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Boiled Crayfish

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons butter
• boiling water (as needed)
• 1 tablespoons sharp wine vinegar
• salt (plenty)
• crushed pepper (pinch)
• 1 bunch parsley
• 30 pcs cleaned crayfish
• 2 tablespoons butter (for the sauce)
• 2 tablespoons grated breadcrumbs
• chopped parsley (a little)
• 1 kg freshly boiled salted potatoes (optional as a side dish)
• 2 tablespoons butter (for the potatoes)

Instructions

1. In a fish kettle, melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add boiling water, then 1 tablespoon of sharp wine vinegar, plenty of salt, a pinch of crushed pepper, and a bunch of parsley.
2. Add the crayfish, previously cleaned and killed according to instructions, to the boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring several times.
3. As soon as they have turned red, they are done; remove from heat and arrange in a pyramid shape on a napkin.
4. Quickly reduce the broth with 2 tablespoons of butter and an equal amount of grated breadcrumbs to a creamy sauce, garnish with finely chopped parsley, and serve alongside.
5. Potatoes are an especially good side dish: coarsely mash 1 kg of freshly boiled salted potatoes after steaming, add 2 tablespoons of butter and a little of the crayfish broth, cook through, toss with finely chopped parsley, and serve steaming; in this case, do not serve a separate sauce with the crayfish, as the potatoes should be rather mushy.

Modernized from a treasured 19th-century German cookbook.