The crayfish party
The dark August nights provide the perfect setting for a Swedish crayfish feast.
Once a preserve of the rich, the Swedish crayfish party is today an occasion for all. Over the years, certain aspects of it have become a tradition.
What does a Swedish crayfish party look like?
There are some ground rules:
- Eat crayfish outdoors.
- Hang colourful paper lanterns round the table. The most popular type of lantern shows a smiling full moon.
- Both the tablecloth and the colourful plates can also be of paper.
- Wear a bib around your neck and a funny little paper hat on your head.
- Sing some drinking songs – the sillier the better.
Then the feast begins. You eat crayfish cold, with your fingers. Sucking noisily to extract the juices is perfectly acceptable behaviour. Many eat bread and a strong cheese such as mature Västerbotten on the side. People mostly drink beer and some even a schnapps, but there are of course alcohol-free alternatives as well.
It's best to be outside when eating crayfish. It's messy – and rather smelly. Photo: Patrik Svedberg/imagebank.sweden.se
A traditional crayfish party by a lake. Photo: Patrik Svedberg/imagebank.sweden.se
A crayfish party on the Swedish west coast would normally include langoustines, the pink crayfish from the sea. Photo: Tina Stafrén/imagebank.sweden.se
Cheers! Photo: Anna Hållams/imagebank.sweden.se
Dig in! Photo: Emma Ivarsson/imagebank.sweden.se
It's best to be outside when eating crayfish. It's messy – and rather smelly. Photo: Patrik Svedberg/imagebank.sweden.se
A traditional crayfish party by a lake. Photo: Patrik Svedberg/imagebank.sweden.se
A crayfish party on the Swedish west coast would normally include langoustines, the pink crayfish from the sea. Photo: Tina Stafrén/imagebank.sweden.se
Cheers! Photo: Anna Hållams/imagebank.sweden.se
Dig in! Photo: Emma Ivarsson/imagebank.sweden.se
It's best to be outside when eating crayfish. It's messy – and rather smelly. Photo: Patrik Svedberg/imagebank.sweden.se
A traditional crayfish party by a lake. Photo: Patrik Svedberg/imagebank.sweden.se
A crayfish party on the Swedish west coast would normally include langoustines, the pink crayfish from the sea. Photo: Tina Stafrén/imagebank.sweden.se
Cheers! Photo: Anna Hållams/imagebank.sweden.se
Dig in! Photo: Emma Ivarsson/imagebank.sweden.se
Why have crayfish become a delicacy?
Back in the early 1900s, Sweden introduced restrictions on river crayfishing. This was due to the risk of over-fishing, and the season was then limited to a couple of months from August. That's how crayfish became an exclusive and much sought-after delicacy. The crayfish population in rivers and lakes has also been decimated on a number of occasions by a dreaded parasitic mould.
Today, you can buy imported crayfish all year round, but few Swedes are prepared to abandon the seasonal tradition.
How to choose the best crayfish?
In early August, the media set the scene for the feast with detailed tests of the current year’s offerings, tips from celebrities and lists ranking the various crayfish brands for sale in supermarkets.
Some years, the taste panels deem Chinese crayfish the best; other years crayfish imported from the US are the winners. But Swedish crayfish − needless to say − always win. The trouble is, they are usually very expensive.
Those who can, fish
The very few who have private access catch their own crayfish, of course. As the little creatures like the dark, they can be found crawling along the bottom. They are caught in wire traps and the bait is often rotten or raw fish.
The crayfish are then cooked as the Swedes like them – in a brine, with plenty of crown dill. Did you know that crayfish change colour from black to red when they are boiled? (Not the sea version of crayfish, the langoustines, though – they stay pink.)
The Swedish crayfish party – the origins
Swedes have been eating crayfish since the 1500s. For a long while, only the aristocracy enjoyed these delicacies, as popular suspicion of shellfish was widespread. Originally, people used crayfish meat for sausage, ragout, patties or puddings.
It was in the mid-1800s that people started eating crayfish as they are eaten today. The crayfish party or crayfish supper in the month of August spread through the middle classes. In the 1900s, crayfish became a national delicacy and people in all parts of society began celebrating the occasion. The price of crayfish fell as a result of imports from Türkiye and elsewhere. The crayfish party, at which people gather to eat, drink and be merry, is a typically Swedish feast marking the end of the summer.
Västerbotten cheese quiche – a festive side dish
One of the most popular dishes served at a crayfish party, apart from the crayfish itself, is the Västerbotten cheese quiche.
Try the tasty recipe below and get ready for the feast.
Conversions and abbreviations
1 g = 1 gramme = 1/1,000 of a kg
1 kg = 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds (lb)
1 dl = 1 decilitre = 100 millilitres (ml) = 1/10 of a litre = 0.4 US cup
1 litre = 10 dl = 0.9 UK quart (qt) = 1.06 US liquid qt
1 fl oz, UK = 1 fluid ounce = 1/33 UK qt = 30 ml
1 fl oz, US = 1/32 US qt = 28 ml
1 lb = 16 oz = 450 ml
1 tsp = 1 teaspoon = 1/6 oz = 5 ml
1 tbsp = 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 1/2 oz = 15 ml
°C = degrees Celsius; °F = degrees Fahrenheit
For more online conversions: onlineconversion.com.
Västerbotten cheese quiche recipe
Ingredients (8 servings)
Quiche dough:
3 dl wheat flour
125 g butter
0.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp cold water
Filling:
3 eggs
2 dl cream
2 pinches coarsely ground black pepper
300 g grated Västerbotten cheese (you can replace the cheese with a cheese of your liking).
Roe sauce (optional):
1 red onion
100 g fish roe
2 dl crème fraîche or sour cream
Preparation
Set the oven to 200°C.
Mix the flour, butter and salt into a crumbly mass. Add water and quickly work together into a dough.
Press the dough into a quiche dish. Prick with a fork and refrigerate for about 10 mins.
Pre-bake for about 10 minutes.
Whisk together eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Add the cheese and pour the mixture into the quiche crust.
Bake in the middle of the oven until the egg yolk has set and has a nice colour, about 20 minutes.
Leave it to cool before serving.
Enjoy!
