how to prep crawfish for peeling?

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You're over thinking this. Boil like you usually would. Eat what you want and peel the rest and vacuum pack.

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I hear what you're saying, and that's what I normally do. But I'm fairly certain that's NOT what commercial processors do. I've had etouffee made with never frozen commercially prepared crawfish, and I've had it made with crawfish left over from a boil. IMO it's not the same or as good. The texture of the meat seemed different and I like the flavor better also. Now, having said all that, I'm an old fart that remembers a lot of things that have changed over the years. When I was young, you could by a pound of tail meat and they had the fat in a little cup or plastic bag. You could get one container of the fat for every pound you bought. So that's how far back I'm going with this....LOL

Cook them like normal or you'll wind up with underseasoned crawfish tail meat and won't be happy with the end product.

They'll be like those damn Chinese crawfish, par-boiled with no real taste, so what's the point.

I usually boil about 2 sacks a year extra to peel and use for crawfish pies, ettouffe', crawfish bisque, fettuccini, etc. and I just boil them like normal.

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. The texture of the meat seemed different and I like the flavor better also.

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Probably the texture was firmer because they were not cooked as long. You can do the same thing using regular style boiled crawfish in cooked dishes by simply putting the crawfish in almost at the end of cooking time. They are already cooked and well seasoned, so no need to do more than get them up to the temperature of what they are going into.

I believe you are overthinking this a bit too much.

Commercial processors wash live crawfish, then boil or steam in un-seasoned water, then peel. I can’t tell you minutes off the top of my head as each operation is different.

You can par-boil shortly as the other poster said, or just use the time you prefer for a normal seasoned boil such that the crawfish peel easily. Be aware if crawfish are frozen with the “fat” (really hepatopancreas, the liver of a crawfish) in non-vacuumed packed bags the fat can turn rancid in as short as a few months. If you plan to keep the bags of meat frozen for any length of time I’d suggest you wash the meat of residual fat.

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Be aware if crawfish are frozen with the “fat” (really hepatopancreas, the liver of a crawfish) in non-vacuumed packed bags the fat can in turn rancid in as short as a few months

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Even though the “fat” adds a tremendous amount of flavor, the above statement is absolutely correct.
If not used within a few months in can turn rancid.
I’m sure some have kept frozen crawfish with fat for longer but I’m won’t chance it.
However our crawfish usually don’t last long enough to go rancid.

I'm probably going to do this this afternoon. Fella in Des Allemands is running a special, 2 sacks for $80. Probably eat a few and parboil the 2nd sack without adding any seasoning for the 2nd sack to peel.

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Be aware if crawfish are frozen with the “fat” (really hepatopancreas, the liver of a crawfish) in non-vacuumed packed bags the fat can turn rancid in as short as a few months.

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I never keep frozen crawfish long enough for the fat to get rancid. But I have noticed that even when you freeze them for a short time the fat changes. I don't now what the right term for it is but it goes through a change. The flavor is just not as robust as the original fat. I know I'm knit picking but to me it's worth the effort.

Shrimp hit me the same way. Make a gumbo with shrimp fresh out of the Gulf (not sitting in a shrimp boat hold in the Gulf for two weeks). Then make a gumbo with frozen shrimp, or even shrimp that have been out of the water on ice for a couple of days, and the flavor will be different. The second gumbo can be good, but the flavor of the Gulf is gone IMO.

scald in plain unseasoned boiling water just until shells turn red, 5 minutes or so

you dont want them seasoned or it throws off the seasonings in dishes you cook with it

if you are near lake charles there is a guy selling small to mediums for $25 a sack with 30lbs sacks

its facebook so i'll just post the ad rather then link

???????? CRAWFISH $50/SACK??????
CRAWFISH WILL BE WASHED/GRADED
ALSO HAVE MED/SMALL FOR $25/SACK
TEXT ORDER TO (337)526-9977
WE WILL HAVE LIVE CRAWFISH THIS WEEKEND. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
TEXT: (337)526-9977
NUMBER OF SACKS YOU NEED,TIME YOU WANT TO PICKUP, and DAY.

PICKUP WILL BE AT!!
108 PALMER STREET
WELSH,LA 70591

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The so called crawfish fat, or fat of shrimp or crab, is again a digestive organ which is equivalent to a vertebrate’s liver and pancreas, contains many prototypic enzymes and lipid compounds which remain somewhat “active” in the presence of air (oxygen) even at the temperature of a typical residential freezer. One would need a scientific ultra-low freezer to stop the biochemical reactions which cause rancidity. Of course that doesn’t apply if you freeze cooked cooked products containing “fat”.

Similar to why oily saltwater fishes like salmon, mackerel, etc don’t store well for a long time time in freezers compared to less oily freshwater fishes.

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Thanks for the science lesson. Interesting stuff. I quit freezing saltwater fish, for the most part, for this very reason. Specks can get particularly strong, especially when pogie are their main diet. I will still freeze flounder and an occasional redfish filet but neither taste like fresh.