How to Eat Crawfish
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Seafood boils are delicacy of the South, specifically Louisiana and Cajun cuisine. When I visited Houston, I was able to try the Viet-Cajun crawfish boil. And that was an enlightening experience.
Crawfish
What is crawfish? It looks like a mini-lobster or a shrimp with claws.
Turns out it’s actually a very close cousin of the lobster (same family). Like a lobster, most of the flesh that will be eaten comes from the claw and the tail.
Crawfish is popular for boils because it’s cheap, compared to shrimp or crab. From rough googling, it seems that prices fluctuated between $2.50 to $4.00 per pound.
Another fun fact is that Louisiana produces the majority of crawfish consumed world-wide. Something like 95% of crawfish consumed in the U.S. and 70% globally.
How to Eat
Oh boy, I wish I did more of my homework. It’s not as trivial to eat as one may think. I’ve watched a few videos now and hopefully I will remember to apply these techniques for next time.
- First, separate the head and suck the juices out of that.
- Next, peel the body to reveal the “lobster tail”.
- Finally, go for claw meat.
Protip, consider wearing a bib to avoid staining shirts. Juices are guaranteed to be flying about.
Season
Crawfish are in-season beginning May to June.
I went in August, towards the end of the season. As a result, the crawfish were not as large and more work to get meat.
Viet-Cajun
The large Vietnamese population that settled in Houston and area influenced the traditional crawfish boil with their unique flavours. This has become popular enough to become a distinct trend.
Instead of usual Cajun blend of spices (think old bay), lemon grass, garlic butter, and herbs are introduced and bring a unique flavour experience.