Holy Crimson Crustacean Corpses Batman!

Crawfish at the Alpine

The evidence is all over, on the street, in the parks, under benches and in dumpsters.  Little red chitinous cadavers in  a pile or brown bag or strewn randomly like the aftermath of a mass killing spree.  Which it sort of is.  Yup, crawfish season is again upon us!  It starts in March and proceeds through June.  Unfortunately, due to the cold weather the little buggers haven’t been eating much and the season is slow.  I was just at a site that quoted $3.32 a pound!  But experts say the price is coming down.

Where to get ‘em?  Well, ask a local as many bars around will have a boil going on the weekend.  Places like Yo’ Mama’s Bar ( 727St. Peter).  The Three Legged Dog (400 Burgundy) has an annual crawfish blowout in the summer: $10 all you can eat!  Other places like the French Market Restaurant (Decatur and St. Phillip) and The Alpine (Chartres and Wilkinson) will have them on a more regular basis.  And remember, when you ask, they are crawfish, crawdads or mudbugs, NOT crayfish (those are bait).

How to eat ‘em?  Suck the head and pinch the tail!  More specifically, rip the tail from the head and suck out all of the fat and juices that have absorbed all of the succulent spices from the boil.  Grab the tail “fin” near the base and crush the last teensy bit of meat inside the shell.  You will now be able to pluck the meat from the rest of the shell with your teeth.  Don’t forget to fish out some onion, potato and corn from the boiling pot!

Crawfish are to New Orleans as wings are to Buffalo and crabs are to Baltimore.  Hot, spicy, a whole lot of work for very little meat but they sure go great with a cold beer on a warm summer day!

Go here to hear local New Orleanian Ian McNulty talk about the coming season:  http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wwno/local-wwno-887629.mp3