Let’s get shakin.
How do you eat a crawfish? What works best? How do you get all the tail meat out? Do I suck the head?
When it comes to eating crawfish with your friends and family, there is always competition…SOMEBODY at your table is going to turn ya crawfish boil into an amateur crawfish eating contest! Who can eat ‘em the fastest!
HOW TO PEEL AND EAT CRAWFISH LIKE A CAJUN AND A NOT SO CAJUN
GRIP: Hold the crawfish on both sides of the tail joint with your thumbs on one side of the shell and your index fingers on the other.
SNAP: Twist just above the abdomen and snap the head away from the tail. Discard the head OR if you’re feeling especially brave, suck the juice from the head. *
PEEL: Use your thumbs to peel the shell from the widest part of the tail for a clearer passage for your crawfish meat.
TUG: Hold the tip of the tail with your thumb firmly pressing up on the underside and tug the tail meat upward using your teeth.
Or what some call the north Louisiana version: basically, the same BUT the once the tail ribs are removed, you pinch the tail meat out with your thumb and index fingers.
REPEAT: Repeat steps 1 through 4 ‘till you are full. A good rule of thumb in Louisiana is to serve 5 lbs. of boiled crawfish per person.
*Sucking the head is optional. Be careful, if you do opt to suck the head, inhaling that seasoning can cause you to break out in a coughing fit and show the table you’re a beginner.
Cut loose and remember to wash those hands with a lemon before you rub your eyes or go to the bathroom. Ignoring this one will be a mistake you will only make once.
Note that Louisiana is almost broke up into two different states. Silly as that sounds I like the word BROKE instead of saying separated. People will argue where this imaginary line is.
Most true Cajuns will say anything north of I-10 isn’t REAL Louisiana. Having grown up in north Louisiana and having retired here but living and working in food for close to 15 years south of I-10 in New Orleans, Lafayette and Lake Charles, I have to differ.
The landscape is different, the people are different, the culture is different, and the food is different in northern Louisiana and that’s something few Louisianians will argue but over the decades and with hurricanes pushing some folks north and the oil and gas industry pushing some folks south we are more blended in people, food and culture than the Louisiana of the past.
Nobody ever just boils crawfish and depending on where you are and who you’re with will determine what is getting boiled. Surely, you know there is always corn and some type of potato but there are MANY other things people throw in the mix.
I have seen Brussel sprouts, asparagus, onions, cans of green beans or can corn, sausage, cabbage, mushroom, jalapeños, even eggs. It’s all about taste and what you like and trust me what goes in the pot is just about as diverse as the people cooking it.
Growing up one of my first jobs was a liquor store clerk. You knew it was crawfish season when everyone would come by and ask the liquor stores to save their beer flats (the cardboard box that the beer sits in.) These are the perfect serving trays for a crawfish boil. This might sound crazy to some outside Louisiana but keep in mind a crawfish boil isn’t a classy affair. You’re cooking and eating outside. It makes a messy occasion, nothing fancy about throwing a crawfish boil. It’s about great food, family, and friends, and obviously nothing goes better with boiled crawfish than ice cold beer.
Let ya hair down and enjoy the fun, fellowship and food, if you are worried about making a mess of your hands, your clothes, and the sides of your cold beer, a good down home crawfish boil might not be for you.
Here’s a little treat right out of my not yet released cookbook, ‘Livin’ Large in Louisiana,’ the 2nd cookbook in the 3 book Benwood’s Surely Southern series due to be released in the end of 2022. My own crawfish dipping sauce. (It also goes great with shrimp and scallops)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Benwood’s Surely Southern seasoning (or Cajun seasoning of your choice)
Benwood’s hot sauce to taste
Mix all together.
Remember, “treat your kitchen, treat yourself”
Chef Hunter Lee