Crawfish, Spice, and Things Not Very Nice

"Boiled crawfish. I have to have it. Some place like Sammy's in Baton Rouge. They have the best crawfish I've ever eaten. And hurry up." Was the message from Lindsay last week. So we set out to Bucktown to find it. While we technically found boiled crawfish, our envie was not satisfied.

Deanie's Seafood in Bucktown has been around long enough for one to forget about it. As a kid, we used to always drive past it on Good Friday and marvel at the lines. What seemed to be thousands of people were gathered in the shell parking lot, sucking down cold beers and smoking cigarettes as they waited for their table or ice chest full of crawfish. But I can't ever remember actually eating there.

We sat down and were promptly given some boiled potatoes and butter. Damn you , Lenten promises. Then some beers arrived in a big, broad schooner frosting at the edge.

So far so good. Then the real food came. First a seafood gumbo which was very tasty, but the bits of crab had been boiled into oblivion. What once had perhaps been plump crabmeat, now looked like tiny filaments afloat on a brown bayou. Good stock though, with a sturdy shrimp flavored backbone.

The shrimp remoulade arrived as you see it below. Salads and cold seafood appetizers with a dressing should always be tossed in the kitchen. I have no problem with dipping shrimp into a plastic tub of remoulade sauce (which was very good and mustardy), but if you could do it for me that would be a lot better. This way I am not left with half a tub of remoulade and no shrimp to dip in it.

Admittedly, crawfish have yet to reach their peak. Right now, small, tough buggers predominate. But cooking tiny crawfish for the same length of time as their big brothers makes them mushy and disgusting. The effect resembles braising more than boiling. The spice level on the crawfish had some admirable qualities, but the salt quotient did not.

So where do you eat crawfish in New Orleans? The Boss wants to know.

Deanies - Bogey.