Buttered crayfish with ginger and lime leaves

by Ed Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 2 large crayfish, live
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 stick lemongrass, finely chopped
  • 2 lime leaves, finely sliced
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 Tbsp ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 250g butter
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • Lime wedges

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 210°C.
2 Split the crayfish down its length with a sharp knife. This is instant and humane.
3 Scrape out the head shell using a teaspoon, then drizzle with olive oil.
4 Barbecue cut side down over a high heat for one minute, then transfer to a baking tray shell-down.
5 Pound the lemongrass, lime leaves, garlic and ginger in a mortar and pestle until smooth, then whip in the butter and soy.
6 Spoon onto the crayfish and bake for 10 minutes.
7 Serve with lime wedges.

PROFESSIONAL TIP: Always buy crayfish live or frozen, never chilled. Chilled crayfish have no guarantee of quality.