Chinese or Louisiana Crawfish

I have attached an article that discusses a difficult situation the Louisiana crawfish industry is in. I never thought it was a labor intense business but the article explains why.

The best crawfish I ever had was in Lafayettee, Louisiana at Pjeans or something like that. I also had them in Alexandria at a restaurant out of town a ways on a lake.

http://www.southernfoodways.com/fea_crawfish.shtml

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Is nothing sacred anymore???? Buy em' live, then you'll know what you're getting! I had them 2 mornings in a row for breakfast at Felix's, along with a dozen on the half shell. Now that is the breakfast of champions. I was in NO two seperate occasions for Sugar Bowls. It seemed like the thing to do, and I did enjoy it.

That's a shame !! We even had some crawfish farms here in South Carolina near Lake Marion (Santee), but I believe they have since stopped production.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty246

Is nothing sacred anymore???? Buy em' live, then you'll know what you're getting! I had them 2 mornings in a row for breakfast at Felix's, along with a dozen on the half shell. Now that is the breakfast of champions. I was in NO two seperate occasions for Sugar Bowls. It seemed like the thing to do, and I did enjoy it.

If you are served a mudbug that isn't curled up, it was already dead before it hit the boiling water. I send them back.

The best way to have them is straight out of the boilng kettle of water flavored with a generous portion of "Tabasco" mash (sold by McIlhenney as the leftovers after the juice has been extracted) and with sides of corn on the cob, whole potatoes, mushroom buttons and anything else that you can put in mesh bags to drape over the side of the kettle to boil right along with the crawfish. And a tub of "Abita" and "Dixie Blackened Voodoo" iced down sure does round out the meal.

I will certainly be more aware and careful when buying. I take it that the Chinese crawdads are packaged frozen, so that if I went down to the fish markets at Kemah and bought them fresh, they would be from LA???

We have to support those Loosianans- crawdads is about all they've got!

Mayhaw - I know you are reading this!

quote:

Originally posted by Hillbilly

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty246

Is nothing sacred anymore???? Buy em' live, then you'll know what you're getting! I had them 2 mornings in a row for breakfast at Felix's, along with a dozen on the half shell. Now that is the breakfast of champions. I was in NO two seperate occasions for Sugar Bowls. It seemed like the thing to do, and I did enjoy it.

If you are served a mudbug that isn't curled up, it was already dead before it hit the boiling water. I send them back.

The best way to have them is straight out of the boilng kettle of water flavored with a generous portion of "Tabasco" mash (sold by McIlhenney as the leftovers after the juice has been extracted) and with sides of corn on the cob, whole potatoes, mushroom buttons and anything else that you can put in mesh bags to drape over the side of the kettle to boil right along with the crawfish. And a tub of "Abita" and "Dixie Blackened Voodoo" iced down sure does round out the meal.

Thanks for the tip...I will be more careful in examining my crawfish for curliness from now on.

As you all know by now this chef is picky, picky, picky. When my Sysco salesman said to me "hey I have some nice inexpensive crawfish tails!" I immediately got suspicious. Where are they from? Don't know. Where were they processed? Don't know. Ok, I want a free sample. (These women chefs are SOOOOOOOO demanding.) I got a free sample. Read the package thoroughly......hmmmmmm ..... Product of China. Opened the package, poked at the product, sniffed, tasted, handed it back. THOSE are NOT crawfish! Same thing with shrimp from Bangladesh or some other country. I want GULF shrimp!

But LIVE crawdads just out of the seasoned broth, suckin out the heads.........woah! That is one tasty meal!

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

As you all know by now this chef is picky, picky, picky. When my Sysco salesman said to me "hey I have some nice inexpensive crawfish tails!" I immediately got suspicious. Where are they from? Don't know. Where were they processed? Don't know. Ok, I want a free sample. (These women chefs are SOOOOOOOO demanding.) I got a free sample. Read the package thoroughly......hmmmmmm ..... Product of China. Opened the package, poked at the product, sniffed, tasted, handed it back. THOSE are NOT crawfish! Same thing with shrimp from Bangladesh or some other country. I want GULF shrimp!

But LIVE crawdads just out of the seasoned broth, suckin out the heads.........woah! That is one tasty meal!

Sucking the heads are one thing but eating the tail is another. Truly a art that is not easily accomplished or mastered.

I guess it is something that if you work on it real hard, you can become instantly mediocre

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Sundancer7 said: The best crawfish I ever had was in Lafayettee, Louisiana at Pjeans or something like that. I also had them in Alexandria at a restaurant out of town a ways on a lake.

Paul, I spent three days in Alexandria on business last April, and I remember that restuarant. It was out of town, then you had to turn left off the highway onto a small road. I just checked my old Amex invoice and it was called Tunk's Cypress Inn. The food was great.

I had fried oysters at least once a day, and crawfish at every meal except breakfast. Another good restaurant in Alexandria was Cajun Landing. It's on McArthur drive right next to the Best Western.

Interesting article on the imported crawfish. I had been thinking about getting some at Sam's Club to make a good ettoufee or gumbo when I see then this spring, but I think I'll pass and try to get fresh ones at the fish store.

Paul, the place near Lafayette is Prejean's, at the Gloria Switch exit from I-49. Anyhow, on top of everything else, Chinese crawfish are sometimes contaminated by an antibiotic. The uncle of a parishioner of mine died as a result of an allergic reeaction to this.

Laissez le bon temps rouler at the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana April 30 through May 2, 2004! This is the HOME of mudbug consumption.

And yes, Prejean's and Tunk's Cypress Inn do put some good food (and atmosphere) before you.

Lone Star is right – we have to keep them Loosianans working, elsewise they’ll be swimmin’ that SayBean River and invading Texas!