Svensk kräftskiva season in London

NOTE ADDED 15/8 - Crayfish are in!  Kräftor are here!  Available in shop now - get yours before they go.

This post refers back to an older post as well

Kräftor : It is  the season as we're really getting into the mood at Scandi Kitchen.   Yahoo.

We're still taking orders for Crayfish - we're getting the first delivery on 19th August (we may even get some next week already, but we'll keep you posted about that if it happens). 

The price is £8.50 for pre-orders pr box and the price in the shop will be £9.50 if you have not ordered - but we strongly suggest you put an order in as these babies tend to jump off the shelves.  Order yours by sending a mail to iwantfood@scandikitchen.co.uk

If you're planning a Swedish kräftskiva / Svensk kräftskiva, then you need the following:

• Crayfish / Kräftor - you need about 11-12 per person for a main course - so if you budget 1/2 box per head then you'll probably be ok.  The crayfish the Swedes usually buy are cooked and then frozen - so all you need to do is defrost them (be aware, though, that they need about 24 hours in the fridge to defrost properly so take them out the day before).
• Aquavit - to be authentic, have a "drink for every claw".  We also stock different kinds of aquavit at SK.
• Bread - lots of toasted white bread and lots of crisp bread - we are really into Leksands at the moment, but stock abotu 30 kinds so there's plenty to choose from.
• Beer - We prefer the Scandinavian Carlsberg or Tuborg, but then again, any lager is good lager as long as it is cold...
• Västerbotten cheese - a year old aged cheese, not unlike parmasan but without the smell of feet.   The cheese is eaten inbetween to fill up - you are unlikely to be full from just 12 crayfish and with all that aquavit you'll need something to soak it up.  You can also make something called Västerbotten pie - it is a bit like a quiche lorraine without all the other stuff (i.e. the lorraine bit) you normally put in, just with the cheese.
• Silly crayfish hats and bibs and lanterns depicting the Man in the Moon
• Nutcracker or seafood cracker to get to all the good sluff in the claws...
• A good bunch of friends and an entire evening - a Crayfish party is not a short event, it can go on well into the night.

When you pop by the shop to pick up your stuff, you can ask any of the people who work here and they'll be happy to help you out with anything you need.  They are nice like that, you know.

Arrange the crayfish in a big bowl in the middle of the table and decorate with lots of fresh dill...  Serve cold.