Swedish Crayfish Boil - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 lbs live crayfish
1 gallon water
4 cups stout beer, such as Guiness
2/3 cup coarse sea salt, plus more for seasoning
3 tablespoons sugar
1 dried Thai chile
1 bunch fresh dill sprig
1 cup dill, crowns (10)
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons creme fraiche
2 tablespoons lemon zest, finely grated
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
lemon wedge, for serving

Preparation

Rinse crayfish under cold water. Discard any that don't move. Bring water, stout, salt, sugar and chili to a boil in a large pot. Add dill sprigs and crowns, and crayfish. Cover pot, and return to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes. Fill the sink halfway with cold warer. Place pot in sink, and uncover. Dampen a large piece of crumpled parchment with cold water and place it on surface of broth. After 20 minutes, replace water in sink with cold water and ice. Repeat every 30 minutes until crayfish and broth are cool, about 2 hours.
Mix mayonnaise, creme fraiche, lemon zest, and juice in a small bowl. Season with salt. Drain crayfish, arrange on a large platter, and garnish with full crowns of dill. Serve with lemon wedges and mayonnaise mixture.
To eat crayfish, pinch the head and twist the tail to separate. Carefully remove meat from tail by pinching from bottom and breaking through the rings on the shell. The head carries the flavorful juices. Either suck the head or discard.