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PEEL ME PINCH ME EAT ME

by Edythe Preet

So proclaim hundreds of attention grabbing t-shirts at the annual crawfish festival held on the first weekend of May in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Less than two hours west of New Orleans on Interstate 10, Breaux Bridge lies deep in the heart of the Atchafalaya Basin on the shore of Bayou Teche, and proudly bears the title of official “Crawfish Capital of the World.”

The Atchafalaya, spillway of the Mississippi River and America’s largest fresh water swamp, is home to millions of the little crustaceans. This vast marshland is a perfect environment for growing rice, and the thrifty Cajun farmers who live there make thousands of acres of rice paddies do double-time as manmade crawfish ponds, raising and trapping over 18 million pounds per year of the critters. Weighing in at only an ounce or two per craw, that’s over a quarter of a billion succulent little beasties!

Testament to their tastiness is the fact that while the area produces more crayfish than any other place in the world, over four-fifths of the harvest travels no further than local table tops where young and old consume small mountains of the bright red boiled delicacies with finger-lickin’ gusto. During the November to July harvest season, many eateries which specialize in boiled shellfish and are known locally as “boiling points” will each serve as much as 10,000 pounds of crawfish per week.

A few words to those who would like to pass for crawfish cognoscenti. Call them crayfish only if you want to be recognized as an outsider. What you call these tiny fresh water lobster look-alikes (also alias crawdaddies, yabbies, creekcrabs, and mudbugs) is as much a clue to your origins as the manner in which you eat them.

Owing to their minute size, each crawfish yields only a tailful of sweet white meat, although some diehards dutifully crack the mini-claws and pick out the delicate pincer meat. Native Louisianans are probably born with the skill of eating boiled crawfish, but it is a talent easily mastered.

As the t-shirts so boldly proclaim, the procedure is as follows: holding the crawfish in both hands, snap off the tail which will usually pull the buttery yellow “fat” (actually the liver) from the head cavity. Then using your thumbs, break the tail shell, peel it away lengthwise, pinch the tail free, and eat the meat!

Another equally popular local tongue-in-cheek pronouncement advises partakers to “Suck the Head!” Only out-and-out city folk would misconstrue such heartfelt advice as anything other than a down-home reminder to slurp the last bit of delicious golden butter from the head before moving on to the next tasty bug.

If you don’t happen to be one of the 10,000 people who attend the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, you’ll miss the crawfish race, the crawfish peeling contest and a clutch of food booths serving crawfish pies, crawfish etoufee and crawfish sausage. But take heart, during crawfish season a multitude of local eateries serve beer trays heaped high with four pounds of the boiled beasties at the rock bottom price of about $3.00 per pound.

The following guide to my favorite places for crawfish eating ranges from classic boiling points (with sinks in the dining area for washing up after eating) to full service restaurants that serve a wide spectrum of Cajun specialties. All are within an hour’s drive from Breaux Bridge, and the farthest flung offer an opportunity to enjoy a ride through the natural beauty of the prairie and bayou country. Who knows? You might even see a crawfisherman cruising through a rice paddie and scooping up what might become your very own dinner.

NEW IBERIA: The Guiding Star

A legend among locals, it doesn’t get more authentic than this. The floor’s cement, the tablecloths are yesterday’s newspapers, and the menu’s simple: boiled crawfish, boiled shrimp, and boiled crab. But the flavoring is as perfect as the ambiance. Owner and boil chef Ralph Schaubert seasons
his water with aged Tabasco mash that he gets by the barrel from the McIlhenny Company, and the crawfish are big, tender and succulently sweet with just the right hot bite. Orders come with Irish potatoes and corn on the cob. Beverage choices are simple too: beer and soda. The Guiding Star is located in a low unassuming cinderblock building on I-90, a few miles west of New Iberia and 20 minutes east of Lafayette.
Phone: (318)365-9113.
Open daily, 3-10PM.

LAFAYETTE: Lagneaux’s

As you cruise down a dimly lit side road on the west end of town, Lagneaux’s brilliantly illuminated building-long yellow sign gleams like a beacon leading you home. And home cooking’s the house specialty. For 26 years Meus (Junior) Lagneaux, five kids and (currently) eight grandkids have been serving up Mama Lagneaux’s best recipes. Go the first time for a passel of craw, spiced not too hot and not too light, and harvested earlier the same day from their own 120 acres of ponds. Go the second time for the immense Cajun buffet. It’s all there: seafood and chicken gumbos, jambalaya, corn maquechoux, catfish courtboullion, crab boulettes, dirty rice, boudin, hush puppies, fried alligator and much more.
Located at 445 Ridge Road, 5 minutes west of Ambassador Caffrey Parkway.
Phone: (318)984-1415. Open
daily, 5-10PM.

HENDERSON: Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf

With brick floors, rough cypress plank walls, wood-burning fireplaces and a glassed-in porch that overlooks Bayou Amy, nothing in Acadiana beats Pat’s for ambiance. Or history for that matter. In 1948 Pat Huval put the lowly mudbug on his menu, and the world’s been crawfish crazy ever since. The Boiled Crawfish are sweet and lightly seasoned with just a kiss of hot stuff, but if you’re truly craw-mad try the 8-way Crawfish Dinner. Even local restaurateurs stop by for Pat’s Camp Style Crawfish Etoufee which is loaded with crawfish tails and manly chunks of the Cajun Trinity (onion, pepper and celery)--just the way the fellas make it when they’re out duck hunting. The menu goes on and on with every Bayou seafood specialty you can name, and there’s a full bar as well.
Located at the end of Rte. 352, a few miles north of Exit 115 off I-10, 20 minutes east of Lafayette. Phone: (318)228-7110.
Open daily, 10AM-10PM. Reservations suggested on weekends.

MAMOU: Carl’s

A visit to Cajun Country is not complete unless you head out to Mamou for the Saturday morning beer and music hoopla at Fred’s Lounge. It’s wall to wall people, a legend in its own time, and when Tant Sue sings one of her bawdy French songs, you’ll know why you came. As soon as the accordions and fiddles are packed away, head directly across the street for the best crawfish feast in town. Carl’s is a family place and owner Cindy Fontenot keeps the boiling brew mildly spiced, but you’re in the heart of serious crawfish farming territory, so the crawdads are huge and fresh enough to almost walk off the table. Since Fred’s and Carl’s are both under full steam by 8AM, you could get a side of grits and eggs to go with your meal, but I’d suggest you opt for an after-craw order of Aunt Carrie’s extraordinary French Donuts.
Located at 427 Sixth Street.
Phone: (318)468-2330.
Open Mon-Thurs 5:30AM-9PM, Fri-Sat 5:30AM-10PM, closed Sunday.

CARENCRO: Paul’s Pirogue

Lafayette’s urban sprawl may eventually swallow Carencro, but for now its aura of a time gone by remains intact. St. Peter’s Church rises over town center like a guardian angel, whitewashed Victorian cottages dot tree-lined streets, and on balmy evenings Paul’s Pirogue offers dinner on their wide front porch. With blue & white oilcloths on the tables, framed yam & sweet potato labels on cypress walls, and lazy ceiling fans overhead, the interior decor is bayou cabin all the way. And the local Cajun community swears by the food. For 14 years, Paul & Judy Angelle and daughter Kim have been serving crawfish that are so delicious they disappear like rain in a drought. The seasoning’s just right, and Paul’s boil/steam cooking method guarantees the tail meat easily pulls free from its shell (a fine but crucial point of crawfish finesse). Seafood is the house specialty, but the menu also features two traditional delights you won’t find anywhere else: Green Gumbo made with mustard greens and a variety of smoked meats, and Gateau Sirop, an old-fashioned cane syrup cake. Located at 209 East St. Peter Street.
Phone: (318)896-3788.
Open daily, 5-10PM.

BREAUX BRIDGE: Poche’s Market & Restaurant

A sign outside reads “World Famous Cracklin’s.” Inside you can go hog wild feasting on the pork products that have made Poche’s Market a legend in its own time. But don’t let that fool you. During the course of each year’s crawfish season owner Floyd Poche serves up over 100,000 pounds of perfectly seasoned great big crawdads that are harvested from the family’s own 120 acres of ponds. For those who’d like to pack a picnic or take a box of Cajun specialties home, the market’s a one-stop shopping bonanza. From sweet potato pies, pecan pralines and locally roasted Community coffee to jars of roux, Andouille sausage, smoked Tasso and crawfish rice boudin, it’s all there. And if for some strange reason you hunger for other than craw, Poche’s plate lunches are piled sky-high with down home cooking. At $3.50, the Fried Chicken Plate (served with Dirty Rice and two veggies) is one of the best bargains to be found anywhere. Located at 3015-A Main Highway. Phone: (318)332-2108. Open daily 5:30AM-9PM.

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