My love for crawfish can only be described as endless, insatiable, and possibly obsessive. I have literally been counting down the months for these guys to be back in season and the wait is finally over… it’s here, although slowly making their debut, crawfish have returned! As we all know, the beginning of the season is a precursor to how the actual season will unfold. The bugs are always shell-soft and small, expensive… then amazing on all fronts, and as the season winds down we get shell-hard and small; back to expensive.

It’s taken me a few years to understand the ins and outs of the market, I am by no means an expert (I know just enough to sound dangerous). What I really know is I love to eat them and where to get them.

I’ve become somewhat of a crawfish connoisseur (in my own opinion) and I have some ground rules for having “the perfect crawfish”, so without getting all preachy I’ll lay them out and we can move forward with my picks for where to grab the best ones in the city.

• Flavor – this is obvious or should be, however, I prefer my crawfish spicy. Not burning ring of fire hot, but I need to feel the heat on multiple levels. This is accomplished with different layers of seasonings, liquid boil, cayenne, and good ole black pepper. Although, if they aren’t soaked long enough the meat will not absorb the water, so no amount of seasoning will matter.
• Heat – I like my crawfish hot, again, this should seem obvious, but I will assure you, I have been to many places that do not serve them hot and I only eat there once. They either have to be served immediately or re-dipped. Sorry, not sorry.
• Peelability – (I just made that up) but basically how well they peel, this will depend on whether they have been overcooked initially. The bugs themselves only need to boil for 7-10 minutes depending on the pot size, this will vary for industrial pots and restaurants.
• Color/Size – so this is generally going to come along with the season and how far along we are, but typically, these babies should be bright red to medium-dark red. Of course, the bigger the better! We’re always looking for those monster claws…
• Cleanliness – okay, this is probably me being picky, but we ARE eating bugs from the ground… so these guys have to be purged, meaning rinsed off to a certain extent before being boiled so as not to eat mouthfuls of dirt, also, it can make the boil itself taste gritty and bitter.

Anything else to mention before going on our journey… oh yes! Don’t eat the straight ones (we’ve all seen the t-shirts), they died before hitting the pot, and there’s nowhere to eat crawfish on Mondays (unless you want to drive to Kenner, brah) and yes, I have before.

*All of my choices have been based on the above-mentioned criteria, there are a lot of places to eat crawfish in New Orleans, these are my personal favorites.

#1: The Galley Seafood – Old Metairie

This is my favorite place to eat crawfish and I will warn you the most expensive. The bugs are always spicy, hot, and large (they carry selects). The beer is always cold. I love it here. The location is super old school and it’s perfect to pop in and eat on the patio. It is smaller so it gets packed for lunch and dinner, be prepared to wait if you come at a busy time, and bring your wallet, but I promise you will not be disappointed. *Insider tip- the fried crab claws are phenomenal, get them if you can!

#2: Seither’s Seafood – Harahan

Seither’s is my second favorite. I love the vibe here… very dive bar meets your daddy’s drinking buddy owns a restaurant. It is a little bit of a drive, but I feel like it’s worth it for the quality level, no frills attitude, and the crawfish are always on point. The other food is pretty good too, but I literally only come here for the crawfish. We always do bottle beers here, so bring a koozie. They have a great little outside area that creates the perfect crawfish-eating environment. The bugs are a little smaller, but the prices are better, so there’s that.

#3: Urban South Brewery aka Gulf Coast Crawfish Company

Urban South is my favorite beer, hence all the beer taking over the crawfish photo action-shots, so it is no mystery they are my third favorite place to eat. The guys here started boiling for the brewery and have now turned it into a side business, Gulf Coast Crawfish Company They do an awesome job with all my aforementioned requirements, however, because this is a brewery you are on your own as far as necessities go. No trays, no butter for fixins, no napkins (they sell paper towel rolls). I’ve learned to just pack up all these things and bring them with me, think of it as a crawfish picnic. OR – if you’re less high maintenance just eat out of the styrofoam containers and toss them when you’re done. You can’t beat the beer selection + crawfish matchup. Boils usually happen on Thursday evenings and Saturday & Sundays – Check their Insta page for updates!

#4: Bayou Beer Garden – Mid-City

This was my staple crawfish spot for many years when I was a mid-city native. They typically only boil on Sundays, so be sure to call ahead or check their FB page for updates. The crawfish guy, Andy, has his boil down to a science and never disappoints with flavor! Again, this is a beer garden, so fend for yourself with necessities, but come prepared and enjoy.

#5: Capt Sid’s – Bucktown (Fresh Crawfish – Boil your Own!)

We always love a good crawfish boil and will break out the pot whenever we can! My top pick for buying fresh crawfish is Capt Sid’s in Bucktown. They usually have readily available sacks, I would suggest calling ahead for select sacks… and to reserve for busier weekends in general.

HOW TO DO A CRAWFISH BOIL AT HOME?

There are multiple options for fixins with boils, it’s become pretty standard with ours that citrus is a must… but this isn’t always the case. I love a little orange, I feel like it gives it a little extra depth, but I’m not a chef (not even close) so I’ll keep the verbiage light on depth and whatnot. We also include pineapple, lemons, sausage, mushrooms, and potatoes… and lots and lots of garlic.

Step 1:

First, we unload the crawfish into the cooler after letting them “sleep” under ice during the veggie cooking process… this is when you would do the purging (washing off) of the dirt and debris after cutting them free from the sacks…

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Step 2:

After the fixins have been boiling for about 45 minutes – an hour (we allow extra time for the garlic to get nice and done), it’s time to dump the crawfish in… again, these guys are like little lobstahs in a sense, so you don’t have to boil them for long… depending on the size and amount, I would say 10 minutes.

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Step 3:

This is the best part… the soaking. The soak is where all the flavor catches in the head and the tail meat. As stated before, I like my crawfish spicy, so we soak for 45-50 minutes… I’ll always try to push it a little longer if I can!

Cheers & Happy Eating!

And that’s it! Find a pirogue or line a table with newspaper, dump and enjoy your fresh, hot crawfish! C’est si bon!

Cheers! Rachel aka The Accidental Yat

How do I find the Best Crawfish Spots in New Orleans?

The Galley Seafood:

• 2535 Metairie Rd, Metairie, LA 70001
• Visit Website

Seithers Seafood: 

• 279 Hickory Ave, Harahan, LA 70123
• Visit Website

Urban South Brewery:

• 1645 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
• Visit Website

Bayou Beer Garden:

• 326 N. Norman C. Francis Parkway, New Orleans, LA 70119
• Visit Website

Capt Sid’s Bucktown: 

• 1700 Lake Ave, Metairie, LA 70005
• Visit Website