Crawfish

[1rtrooper]

Lived in NO 45 years ago.....would go to Lake Pontchartrain area and get lunchroom tray full of boiled crawdads (crayfish) and a pitcher of beer....great memories! I visited 5 years ago for a quick 1 day business trip and could not relive this experience; dinner of crawdads consisted of a few crawdads and sides...cost was high.
Since that trip, several people have said that there are still places locals go around NO area that still serve platters (trays) of boiled crawdads ....no fancy places but good places. Any suggestions would be appreciated ---- will be there 2/21/2013 (yes - planning ahead!)
Thanks.

[ilikeNOLA]

At that time of year it all depends on the weather on how plentiful crawfish will be. If it is cold, the crawfish will be in the mud. Last winter was a very warm winter and they were out early. You should still find them but might be expensive if the weather is cold. I recommend doing a search online and calling places near where you are staying and see what the prices are. .

[Big Easy]

They'll probably be available but they're going to be small and expensive if you buy them at the very beginning of the season in late February. Wait another month if you can.

[mcegielski]

do yourself a huge favor and head over to the westbank and get off at barataria and take a left and go down about half a mile and you will see Sal's Seafood on your right. Go there for hot boiled crawfish. you might be a little early in February some places might have others might not you better call ahead everywhere first! But check out Sal's Seafood on Barataria. It is excellent and a killer experience all around!

[collardman]

There are several places in Kenner near the airport that have a touch of West End. Stingray is one. I don't know if Deanies in Buck Town does it as I don't go that direction.

[James Cristinian]

I went to Bozo's, great catfish, and Deanie's Bucktown March pre Katrina and both served warm to cool crawfish. Is this how it's done in the area? Deanie's also had pasteurized raw oysters from Florida that were vile. Loved the rest of the food in New Orleans.

[GH1618]

I suggest you call them "crawfish" or "crayfish" when you are down there.

[arashall]

Resisting the urge to make other smart remarks..... Just call them crawfish.

[JazzyB]

Do not call them crayfish. Try KJeans on Carrollton, just a couple doors toward City Park from Brocato. definitely worth paying extra for "select" if available.

[GH1618]

My inclination is to use "crawfish" exclusively as well, but I mentioned "crayfish" because I happen to have the cookbook from Antoine's restaurant, a five or six generation business in New Orleans. They use "crayfish." I expect that is the more formally correct form while "crawfish" is the vernacular.

Or go with the French: écrevisses

[hazelhurst]

For what it's worth, note that Lillian Hellman (who claimed New Orleans as her hometown) wrote "crayfish" in "The Little Foxes." That was the standard term in the 1930's and 1940's so far as I understand. "Crawfish" became popular in the 1960's...at least that is what I recall. We had "crayfish Cardinale" at Antoine's in the old days and also "crayfish bisque" but never, in my memory, did we have "crayfish etoufee." I suspect "crawfish" as a term came out of the swamps.

[GH1618]

James Beard also used both forms.

[JazzyB]

I have seen "crayfish" used in cookbooks but don't recall hearing it spoken. BTW, James Beard was not local. He probably said "N'awlins" too. lol

[GH1618]

That's a good point — "crayfish" may be only a written form. As for James Beard, he was worldly and very well informed about food everywhere. His birthplace was near mine and his summer home literally the next town over, where "crawdads" was a common locution. He didn't use that in his writings.

[roro1831]

Franky and Johnies but when are you coming?

[1rtrooper]

Darn - forgot the most important part - 2/21/2013