There’s a few different kinds of crayfish that can be found in The Netherlands, but the ‘invasive’ Procambarus clarkii, aka Louisiana crayfish, the one associated with Cajun cooking, has become a pest in De Groene Hart (The Green Hart) area.

The quick and muddy explanation is that those suckers dig and destroy, bully indigenous European crayfish and eat indigenous species of amphibians for starters. So why can’t my dream of having Cajun cuisine in this country come true? In recent years, fishers, chefs and food specialists have been trying to get people to turn these pests into food, but crayfish isn’t often on the menu here despite their abundance.

You’ll find crayfish in streams after rainfall and sometimes in people’s gardens. They have this famous aggressive look that says ‘back off or maybe it’s ‘halleluia’ with a southern American accent. The expert in this video (Dutch) will even tell you what the male genitalia looks like and everything.

It’s free food, people, let’s get some Cajun cooking going. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

(Links: www.waarmaarraar.nl, rivierkreeft.files.wordpress.com (PDF), Screenshot from the above-mentioned film from Omroep West).