The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend that pregnant women eat at least 8 ounces and up to 12 ounces (340 grams) of a variety of seafood lower in mercury a week.Ĭrayfish are very rich source of minerals including iron (10.5% RDI), selenium, iodine, calcium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus (36.5% RDI), and magnesium.Ĭrayfish sold live or cooked, frozen or canned. Invertebrates, like crawfish, are at the bottom of the food chain and concentrate very small amounts of heavy metals like mercury. Crawfish meat is good source of folates, niacin, vitamin B6, thiamin, and riboflavin. Living in freshwaters, crayfish essentially preys on small insects and zooplankton which are the finest sources of B-complex vitamins. Vitamin-A and omega-3's are essential for healthy mucosa and skin. It composes just 57 IU/100g of vitamin-A and a total- 0.152g of omega-3 fatty-acids. Unlike oily fish like salmon, crawfish is a minor source of vitamin-A and long chain omega-3 fatty acids (PUFA).

Seafood is low in saturated fat and higher in “heart healthful” polyunsaturated fat, including omega-3 fatty acids.Īmerican Heart Association recommends consumption of seafood, including crustaceans, to fulfil requirements of essential fatty acids, protein, minerals and fat-soluble vitamins. Research studies suggest that eating seafood can decrease the risk of heart attack, stroke, obesity and hypertension. Their lean meat composes 15.97 g/100g (27% of RDI) of protein, being complete in all essential amino acids in a healthy proportions. Their lean white tail meat is a good source of protein. 100g of its tail meat holds just 77 calories, and 0.95g of fats. They spend most of their time in burrows to escape from predators, to spawn, and during adverse conditions such as drought.Ĭrayfish are night hunters and consume both plant and animal materials such as aquatic plants, mollusks, insect larvae, mature insects, tadpoles, amphibian eggs, and small fish.Ĭrawfish, being a crustacean, is a low calorie, low fat, white meat seafood. Live in a wide variety of habitats, including lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, springs, and swamps. Their lifespan is about 2-3 years however, giant Tasmanian crayfish (A. The female lays eggs in its second year of life to raise many juveniles in the burrow.

Life cycle:Ĭrawfish are well adapted to the cyclical low-water dry conditions and high-water flood conditions common to their natural habitats.

Its white meat tinged with pink is lean, delicate, and more or less compact, depending on the species. Their four pairs of walking legs assist them in rapid movement across the bottom substrates of their aquatic habitats.Ĭrayfishes vary dramatically in size, color, and general appearance, usually measure 2-6 inches (6-14 cm) in length. This crustacean, like all arthropods, is a decapod (one pair claw and four pairs of legs) and has an encasing exoskeleton made out of the structural polysaccharide 'chitin.' Claws function as tools for defense, food gathering, and burrowing.

Description:Ĭrawfish has similar external features as lobsters but in a smaller version. gouldi),Īll species of crayfish found in the eastern United States belongs to Cambaridae, the largest family of crayfishes. zonangulus),Īstacidae: Giant Tasmanian crayfish (A. Edible crawfish chiefly comprises into three families:Ĭambaridae: Red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkia) and white river crawfish (P.

Crayfish clawfish