Swedish Crawfish Salad Recipe - How to Make Crawfish Salad (2024)

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5 from 3 votes

By Hank Shaw

July 23, 2012 | Updated June 06, 2022

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Swedish Crawfish Salad Recipe - How to Make Crawfish Salad (2)

If you are an American, you probably think that the title of this post is a bit odd. Scandinavian crawfish salad?

But make no mistake: If there is a crawdad-eating culture that can match the Cajuns, it’s the Scandos. And high summer is the season for them in Sweden and Finland.

Crayfish eating is done with much ceremony in a Swedish kraftskiva, and, much like a New England lobster boil or a Cajun crawdad boil, there are certain things that must be included: The crayfish are always boiled in salty water with lots of dill; usually the flowering heads of dill, which have a stronger flavor. Anise can go into the boil, too, as can a few other spices. Sometimes beer makes its way into the boil.

Oh, and the Scandinavians tend to eat all of the crawfish, including the claw meat. They even have a special crayfish knife for the purpose. Very few Americans I know bother with the claw meat, but as you can see, it can be well worth the effort with a big crawdad:

Swedish Crawfish Salad Recipe - How to Make Crawfish Salad (3)

Beer, or more likely aquavit — a ferocious, caraway-flavored liqueur I mostly associate with nearby Denmark — is the drink of choice here. Lots of it. Apparently a Scandinavian crayfish party is really more of an elaborate drinking game than a meal. Everyone wears party hats and is supposed to take a shot of aquavit or schnapps between each crayfish. And a normal serving of crayfish is about a dozen. Uff-da.

A dozen? Crap, I can eat a dozen crawdads in maybe 5 minutes. Shelled, I could eat that in a mouthful. OK, a big mouthful, but you get the point. It’s the dozen shots that would do me in. I can’t drink like I used to, which is probably for the best.

So where does this crawfish salad come in? Well, apparently even the Scandos can’t drink excessively every day. But they do love their crawfish, and their season is short, from late July to early September. Light, lovely crawfish salads show up all over Scandinavia, and this is my version.

I know what a few remaining doubters out there might be thinking: Blech, Scandinavian food? First off, it sure as hell ain’t German food. (And for the record, German food is not as bad as its reputation.)

And second, I might remind any doubters that for several years running the best restaurant on the planet has been NOMA, in Denmark. Scando food — real Scandinavian food — is light, carefully constructed and studded with unexpected flavors, some imported since the Viking days.

Give this salad a go on your next hot summer night. And if you can’t find crawfish, those pretty little co*cktail shrimp (which are sustainably caught in North American waters, by the way) are an excellent substitute, as is king crab.

5 from 3 votes

Scandinavian Crawfish Salad

Crawfish salads are pretty common in Scandinavia, although this recipe is my own. If you want to make this salad but can't get crayfish, use those little co*cktail shrimp from Maine or the North Pacific. Serve this salad with pumpernickel, cheese and either a crisp white wine or a lager beer.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Scandinavian

Servings: 6 people

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound crayfish tails and/or claw meat (cooked)
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 1 cup seeded, chopped cucumbers (peel the skin if it's bitter)
  • 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
  • 2 teaspoons mustard
  • 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Put the crayfish tails, red onion and cucumber in a bowl. Mix the horseradish, mustard and mayo together, then mix into with the crayfish. Stir in the dill and add salt and black pepper to taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 16IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Featured, Fish, Recipe, Scandinavian

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Swedish Crawfish Salad Recipe - How to Make Crawfish Salad (2024)

FAQs

What do crawfish taste like? ›

Compared to crab, crawfish do have a stronger flavor and are usually much meatier. Many people describe the flavor of crawfish as a combination of shrimp and crab, as they are slightly salty, a little sweet, and have a bit of mineral flavor.

How long do you cook crawdads? ›

How Long to Boil Crawfish? Crawfish are usually the last thing you'll add to an already boiling pot of seasonings, vegetables, and sausage. Since it's easy to overcook crawfish, you only want to boil them for about 5 minutes. You'll know they're done when the shells turn bright red and the tails pull out easily.

How to prepare fresh crawdads? ›

Pour the crawdads into the boiling water and bring the water back up to a boil. When the water begins to boil again, set your timer for 5 minutes. After the crawdads cook for 5 minutes, take the pot off the heat source and allow the crawdads to soak in the hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.

What's the difference between a crawdad and a crawfish? ›

Crawfish, crayfish, and crawdads are the same animal. Which term you use may depend much on where you live. Louisianans most often say crawfish, whereas Northerners are more likely to say crayfish. People from the West Coast or Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas often use the term crawdad.

Why is crawfish so expensive? ›

Addressing the shortage, a representative from H-E-B said: “Extreme weather patterns in 2023 have caused supply and demand issues in the crawfish industry that is affecting retailers nationwide.

What is the best way to eat crayfish? ›

The Best Way To Eat Boiled Crawfish

Grasp: Hold crawfish on both sides of the tail joint, your thumbs on one side of the shell and your index fingers on the other. Twist and snap: With a twisting motion, snap the head away from the tail. Optional step for diehards: Suck the juice from the crawfish head.

Can you overcook crayfish? ›

The trick with crayfish is to undercook it, as the meat will continue to cook as it rests and you don't want overcooked, chewy crayfish!

Do you rinse crawfish before cooking? ›

A short rinse is great for cleaning existing waste, but the salt will not cause them to purge themselves. So rinse your crawfish well, but save your salt. We recommend submerging the sack in fresh water multiple times until used water is clear. The box they come in is a great tool for this purpose.

Are crawdads good to eat? ›

Crawfish also contain a good amount of B vitamins, as well as iron and selenium — important minerals that can be hard to get through your diet. "The only drawback to crawfish is that they do contain some dietary cholesterol," says Snyder. "But ultimately, crawfish are an overall healthy source of protein."

Do you clean crawfish before cooking? ›

Crawfish excrete waste through their gills, and this takes time. A short rinse is great for cleaning existing waste, but the salt will not cause them to purge themselves. So rinse your crawfish well, but save your salt. We recommend submerging the sack in fresh water multiple times until used water is clear.

Can you eat raw crawdad? ›

However, there are some foods that should NEVER be consumed uncooked! One of these is crawfish. Unlike oysters, which many people choose to eat raw, eating raw crawfish can have serious results! Paragonimiasis is the name given by the doctors at Washington University to the illness caused by eating raw crawfish.

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