Crawfish, Not Crayfish
- Thread starter tbradsim1
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We actually get some up north here in some of our grocery stores, but they're cooked and frozen and I don't really know what to do with them. Always thought you had to start with them fresh for them to be any good whatsoever.
Nice haul, Bradley! When I lived in Florida we would feast on the saltwater version, which we called "Florida lobster," but which were actually crawfish (real lobster have claws). People who didn't like to admit they were eating crawfish came up with more fashionable names for the beasts, like "spiny lobster," or, more frou-frou, "langouste." But they're still crawfish.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Get some butter in a pan , make a blond roux, have your crawfish thawed, throw them in the roux, season to taste, Here is a true story , they were not always fashionable to eat , people made fun of Cajuns eating them. When we drained the water out the rice fields we would screen the slew and capture them. Farmers would have big boils for family and workers. Throughout the years they have become big business, but I can remember when people made fun of you for it.
Last time we had a big crawfish boil, we killed a huge cane break rattler while the 75 lbs of mudbugs were steaming. Someone had the bright idea (alcohol induced, of course) to skin the rattlesnake, and toss it in the pot with the crawfish. Believe it or not, with all the Cajun seasoning, the snake was actually pretty good! :lol:
The booming demand for Crawfish has saved the Louisiana Rice farmers. Instead of just one rice harvest a year, now they harvest rice and Crawfish with many making more money on the Crawfish than the rice.
Packaging of frozen peeled tails has become quite the export for La. farmers. Don't be fooled by cheaper Asian imports. Not nearly the same quality, freshness nor taste.
Crawfish Etouffee regards,
P S
Crawfish have claws too.
Packaging of frozen peeled tails has become quite the export for La. farmers. Don't be fooled by cheaper Asian imports. Not nearly the same quality, freshness nor taste.
Crawfish Etouffee regards,
P S
Crawfish have claws too.
Asian imports? I thought that the reason we don't ever see the big daddies was because the Asians were buying up all of our crawfish? So, they're sending them back to us now? LOL
Rangerearthpig, you should try rattlesnake on the grill, with just a little salt and lime. It's amazingly good. Chicken of the rockpiles, lol.
Rangerearthpig, you should try rattlesnake on the grill, with just a little salt and lime. It's amazingly good. Chicken of the rockpiles, lol.
"Asian imports? I thought that the reason we don't ever see the big daddies was because the Asians were buying up all of our crawfish? So, they're sending them back to us now? LOL"
Asians are also big rice producers and anywhere that you have rice, you have Crawfish. They see the demand and are taking advantage of it. Big difference in taste though due to differences in spoil.
The bigger Crawfish are generally seen towards the end of the season from those produced in commercial operations like Rice farmers. In the wild, you can catch them from small to large but in a commercial operation, they get harvest according to size. Because of the demand, commercial farmers often don't let them get to full maturity.
I know one large farmer/producer that also is the middleman for sales/delivery to retail and restaurants. He has a fleet of refrigerated tricks that makes weekly deliveries as far as Tallahassee to the east. Memphis to the north and Houston/Dallas to the west! That doesn't include his staff that does nothing put peel and package tails.
I saw last week where a pound of frozen packaged Louisiana tails cost $11. at the supermarket!
There was an event Saturday where 27,000 pounds were consumed between noon and 2pm!
http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/05/worlds_largest_crawfish_boil_s.html
Asians are also big rice producers and anywhere that you have rice, you have Crawfish. They see the demand and are taking advantage of it. Big difference in taste though due to differences in spoil.
The bigger Crawfish are generally seen towards the end of the season from those produced in commercial operations like Rice farmers. In the wild, you can catch them from small to large but in a commercial operation, they get harvest according to size. Because of the demand, commercial farmers often don't let them get to full maturity.
I know one large farmer/producer that also is the middleman for sales/delivery to retail and restaurants. He has a fleet of refrigerated tricks that makes weekly deliveries as far as Tallahassee to the east. Memphis to the north and Houston/Dallas to the west! That doesn't include his staff that does nothing put peel and package tails.
I saw last week where a pound of frozen packaged Louisiana tails cost $11. at the supermarket!
There was an event Saturday where 27,000 pounds were consumed between noon and 2pm!
http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/05/worlds_largest_crawfish_boil_s.html
I had crawfish étouffée for the first time ever at the Crescent City Brewhouse (on Decatur Street, I think) last Thursday. It was delicious. Fresh crawfish tails stewed in a rich seafood broth with dark roux in creole seasonings. Served with white rice. Washed it down with two pints of their Black Forest beer (A full-bodied dark mahogany beer, with a rich malty texture. It is sparsely hopped, in the traditional Munich style). Plus a dozen oysters on the half-shell. You guys are so fortunate to have such great cuisine readily available!
Started eating it years ago, would stop at G&H Feed and Seed store for shells to Goose hunt, combo feed and gun, ammo store in Gueydan. I would pick up a bag of pop pop rice for the big Gumbos, lovely rice. New Iberia has Pecan Rice also very good.
A father of one my daughters friends has a whole rig just for crawfish boils. 18' trailer, filled with round tables with holes, 55 gallon trash cans sit in the middle, cooking gear etc. He drove it from New Orleans to Ohio for their college graduation party. No pix, but the tables are similar to this. We'll have one next month.
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