What's the dark stuff on the crawfish's underbelly?

What's this dark stuff on the underbelly of Crawfish? 

Well… we did some research and what we found was pretty interesting!

Ever see crawfish with a really dark underside and some darkness creeping up the bottom of their claws? Don’t worry, it’s totally normal and doesn’t affect the taste or safety of your boil.

Here’s what’s going on: In the later part of the season, it’s common to catch crawfish that look a bit “dirty.” This “dirtiness” is just the crawfish’s shell hosting some microorganisms. These algae latch onto the crawfish’s shell, just like they would on rocks or twigs sitting in the water for a long time. Biologists call these hitchhikers “ectocommensals.”

Later in the season, crawfish don’t molt their shells nearly as often. This gives algae much more time to grow on their shells.

So, if you see some dark spots on your crawfish, it’s just nature doing its thing. These ectocommensals are completely harmless and don’t change the flavor or safety of your crawfish. Boil them up, season them well, and enjoy your delicious crawfish boil without any worries!

Thank you to the LSU Ag Center for providing so much awesome info on Louisiana Crawfish. We love keeping up with whatever they’re posting.

Share with the uninformed!