How to Eat Boiled Crawfish
When people find out that my husband is originally from New Orleans, one of the first questions they ask is, "Do you eat crawfish?" In Louisiana, crawfish are a local delicacy. However, even though people do tend to associate eating crawfish with Louisiana, their popularity of this crustacean isn't limited to the Bayou State.
Many restaurants serve dishes prepared with crawfish, and you can even buy crawfish tail meat in supermarkets. Popular crawfish entrees include crawfish pie, crawfish pasta, and crawfish etouffe. However, even if you have eaten these types of dishes before, you still might not know how to eat crawfish.
To say that you know how to eat crawfish, you have to be able to eat boiled crawfish. I'm not talking about boiled crawfish meat, I'm talking about the whole thing. To really be able to eat crawfish, you have to get the tail meat out of the shell yourself.
When faced when eating a boiled crawfish for the first time, you can easily feel very intimidated. However, once you get the hang of it, you realize that eating boiled crawfish isn't difficult at all. It can actually be fun. The delicate, slightly sweet meat is certainly worth the effort.
If you find yourself invited to a crawfish boil, or you decide to throw one of your own, here is what you do when it is time to eat your first boiled crawfish:
Steps to Eating Boiled Crawfish
1. Remove the head - Hold the top of the crawfish with one hand, and place your other hand above the tail. Twist so that the tail separates from the head.
2. Pinch the very end of the tail with one hand, and pull the tail meat out with the other.
3. Enjoy the delicacy!
The Optional Part
Some people actually add another step to eating boiled crawfish. When you remove the head from the crawfish, if you want to savor every drop of spice, you can suck the head before you discard it. If you are a novice when it comes to eating crawfish, you probably will want to skip this step. If you're feeling adventurous, though, give it a try!
Crawfish Consumption Safety Tip
When you are selecting a crawfish to eat, you want to look for one that has a tail that is curled. If you come across a crawfish with a straight tail, it should be discarded. This is a sign that it was dead before being cooked and is not safe to eat.
