When you make your way down to Louisiana, Houston, and for me South Arkansas, then be prepared for tons of great crawfish recipes and dishes that will be there waiting for you.
Whether it is a huge crawfish boil with tons of friends and family gathered around long tables loaded with tons of spicy red crawfish or a simple dip like I’m sharing today you are in for a delicious treat!
For my readers that aren’t from the southern areas this may take you by surprise, or even make you think twice about trying it since eating crawfish may not be something that you grew up with. But I’m asking that you give it a chance because they are delicious and this dip featuring their tender tail meat is so tasty.
What is a crawfish, you ask? Well, let me share some fun facts about them with you. Crayfish, aka Crawfish or Crawdads, are small types of crustaceans that mostly live in fresh water but I’ve heard there are some that can live in brackish water also. But I can’t recall ever having any of the later.
These feisty little mud bugs (as I grew up calling them) are closely related to lobsters. They even look like mini lobsters to me when they are cooked as they take on that beautiful red color like their salty relatives do when steamed or boiled.
In my opinion, Crawfish have a slightly stronger taste than lobster, but it is not fishy or off putting at all. I’d say if you were to compare it to crab it would be a more subtle flavor and maybe even a little tougher texture than shrimp.
But don’t let that fool you they are very flavorful and especially when boiled in some good Old Bay seasoning or Shrimp Boil. So if you’ve never tried them you’ll have to trust me. Try them out in my Crawfish Dip and I promise you that you’ll be hooked!
As Pets
Crayfish (aka crawfish, crawdads, etc.) are also kept as pets as well. They are generally 3-6 inches depending on the species. Species commonly kept as pets include Electric Blue Crayfish, White Crayfish, and Mexican Dwarf Crayfish.
Fun Facts
Here are some interesting facts about crawfish!
- Crayfish can live up to 30 years in the wild! Generally in captivity they live for about 2-3 years.
- A.J. Judice Jr., the founder of Larry’s French Market, was actually the first to serve crawfish in Texas
- Crawfish boil trace back to the Atchafalaya swamp in western Louisiana and the people who settled there such as Cajuns.