Swedish Style Louisiana Crayfish from Spain
Aka the best kind
Next week, we’re coming up on crayfish party season in Sweden, also known as a “kräftskiva” (pronounced kraft-whee-va). Historically, crayfishing was banned in Sweden from November through the first week of August, so the “official” kick off is August 8th. Even though the ban has been lifted since the early 90’s, Swedes still wait until August to start celebrating.
As I’m on this journey to share Swedish food and holiday traditions with you, there are some things I know well, and some things I haven’t experienced yet. I may be the gingerbread house decorating party queen, but my crayfish party intel is majorly lacking. And, it just so happens I’m throwing one of these parties in mid-August for a large group of real deal Swedes outside of San Jose…so the heat is on.
This year, my visit to Sweden still had me missing the crayfish season by about four weeks. I had accepted my crayfish fate until my Aunt Karin announced that we will be having an early crayfish party to teach me how to host one. I was honored!
Because it was still a little early in the season, the only crayfish my aunt could find were imported at the ICA grocery store and were labeled “Swedish Style Louisiana Crayfish from Spain”. Such little world travelers, these guys! We were skeptical, happy, and hopeful. Let’s do this.
Here are my five favorite things about crayfish parties:
Swedish crayfish are cooked but then served cold
In the US a crayfish party is all about standing around a bubbling pot of cajun spiced liquid, full of corn on the cob, sausage, and crayfish. Everything is drained and poured onto a paper lined table piping hot. Now you have to burn your fingers and stain your shirt for a very small reward. Not in Sweden! These puppies are mildly seasoned with dill crowns, salt, and (sometimes) dark beer and then chilled overnight. I’m notorious for drowning out my food in spice, so it was fun to try a different flavor profile - and they were delicious.
Swedish crayfish are not spicy, but the decorations are
If you type Swedish crayfish party decorations into Amazon, chances are 90% of the search will come up with generic crayfish party decor (little lobsters, bibs, etc). It was really fun to see the traditional Swedish decor that had been used year over year for 15+ years at our house. It’s almost like a Chinese New Year party meets Full Moon party with some very swanky cartoon crayfish characters sprinkled throughout. Traditional decor is a must, it’s the best.
We started with Swedish potato pancakes and cheese pie and ended with Swedish candy, of course
In Sweden, there’s a delicious cheese we love called västerbotten cheese. Imagine a creamier, somewhat more bitter, aged parmesan cheese. It has a very distinctive flavor and is delicious for a quiche-like cheese pie that is served as an appetizer. At our party, we were spoiled by our friend Krister, who brought over his bonfire and made us fresh raggmunk, or Swedish potato pancakes cooked in bacon fat and served with bacon bits and fresh lingonberries. Such a treat.
We sang drinking songs and toasted with snaps
To my surprise, singing Swedish drinking songs and cheersing with snaps was not only limited to Midsummer! Usually, each person has a song they’re known for leading and they can kick it off by starting to sing. There’s a print out with lyrics and everyone chimes in. Don’t know the words? Make them up! I’ve decided Helan går is going to be mine.
Make no mistake..this is most definitely an eating competition
My family is very competitive and it turns out that competition at a crayfish party is no different! After we’d been eating for some time, I noticed my Uncle Henrik was lining his plate with all of his crayfish shells so you could easily count them. This is common practice to see who eats the most crayfish! Meanwhile, I was covering my measly attempt at eating three of them underneath a napkin. Apparently the napkin trick is a dead giveaway. I’m going to do better next time, promise.
It’s been so fun reliving that night for this post. I’m determined to bring this fun party to the Bay next year - and if you want to give a try yourself this August, I’m going to post a Swedish crayfish recipe to my website next week!
Thanks for reading as always 🍓
Amelia