Crawfish are the crustacean most identified with Louisiana. Down here, we boil 'em, fry 'em, make them into étouffée, pie, jambalaya, gumbo, bisque, fettucini... feel free to insert your own Forrest Gump meme here. We love them, is the point. And sometimes it's hard to convince our Yankee friends to give 'em a try, but next time you're around, be brave. Their taste and texture is about halfway between those of a lobster and a shrimp, and we don't eat them like fiends for no reason.


Plus, they're interesting little bugs. Bet you didn't know these bits of trivia about them: 

1. Crawfish are (largely) a byproduct of rice production.

Louisiana is a major rice producing state, with our dense, loamy soil and high water tables making for an ideal growing condition for the water-loving grain. Once the fields of rice are harvested in the late fall, though, many farmers flood their rice fields with water.

From deep within the ground and out of the creeks and ditches, the indigenous mudbugs creep out to feed on the grains of rice left over in the fields. Farmers set traps (not so different conceptually from lobster traps; the critters can get in but can't get out), and there you have it.

Crawfish can also be farmed out of natural bodies of water, including the massive Atchafalaya Basin. These basin crawfish tend to be a bit smaller than the fat field-caught crawfish, but their peak season starts slightly earlier. If you order boiled crawfish in February, you're likely to get smaller basin crawfish.

May? Big, fat field crawfish. Both are delicious.

2. Louisiana produces (and eats) the vast majority of crawfish in the USA.

Upward of 95% of the United States' crawfish crop is harvested in Louisiana -- and more than 3/4 is eaten here, too. And that's not even counting the fairly substantial amount of crawfish tails that are eaten in Louisiana that are imported from China (not a great thing for Louisiana crawfish farmers, but it happens). The point is: we like crawfish.

3. Crawfish are low-calorie.

Like a lot of crustaceans, crawfish aren't ideal, cholesterol-wise, but as far as calories go, they're super-light. Three pounds of boiled crawfish yields about a half-pound of actual meat, which contains only about 175 calories. Plus, I like to tell myself that I burn nearly that many in the process of peeling them (almost certainly untrue), which means I can rationalize even more beers on the side. 

4. Crawfish can live (and thrive) out of water.

Crawfish are aquatic animals, but have special gills that let them breathe even if they're not submerged in water, so long as they're kept damp (lobsters are the same way). This is why they can be transported in large mesh sacks, and also why they can participate (willingly or no) in such events as the crawfish races at the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival each year.

5. "Don't eat the straight ones" is a myth.

Traditionalists will always tell you not to eat any boiled crawfish with a straight tail -- heck, Fleurty Girl even makes a "Don't Eat Da Straight Ones" t-shirt -- but LSU Ag Center did some actual research and determined that placement in a crowded boiling pot is more likely to effect the shape of a post-boiling tail than anything. That said, if you peel a tail and discover that the meat inside is dry, crumbly, flaky, or otherwise just doesn't seem quite right, don't eat it. The meat in the tails should be firm, juicy, and sweet.