KAMPFIRE KOOKIN’ WILD THANGS

Crawfish – Crawcrabs –

Crayfish –  Mud bugs

(My favorite way to eat ‘em!)

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Wash the live crawfish in fresh water (just like lobster-make sure they are alive). Plunge them into boiling water that has been seasoned with Crab Boil or a mixture of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. They will turn red. Boil for about 10 to 15 minutes depending on amount and size of the crawfish.

Pour off water and plunge the cooked crawfish into cold water to stop the cooking process. Now follow these directions:

1 – Hold the crawfish with its head in one hand, its tail in the other. Twist and pull gently to separate the head from the body.

2 – You can either throw the head away or suck it to get the fat and juices – I prefer to throw it away.

3 – Press the sides of the tail with your thumb and forefinger until you hear the shell crack. You should be able to pull the whole tail meat out in one piece. Dip in your favorite seafood sauce and eat right away or put the peeled crawfish into a bowl until you have enough to make dishes like: Crawfish Boudin (2 lbs), Crawfish Etouffee (2 lbs), Crawfish Pie (1 lb), Crawfish Stew (2 lbs), Crawfish Bisque (2 lbs) or serve the crawfish up as mock shrimp cocktail with a nice ketchup/horseradish dipping sauce.

4 – It takes about 6 pounds of boiled crawfish to get one pound of tail meat.

NOTE:  There are a few stores in Fort Wayne that sell all ready cooked crawfish; all you have to do is thaw, peel, and eat – remember the six pounds to get one pound formula.