Killy Chavez, a friend living in Houston, asked, "Do you suck the heads, Mr. Trudeau?"
"Simply trying to *suck the head* gets you nowhere, amigo," I answered. "You might get a dribble of the peppery, salty water in which he was boiled. To get the mudbug's pancreas and liver - a golden lump of goodness referred to as the *crawfish fat* - you need to dig into the thorax with your finger."
Having learned to eat crawdads from the Toups family of Napoeonville, I replied, "And that's what I do every time. Do you?"
"The mere thought of it sends a shudder down my spine," responded the black-bearded Texan. "Put their meaty little bodies in a sauce poured over a swordfish steak, however ... yum!"
See more on the use of crawfish fat, "the little yellow glob that's worth its weight in gold," at gumbopages.com.
3 comments:
Oddly enough, I actually don't eat the "fat." I did when I was a kid but then I realized what I was actually eating and couldn't bear it. Now I just eat the tails and the claws if they're big enough (which they usually are if you're eating them down south).
However, the fat plays a very vital role if you're going to be cooking those delicious suckers. If you have left over boiled crawfish, pop the tails and leave the fat on and freeze them for later use. The fat will add an extra kick to your dish when you cook 'em. My favorite using this method is a good seafood gumbo or crawfish etoufee.
But I still can't make it as good as Maw Maw.
I looove crawfish. My mouth is totally watering!!!
I have yet to have good crawfish in Texas!
-annabel
Post a Comment