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A crawfish peeling device provides a post that can be mounted on
a tray. The post has first and second end portions, the first end
portion having a slotted passageway, appointed tip, a pair of tapered
flanges that are spaced apart on opposite sides of the slotted passageway
and a ramp that is at the bottom of the slotted portion for catching
the edible meat product when the user threads the tail upon the
tip and then moves the tail from the first to the second end portion
of the post. The present invention also provides an improved method
of peeling a crustacea such as a crawfish or crawfish that includes
the step of providing a post that has first and second end portions,
the first end portion having a tip, a slot, tapered flanges on opposite
sides of the slot, and a ramp at one end portion of the slot opposite
the tip. The crawfish tail is threaded upon the tip. The tail is
then moved toward the ramp. The tip and flanges are used to spread
apart the tail shell section so that the edible meat product remains
in the slot. The ramp can optionally be used to eject the edible
meat product from the slot.
A method and apparatus for peeling crawfish or crayfish includes
a machine frame that supports a peeling mechanism, preferably in
the form of a pair of rollers rotatably mounted to the frame in
a position that receives crawfish one at a time from a conveyor.
The conveyor transports the crawfish to be peeled, the conveyor
having first and second end portions. In the preferred embodiment,
the conveyor includes multiple conveyor belts, at least two of which
are positioned one above the other below the crawfish for sandwiching
the crawfish therebetween to support them during use. The conveyor
in combination with an alignment member straightens the tail portion
of the crawfish and delivers the crawfish to the peeling mechanism.
The alignment member can include an inclined plate or ramp that
gradually extends the tail of the crawfish as the conveyor transports
the crawfish toward the peeling mechanism.
The present invention provides automated devices and methods for
extracting substantially all the tail meat from the crawfish exoskeleton.
The devices and methods consistently remove the intestinal tract,
without damage to the meat, and are capable of processing crawfish
of all sizes and shell hardness at a rate greater than that of hand
peeling.
Apparatus for separating edible tal portions of crawfish and similar
crustaceans from exoskeletal portions thereof, the present invention
comprises a first roller having a concave lateral peripheral edge
surface which is opposed at a substantially constant spacing by
a convex lateral peripheral edge surface of a second roller, the
rollers being rotated in opposite senses to receive the exoskeletal
portions of the crawfish between the opposing peripheral edge surfaces
of the rollers. Rear margins of the flippers of the crawfish are
grasped between the counter rotating rollers, the exoskeletal portions
covering the tail being pulled between the rollers to peel said
exoskeletal portions from the edible portions and to simultaneously
devein the crawfish tail.
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