History

Jasus lalandii, the West Coast rock lobster, lives in shallow water from Cape Cross in Namibia round the Cape of Good Hope to Algoa Bay, and Cape Town has eaten it for as long as there have been boats in Table Bay. It is called crayfish locally and kreef in Afrikaans, and the coastal habit is to braai it rather than boil it. Overfishing changed the terms: the commercial fishery is capped by quota and the recreational season is short, with days gazetted each summer and a limit of four per person per day. Scarcity is why a kilogram now costs what it does.

Book a food experience

Tours, tastings and classes that match this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.

Browse every bookable food experience

Common allergens: Crustacean, Milk

Make it at home

Yield Serves 2Hands-on 25 minTotal 35 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 whole West Coast rock lobsters, about 600g each, live or freshly killed
  • 150g butter
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • Juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve
  • Small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Coarse salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Chill the lobsters in the freezer for 20 minutes to sedate them, then split each one lengthways through the head and tail with a heavy knife and lift out the gut tract.
  2. Melt the butter with the garlic, paprika and lemon juice over low heat for 2 minutes without letting the garlic colour, then stir in the parsley.
  3. Build a medium coal bed. Season the exposed flesh with coarse salt and pepper.
  4. Grill shell side down for 6 minutes so the shell takes the heat and the juices collect in it.
  5. Turn flesh side down for 2 minutes only, then back onto the shell and spoon the garlic butter over the flesh for a final 3 minutes.
  6. Serve straight off the fire with the pan butter poured over and lemon wedges alongside.

Tip from the editors. Most of the cooking happens shell side down: the tail meat is firm at about 6 minutes and goes to rubber within two more, so pull it early.

Where to eat west coast crayfish

West Coast crayfish in Cape Town

Kalky's ★ 4.3

$ SeafoodKalk Bay

Kalky's is a cash only fish counter on the Kalk Bay harbour wall near Cape Town, where the snoek comes straight off the boats tied up outside.

Why locals goVisitors driving the coast road pass Kalk Bay's fishing harbour by, and the self-service queue at this cabin fills with locals, especially at weekends.

TipCarry small notes since the till only takes cash, and eat standing at the harbour wall rather than hunting for a table.

Directions

All Cape Town signature dishes →

More cities are in research. Want west coast crayfish covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →