Grounded CrayFish Spice
Grounded CrayFish Spice
West African "Crayfish" are freshwater Shrimp (or Prawns, depending on your preferred terminology) and are not closely related to North American Crayfish, which are freshwater lobsters. The catch is predominantly of the three species listed above. West African Crayfish are usually smoked, which is why you will find recipes listing both "Dried Crayfish" and "Dried Shrimp". The shrimp are sun-dried and not smoked.
Measures: African recipes almost never tell you if the measure is for whole crayfish or ground, but most African recipes seem to measure the Crayfish whole. A cup of whole Nigerian Crayfish weighs 31 grams (1.1 ounces) and a cup of Nigerian Ground Crayfish weighs 55 grams (1.9 ounces) so your measure of ground should be just above half the measure for the whole. Basically, use your own best judgment, because you may not wish to use as much as they do in Arica.
Storing: Dried Crayfish should be stored very dry in a tightly sealed container in a dark place. They should last about a year