish summer crayfish are a traditional dish that marks the summer season in Sweden when fresh crayfish become a true delicacy. The flavor of this dish is rich, spicy, and slightly citrusy thanks to lemons, limes, and beer in the broth. Anise, garlic, and black pepper add a subtle spicy note, making each bite rich and memorable. This recipe symbolizes friendly summer gatherings where crayfish are eaten by hand as their chitin shells are cracked open and washed down with cold beer. The dish pairs wonderfully with fresh bread and butter, enhancing its rich taste. In Sweden, the crayfish season is a whole event filled with fun, feasting, and folk songs that turns the meal into a true cultural tradition.
1
Boil about five liters of water in a large pot.
2
Add onion, carrot, dill, star anise, garlic, pepper, lemons and limes (after squeezing their juice) and pour in the beer.
- Onion: 3 heads
- Carrot: 2 pieces
- Dill: 1 kg
- Anise (star anise): 5 piece
- Garlic: 1 head
- Black peppercorns: 20 pieces
- Chili pepper: 2 pieces
- Lemon: 2 pieces
- Lime: 2 pieces
- Beer: 1 l
3
Salt well and boil for fifteen minutes.
- Salt: to taste
4
After that, add the crayfish and boil them for another fifteen minutes until they turn uniformly red.
- Crayfish: 50 pieces
5
After that, take the crayfish out of the broth and eat them by breaking the chitin shells with your hands, washing it down with beer.