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Crawfishin' in Louisiana General info and photos Crawfish Farming History | Encyclopedia Louisiana

CULINARY DESCRIPTION

Crawfish, like shrimp or lobsters, belong to the scientific class Crustacea. Their hard outer shell, called the exoskeleton, dies not grow with the crawfish and is shed periodically. In Louisiana, two species of crawfish -- the red swamp and the white river -- provide for the harvest. Crawfish are harvested from both wild habitats (natural rivers, bayous, swamps, and lakes) and controlled, managed crawfish farms. Harvest takes place from November through June, with baited wire-mesh traps. Traps are checked daily, and the catch is packed into 50 lb. onion sacks for delivery to processors. Only the tail meat is recovered from processing. The claw meat is tasty but very meager and difficult to pick out. Tail meat can be purchased fresh or frozen, with prices varying with the time of season and supply.

Crawfish Traps

Both species of crawfish occur naturally in the Mid-Atlantic region, but crawfish farming is a very recent development here. Small, shallow ponds have been stocked with red swamp crawfish and are managed for commercial production. The harvest takes place during spring and summer, coinciding with the tourist season. Production is still very limited, but there is considerable interest in exploring the potential of crawfish farming as an alternative crop.

Crawfish Traps

Crawfish can be purchased whole and fresh, raw or pre-cooked, for immediate use of for your own crawfish boil. If you purchase whole, fresh crawfish, make sure they are alive. Dead crawfish decompose rapidly, resulting in mush, discolored meat.

CULINARY DESCRIPTION
Boiling crawfish is a popular method of preparation, since the meat can be used in a variety of ways. Plan on 3-4 pounds of whole crawfish per person, and 3/4-1 pound of crawfish per gallon of water. Crawfish yield approximately 15% in tail meat, so count on 10 pounds of whole crawfish to get 1 1/2 pounds of meat. Bring water to a boil, and then add the live crawfish. Begin cooking time once the water returns to a boil, with time depending upon how the crawfish will be prepared.

Crawfish Pond and boat

Boil the crawfish for 5 minutes or less when you plan to peel them and use the tail meat for dishes such as bisque. Boiling time is 10 minutes when crawfish are to be eaten immediately. For a traditional boil, season the water by adding lemon wedges, onion, red pepper, garlic, commercial crab- boil seasoning and salt (1/2-1 pound of salt per 5 gallons of water, or to your taste). Whole potatoes, onions, and sweet corn can be boiled along with the crawfish. After the 10-minute boil, turn off heat and let the crawfish soak up the spices for another 10-15 minutes. Remove the crawfish and allow them to cool before peeling. Refrigerate those you don't plan to eat immediately. The crawfish will be red after boiling. Once cooked, the tail meat is tender, firm and slightly sweet, somewhat of a cross between shrimp and lobster.

To peel the crawfish, wash hands first, since you will be handling the meat, and peel them while they are still warm. Separate the tail from the head by slightly pulling and twisting, and discard the head. Hold the tail between thumb and forefingers and squeeze until you hear the shell crack. Grasp the first three segments of tail from the side and pull off by lifting up and pulling around the meat. Firmly grasp the exposed meat in one hand, the tail fin in the other, and pull gently. The meat is now ready to eat, freeze, or serve with your favorite cocktail sauce.

What really happened?

Crawfish Traps

History has always been a relative concept. The people who write the history books may not always have the most accurate memories. In the case of the history of Crawfish, we will let you, our Internet visitor, be our impartial judge and jury. According to Thibodeaux Comeaux, a rice farmer in Ville Platte, this story is true. Drop us some mail if you have an opinion on our version of history.

"Few people actually know this, but Crawfish have only been around since 1775. See, it all started when the French living in Acadie, Nova Scotia were expelled from their land by the British. By land and sea they traveled across North America to arrive in South Louisiana. They were then welcomed by the French who already lived there. The Spanish helped out by providing land grants to these "Acadians." Now you may be asking yourself what Crawfish have to do with this story. Actually, they have everything to do with it.

You see, people up in Nova Scotia really liked lobster. So it was only natural that when the Acadians made their move to South Louisiana, they brought their Lobster with them. The problem was that the lobsters lost their appetite along the way and shrunk up quite a bit. Since this smaller lobster didn't really look like a lobster any more, the Acadians, now known as Cajuns, called this small crustacean a Crawfish."