Cor! What a Crawfish!

The other night my old pal Robin Turner and his lovely wife Rebecca invited us up to their house on the hill above Newlyn for supper - and I knew it would be a very good supper indeed because the pair run the highly successful Indulgence Catering outfit down there in West Penwith.

We were not to be disappointed. It was a fantastic evening - with great food and great company. But one thing that has stayed with me was the taste-test Robin put on to show us the difference between a classic Cornish lobster and a crawfish, caught somewhere out past the Scillies on the edge of the Atlantic shelf.

Cornish crawfish

These creatures do not have the big front claws which are the most noticeable - and arguably the most delicious - bit of the lobster’s anatomy. But, blimey, they do have an amazing flavour and texture - one that is quite appreciably different from that of their more common cousin. The flesh is not quite as sweet as a lobster’s - specially not as sweet as the claw-meat - but it does have an interesting slightly nutty flavour, and this lingers rather wonderfully on the palette long after you’ve swallowed the morsel.

No wonder the French and others are willing to pay a lot of money for one of these little beasts. And when I say a lot, I really do mean quite a few quid - at present I can see that you’d pay between £42 and £80 for a crawfish this size.

So weren’t we the lucky ones tucking into this fabulous feast up at Robin and Rebecca’s place…