# Crawfishpolooza....Louisiana Gold.



## indaswamp (Mar 5, 2018)

I fell in a crawfish hole and came up smelling like a rose! A local catering business boiled 293 sacks of crawfish over the last 3 days. Last cook of the day Sunday had 250~300lbs. of left-over crawfish so he called his buddy at the firehouse and dropped them off. We spent 2+ hours peeling this afternoon and ended up with 30# of peeled tails plus 3# of extra large claws. I have visions of etouffee, crawfish pies, boudin, bisque, eggrolls, stew, and crawfish cakes dancing in my head.

first 120qt. ice chest...






second 120qt. ice chest...






Peelin tails...







I took a break and made crawfish omelets for everyone...







Little colby jack cheese, 1/2lb. crawfish tails, 4 eggs.... so good!!







The haul...30# of peeled tail meat-a.k.a. Louisiana Gold. Not bad considering it takes 9# of crawfish to yield 1# of tail meat, and boiled whole crawfish are going for $5.50/lb. right now.


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## indaswamp (Mar 5, 2018)

Tonight we are eating pan fried snapper covered with crawfish etouffee!


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## mdboatbum (Mar 5, 2018)

Looks amazing!


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## indaswamp (Mar 5, 2018)

mdboatbum said:


> Looks amazing!


Thanks mdboatbum, The omelets were delicious! No salt or pepper needed, the crawfish has enough to flavor the eggs.


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## SmokinAl (Mar 6, 2018)

That omelet looks fantastic!
I would love to get a haul like that, we love crawfish boils, but unfortunately here in S. FL.
Crawfish are hard to come by.
Congrats on making the carousel!
Al


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## one eyed jack (Mar 6, 2018)

I am ready to relocate.  Would you give me your GPS coordinates?

My Grandad was a fire chief;  Does that count?


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## petehalsted (Mar 6, 2018)

Man that looks good. You are really punishing me for spending my winters in S. FL!! I sure miss my time in Biloxi where on Saturday afternoon's the only decision was which crawfish boil to go to!


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## theelballew (Mar 6, 2018)

Da-yum! Makes me want to jump a flight down to New Orleans!!!


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## foamheart (Mar 6, 2018)

Bisque! You got the heads, Bisque!


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

SmokinAl said:


> That omelet looks fantastic!
> I would love to get a haul like that, we love crawfish boils, but unfortunately here in S. FL.
> Crawfish are hard to come by.
> Congrats on making the carousel!
> Al



Thanks Al! I'm more of a crawfish tail kinda guy. I love crawfish in a gravy, etouffee, or boudin. But I'll tell ya, these were some of the best boiled crawfish I've ever had. So easy to peel. Nothing worse than over cooked crawfish that break when you try to pull them out of the shell.



one eyed jack said:


> I am ready to relocate.  Would you give me your GPS coordinates?
> 
> My Grandad was a fire chief;  Does that count?



Thanks one eyed jack...no law against moving to Louisiana....<wink>



petehalsted said:


> Man that looks good. You are really punishing me for spending my winters in S. FL!! I sure miss my time in Biloxi where on Saturday afternoon's the only decision was which crawfish boil to go to!



LOL! Thanks pete. PSSST, I'll be making crawfish boudin soon......



theelballew said:


> Da-yum! Makes me want to jump a flight down to New Orleans!!!



The food here in South Louisiana is one of a kind. Come on down, the people here are frindly.



foamheart said:


> Bisque! You got the heads, Bisque!



Oh Believe me Foamy...it's on the list. But I don't stuff the heads, I make boullettes about the size of golf balls. I add the large claws for color. So much easier this way and just as good.


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## tropics (Mar 6, 2018)

inda that looks great hard to get up here at a reasonable price. Points
Richie


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

Thanks tropics. These were the best price anyone could get, they were free! And, the caterer has offered to come cook for the guys Weds. night....I'll take some pics. No idea what he plans on cooking but I hear there will be cheesecake-and he makes a killer cheese cake!


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## tropics (Mar 6, 2018)

indaswamp said:


> Thanks tropics. These were the best price anyone could get, they were free! And, the caterer has offered to come cook for the guys Weds. night....I'll take some pics. No idea what he plans on cooking but I hear there will be cheesecake-and he makes a killer cheese cake!



inda here is my cheese cake recipe.It looks like you need new hinges on that one cooler,I replaced mine with an old leather belt works great.
Richie
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/cheese-cake-pic-heavy.243778/


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## Bearcarver (Mar 6, 2018)

Lucky Guy, Inda!!!
That ALL looks Awesome!! "Like".
Only thing our Crawfish up here are good for is Bass-Bait & Raccoon Bait.

Bear


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## worm304 (Mar 6, 2018)

I couldn't be more jealous! Amazing!  I am patiently waiting for the prices to drop so I can gwt live crawfish overnighted to Florida.  LOVE CRAWFISH!!  This season seems to be coming on slower than last year.  Still only field run available.


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

tropics said:


> inda here is my cheese cake recipe.It looks like you need new hinges on that one cooler,I replaced mine with an old leather belt works great.
> Richie
> https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/cheese-cake-pic-heavy.243778/


I agree, but it's not my cooler. We use firehose...LOL! It is some tough stuff!
Thanks for the cheesecake recipe tropics.


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## oberst (Mar 6, 2018)

OMG!!  My favorite!


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

worm304 said:


> I couldn't be more jealous! Amazing!  I am patiently waiting for the prices to drop so I can gwt live crawfish overnighted to Florida.  LOVE CRAWFISH!!  This season seems to be coming on slower than last year.  Still only field run available.


Yea, it was warmer last season. This season will be running a little later. The water is rising in the Atchafalaya spillway right now with all the rain to the north. Once it warms up, I expect a bumper crop of mudbugs this year.


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

bearcarver said:


> Lucky Guy, Inda!!!
> That ALL looks Awesome!!
> Only thing our Crawfish up here are good for is Bass-Bait & Raccoon Bait.
> 
> Bear


Thanks bear! I do feel blessed to live here.


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

oberst said:


> OMG!!  My favorite!


<thumbs up>


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

Pics. of dinner last night oberst...
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/crawfishpolooza.273364/


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## lodi dick (Mar 6, 2018)

Six years stationed in La. and I sure miss thowin' a bag of crawfish on the table and getting after it.  Thanks for the look!


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## worm304 (Mar 6, 2018)

indaswamp said:


> Yea, it was warmer last season. This season will be running a little later. The water is rising in the Atchafalaya spillway right now with all the rain to the north. Once it warms up, I expect a bumper crop of mudbugs this year.



So are you thinking maybe by mid april they will boom?  I'm planning my first boil on April 14th and it's happening whether the price is right or not.


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## ab canuck (Mar 6, 2018)

Inda that is a beautiful sight, I am soooo envious I can't describe.. and now my keyboard is soaked.... Nice load of goodness there. And congrats on the carousel!!!!


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

worm304 said:


> So are you thinking maybe by mid april they will boom?  I'm planning my first boil on April 14th and it's happening whether the price is right or not.


Prices usually fall significantly after Easter....


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

ab canuck said:


> Inda that is a beautiful sight, I am soooo envious I can't describe.. and now my keyboard is soaked.... Nice load of goodness there. And congrats on the carousel!!!!


Thanks abc! You keep saying you are coming down.....<wink>


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

lodi dick said:


> Six years stationed in La. and I sure miss thowin' a bag of crawfish on the table and getting after it.  Thanks for the look!


No problem lodi... thanks for lookin.


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## gary s (Mar 6, 2018)

I see two problems right off the bat !!   First I didn't get my invitation and second you need my address to ship me all those crawfish tails and claws !!!

Nice job  I need to call the store and order me some crawfish.
Yours look fantastic

Gary


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## normonster (Mar 6, 2018)

Wow. Good times.  I have a butter problem so those wouldn't be good for me...  haha...  :)


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## theelballew (Mar 6, 2018)

The food here in South Louisiana is one of a kind. Come on down, the people here are frindly.



Yes......Been there a few times....I think there is something in the water.....Especially when you guys make bread.  I'm trying to set up a business trip down in April timeframe.


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

gary s said:


> I see two problems right off the bat !!   First I didn't get my invitation and second you need my address to ship me all those crawfish tails and claws !!!
> 
> Nice job  I need to call the store and order me some crawfish.
> Yours look fantastic
> ...


LOL! Thanks Gary!



normonster said:


> Wow. Good times.  I have a butter problem so those wouldn't be good for me...  haha...  :)



Thanks norm...



theelballew said:


> Yes......Been there a few times....I think there is something in the water.....Especially when you guys make bread.  I'm trying to set up a business trip down in April timeframe.


Yes, the bread is good too! Crawfish prices will come down in April...


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## crazymoon (Mar 6, 2018)

IDS, Fine score on the crawfish, love that omelet!


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

crazymoon said:


> IDS, Fine score on the crawfish, love that omelet!


Thanks! I did too! LOL! 

If I get some time. I'll be making crawfish boudin tomorrow afternoon.


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## indaswamp (Mar 6, 2018)

petehalsted said:


> Man that looks good. You are really punishing me for spending my winters in S. FL!! I sure miss my time in Biloxi where on Saturday afternoon's the only decision was which crawfish boil to go to!


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## indaswamp (Mar 7, 2018)

Made the crawfish boudin this afternoon. While I would love to share the recipe, I made a promise to my uncle that I would not. But, I will give you this one which is a classic recipe from Chef Paul Prudhomme's family cookbook and a very good one...
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe...ses-louisiana-crawfish-and-rice-sausage-93812

The boudin is very rich! I made 48 4" links, 4 links to a pound so ended up with about 12lbs. of boudin. I would like to have taken more pictures but I had a bunch of steps to do and I was trying to work fast so the crawfish would not get soft.

First coil stuffed...






I did not grind the crawfish, just coarse chopped it on a cutting board. There are large 1/2 tail pieces throughout the links along with some that is very finely shredded.
Close up pic...






First coil links...






12 vacuum bags about 1# each...


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## normonster (Mar 7, 2018)

Highly impressed here. Nice work.


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## indaswamp (Mar 7, 2018)

Thanks norm!


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## ab canuck (Mar 7, 2018)

Great looking links and sausage.... Boudin is one I have not got to try yet.


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## indaswamp (Mar 7, 2018)

Caterer could not come tonight, he got a catering job for tonight. One of the guys made crawfish fettuccine and blueberry pineapple dump cake with vanilla ice cream.













The dump cake...


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## indaswamp (Mar 7, 2018)

ab canuck said:


> Great looking links and sausage.... Boudin is one I have not got to try yet.


Real deal Boudin is in a class all it's own. Crawfish boudin -done right- is good, but IMO I'll take pork boudin over crawfish boudin any day. Many other better ways to utilize crawfish but, that's just my opinion. Crawfish pies on the other hand....Man I could eat my weight in crawfish pies!


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## ab canuck (Mar 8, 2018)

Great looking dinner and dessert. 
 Crawfish Pie.... That intrigues me, I would not have thought to see something like that. I was told it was seasonal, what/when is crawfish season. Is crawfish pie something a person can find most places or any in particular places to look?  We are waiting on test results for the father in law to figure out timing on a trip. so hopefully it will happen sooner than later for us.


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## chilerelleno (Mar 8, 2018)

Holy Cow, what a score!
Those omelettes, you know I'm a fiend for breakfast... Fantastic.
Really looking forward to some of the cooks to come from those bags of crawdad bullion.

I vote for New England style Lobst...  Crawfish Rolls next to a big bowl of Crawfish Bisque.

*Like!*


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## worm304 (Mar 9, 2018)

o, man!  this just keeps getting better and better!  I like this recipe for a bisque/chowder.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/2...ContentType=search results&clickId=cardslot 2

I do thin it out with milk though as it is really think.


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## worm304 (Mar 9, 2018)

Side note.  I usually use the Louisiana crawfish company when I order.  They just made select size available and the price did drop a little just in case anyone was wondering.  Does anyone have a better option for where to order?  I am not saying LCC is bad just wondering if there is anything better. Thanks!


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## indaswamp (Mar 10, 2018)

ab canuck said:


> Great looking dinner and dessert.
> Crawfish Pie.... That intrigues me, I would not have thought to see something like that. I was told it was seasonal, what/when is crawfish season. Is crawfish pie something a person can find most places or any in particular places to look?  We are waiting on test results for the father in law to figure out timing on a trip. so hopefully it will happen sooner than later for us.



abc, crawfish pie is basically a thickened spicy crawfish etouffee in a savory, seasoned pie crust. Here is a pic. of one I made a few years back...







You can also get them in individual pies; these are more common and corner gas stations sell them, you just don't know how good they will be unless the store has a reputation for selling good ones.

Crawfish season runs when the mudbugs come out of their holes with rising water late winter/early spring and runs until the molt ends late may early june. Nobody likes peeling rock hard crawfish shells.


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## indaswamp (Mar 10, 2018)

chilerelleno said:


> Holy Cow, what a score!
> Those omelettes, you know I'm a fiend for breakfast... Fantastic.
> Really looking forward to some of the cooks to come from those bags of crawdad bullion.
> 
> ...


T'was indeed a good score, but all the tails are not mine. I kept some, and the guys at the firehouse kept the bulk of them for cooks on their shift. Thanks for the like Chili.


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## indaswamp (Mar 10, 2018)

worm304 said:


> o, man!  this just keeps getting better and better!  I like this recipe for a bisque/chowder.
> 
> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/222538/louisiana-crawfish-bisque/?internalSource=hub recipe&referringContentType=search results&clickId=cardslot 2
> 
> I do thin it out with milk though as it is really think.


I'll post up when I make the crawfish bisque, but this will be a cajun recipe with a dark brown roux...


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## noble captain (Mar 11, 2018)

We live in southern Louisiana to love this time of the year. What a score !!!!! Congrats on the carousel.  Can't wait to see the the rest of the eats.


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## indaswamp (Mar 11, 2018)

noble captain said:


> We live in southern Louisiana to love this time of the year. What a score !!!!! Congrats on the carousel.  Can't wait to see the the rest of the eats.


What is the white item bottom of pic. on the table with the boiled crawfish? I can't make out what it could be...


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## noble captain (Apr 5, 2018)

My neighbor put chicken breast in it. She doesn't eat Crawfish. Lol I think it's dry but she likes it that way.


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## indaswamp (Apr 5, 2018)

Ah...chicken breast! I never would have guessed that one! Amazing to me that some people do not like boiled crawfish.


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## Steve H (Apr 5, 2018)

Crawfish fettuccine, I haven't had that in a few years. Or Crawfish over grits with bacon for that matter. Up here we can only get the tails frozen. The hard part is finding them with a ton of seasoning already added. I might take a look around to see if I can find some.


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