O. K.—I have to level with you. I am asking about MUDBUGS, and that is not the “real” name of these creatures that are “crustaceans” of the “crayfish phylum” of the group, cambaridae. If you call them “crawdads” or “crawfish” and not “crayfish,” you are probably from the Mid-Atlantic or Gulf Coast states.
The largest ones are usually six or seven inches long with hard shells, and “front legs” that are claws, sometimes of pretty scary size and sharpness, and with several sets of whiskers. Their tales are “hinged” and protect the eggs/young that are produced in the spring. These “animals” are of various colors in the wild—green, blue, red, white, brown—and various shades of each, depending upon what their environment is like.
CRAWDADS, CRAWFISH, CRAYFISH—these three words name the same “animal” as far as this article is concerned, a MUDBUG! They look very much like miniature lobsters, their close relatives, and there are approximately 500 species of this “crustacean” in North America. They are scavengers and omnivorous (eat all things) eaters of living and dead things, and many predators eat them—especially humans! And there are literally hundreds of ways to cook/prepare them. Each year, millions of locals and tourists rush madly to Louisiana and other “watery” (lakes, ponds, streams, creeks, rivers, marshes, backyard ditches) locales to sample crawfish etouffee, crawfish corn chowder, crawfish and sausage, craw crawfish hollandaise, crawfish meat pies, and so many other recipes for “goodness.”
Louisiana proclaims the CRAWFISH as the official State Crustacean, so just what is the preparation of choice? Well, it is “The Crawfish Boil,” and when cooked this way, the proper way to eat them is to pinch out the tail meat and then suck out the rest of the messy flavor/meat from the body/head area!
“GROSS,” you say? Well, wait until you have tried it a few times and grown ac customed to the technique before rendering your final opinion. And wait until you have done so with a noisy, enthusiastic group of friends and fellow crawdad “afficianados.”
What goes into the “BOIL?” Thanks for asking. Here is a sample: potatoes, onions, “crawfish seasoning,” boiled several halved lemons, chopped ears of corn—elements added at varying times, according to local preferences!
After letting the “boil” simmer and then sit for twenty or thirty minutes, dump it out onto newspapers and “dig in” before only leftovers remain!
FAT TUESDAY traditionally marks the “big beginning” of “mudbug” or “crawfish” season for Texans and many surrounding areas. However, with the COVID “alerts” still in effect when that date arrived, the giant “bashes” were at least subdued, if not absent.
But…..from what I read and hear, the sellers have not given up on providing plenty of opportunities for their fans to eat their fills via take-out, eat-in “limiteds,” types of catering, and other unique ways. March, April, and May are the “supreme months” for availability and best quality—and hopes are that with “re-openings” occurring more and more, the MUDBUG MADNESS will pick up before the end of the peak season occurs. However, suppliers and eater alike assure that crawfish boils are good any time of the year! And, it appears that many folks agree, as studies and surveys show that beginning already last year, eatings of crawfish at home in areas not just in Louisiana have picked up and are continuing to do so, and that deliveries, drive-throughs, supermarket offerings, and on-line sales are increasing. Many restaurant and
Many restaurant and other store owners are now sharing this marketing message: A FEW POUNDS OF BOILED CRAWFISH IN A PAPER SACK make sense and taste GREAT! And, yes, many folks and I would not only eat a bug but would pay to do so if the BUG “turned out” to be many “mudbugs!
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