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March 2016

Crawfish, Hungry for Louisiana

After the boil: Two recipes for leftover crawfish tails

Anyone who has ever boiled crawfish knows that events, after the boil, fall one of three ways:

  • You ordered the exact amount of crawfish, everyone is satisfied and there’s nothing left to peel.
  • There’s enough left to peel to justify dirtying up your hands again. You and some really nice friends or family get to work.
  • There’s no way you’re peeling another tail because you’re fingers are stained and sore, and you really just need to go lie down.

We found ourselves facing #2 this weekend after boiling more than 100 pounds for my husband’s family, so three of us sat down and took on the remainder. It yielded about four cups of tails, plenty for a crawfish-centric main course for 4 to 6, and definitely worth the trouble.

There have been plenty of times when I’ve peeled leftover tails and the haul wasn’t so generous, but I do it anyway. No matter how many tails you’re left with, you can find something fun to do with them, from frittatas and savory pies, to cold salads to classic entrées.

Here are two ways to enjoy crawfish tails after the boil.

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Crawfish, Holiday, Hungry for Louisiana

In Louisiana, Easter means boiled crawfish

Easter signals ham, lamb and casseroles in other parts of the South, but in Louisiana, boiled crawfish is front and center. In recent years in the state, Holy Week has become the pinnacle of the crawfish harvest, with farmers working double time to meet demand and consumers often having to plunk down deposits to reserve sacks.

My Easter weekend routine likely resembles many of my fellow Bayou State residents: immediate and extended family gathered outside on a (hopefully) warm and clear spring day while sacks of live crawfish wait to be poured into roaring, spiked water.

Boiling crawfish, like so many native dishes, is highly personal — and those who boil have strong opinions on how it should be done…

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