Every August, Swedes put on paper hats and bibs, hang paper lanterns painted with a smiling moon, and sit down to a kräftskiva, a crayfish party. The star is a mountain of cold crayfish boiled in salted water with crown dill, the flowering heads of the dill plant, and left to steep overnight until the flavor reaches the very tip of each claw. They are eaten with the fingers, noisily, with bread, cheese, a few salads, beer and small glasses of snaps, each one announced by a drinking song.

The August date was once the law. For most of the twentieth century the crayfish harvest in Sweden was legally limited to late summer, so the first catch of the season was an event. The rule is long gone, but the custom of an early autumn crayfish premiere has stayed, and it has spread across the Nordic countries and well beyond.

Sweden's Grand Prix years at Anderstorp were June affairs, so the crayfish always arrived about two months too late for the paddock. Your own crayfish party need not wait for August, and it is the most sociable way we know to watch a race: everyone has their hands busy and nobody minds the mess.

The dill brine

Ingredients

• 5 quarts (4.75 liters) water
• 3/4 cup (200 g) coarse sea salt
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 bottle (12 oz / 355 ml) light lager or porter
• 2 large bunches crown dill

Method

1. Rinse the dill and shake it dry. Set aside the best looking flower heads, about a third, for steeping later. Tie the rest, stalks and all, into two loose bundles with kitchen string.
2. Pour the water into the stockpot and add the salt, sugar, beer and the tied dill bundles. Bring to a hard, rolling boil over high heat, stirring until the salt dissolves. Let it boil for 5 minutes to draw out the dill flavor.

Cooking the crayfish

Ingredients

• 6 lb (2.7 kg) live crayfish

Method

1. Tip the crayfish into a large colander or a clean sink and rinse them well under cold running water, picking out any weeds or debris. Check them: live crayfish move their legs or tail when touched. Throw away any that are dead.
2. With the brine at a rolling boil, drop in about 15 crayfish, head first, one after another, using the slotted spoon or tongs. The boil must stay strong so they die instantly. Wait until the brine returns to a full boil, then cook for 7 to 8 minutes.
3. Lift the cooked crayfish out with the spider or slotted spoon into the large heatproof container. Bring the brine back to a rolling boil and cook the next batch in the same way, until all are done.
4. Remove the dill bundles from the brine and discard them. Scatter the saved dill crowns over and between the crayfish, then pour over enough of the hot brine to cover them completely. Leave to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

At the table: how to eat a crayfish

Ingredients

• 1 loaf crusty white bread or crispbread
• 8 oz (225 g) strong aged hard cheese
• 1/2 cup (115 g) salted butter
• 2 lemons

Method

1. About 30 minutes before eating, lift the crayfish out of the brine, let them drain in the colander and pile them on the platter with the dill crowns. Serve them cold, but take them out of the fridge for 15 minutes first so the flavor opens.
2. Hold a crayfish with both hands, head in one and tail in the other, and twist to separate them. Many Swedes then suck the salty, dill flavored brine from the head shell, noisily, and nobody at a crayfish party will think less of you for it.
3. Squeeze the tail shell between your fingers until it cracks along the underside, then peel off the shell rings and pull out the tail meat. Pull out and discard the thin dark vein running along the top if you see one. Eat the meat as it is, or on a piece of buttered toast.
4. Break off the claws, snap off the small pincer, and either crack the claw with your teeth or slit it with the small knife, then pull or suck out the meat. Put the shells in the shell bowls as you go.

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