Are crayfish insects or shrimp? Is the "shrimp roe" edible?

It is crayfish season again, and in recent years it has become an important economic aquaculture species in China. So are crayfish insects or shrimp? Is the “shrimp roe” edible?

Are crayfish insects or shrimp?

Crayfish is a kind of freshwater crayfish, belonging to the phylum Arthropoda, class Crustacea, family Astacidae, subfamily Cambarinae. It also has its own scientific name, Procambarus clarkii. The crayfish's homeland is neither China nor Japan, but faraway North America, with its main habitat along the Gulf of Mexico coast, especially the area near the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Fast growth and strong adaptability, able to survive in both clean and polluted environments, are characteristics of this kind of shrimp. Crayfish can eat many things and have a good appetite; they are omnivorous animals, and water plants, algae, aquatic insects, animal carcasses and so on are all things they can eat.

Is the crayfish “shrimp roe” edible?

Regarding this thing called shrimp roe, some people think it is just like crab roe, edible and even especially nutritious; others think this shrimp roe is very dirty, and it must be removed completely before they can eat it. There are also those who think this shrimp roe looks just like brains, too disgusting, and they cannot stomach it just looking at it, let alone putting it in their mouths. So which claim is correct?

Shrimp roe, judging by the name, is similar to crab roe, one being shrimp and the other crab. Of course, there really is a connection: the name shrimp roe was in fact modeled on crab roe, so shrimp roe is actually the eggs of the crayfish. Do not assume just because you hear the word eggs that it is highly nutritious or anything like that; this is different from chicken eggs, and it is not entirely correct to say it is the essence of the crayfish.

Research has found that shrimp roe contains a large amount of protein, unsaturated fatty acids and so on, so it does have nutritional value, but this depends on the growing environment of the crayfish.

Because the environment of the crayfish we commonly eat is not particularly good, the environment in which crayfish live contains a large amount of heavy metal elements, and the place where crayfish filter is in the head. The result is that the heavy metals all settle in the head, and at the same time this shrimp roe is also in the head, so this causes heavy metals to seep into the shrimp roe. Eating it once or twice will not cause problems, but eating it long term still poses a big problem.

If you love eating shrimp roe, it is best to eat the kind of crayfish that is farmed artificially. Relatively speaking, the environment of that kind of crayfish is better, there will not be much heavy metal, and this kind of crayfish is produced in batches, one batch every few months, so the heavy metal elements accumulated inside are not much, so it is still fairly safe to eat. Also, if possible, take a look at the crayfish yourself to see whether it is alive. If it is not alive, it is best not to eat it, because after death some unscrupulous merchants use medicinal solutions, and eating it will cause problems for your body.