Crayfishing

Our farm neighbors introduced us to a little freshwater crustacean known as the Crayfish or Crawdad.  I used to catch these little or big critters as a kid but never tried dipping one in butter. 

A few weeks ago, we were invited over for a crayfish feed.  I was curious as to just how you would catch so many crayfish to have enough for a feed. That morning I grabbed my camera and joined the fishing crew to capture the art of crayfishing. They have five spring fed ponds on their 70 acre farm, making it perfect habitat for crayfish to thrive in.

First, tie a string to a long piece of wood to use as a fishing poll.  Secondly, tie a small chicken thigh to the end of the string to use as bait.  Lower the bait into the water and let it sit for a while.  After a few minutes, slowly pull the bait out of the water to check if you have any nibblers.  Hold a small net underneath the bait to catch any crayfish that have collected on that piece.

Then, dump out the crayfish to sort through the "keepers".  The smaller ones, 2 inches or less, are not worth keeping.  The bigger, the better!

Once you have enough "Keepers", you're ready to cook em up.    

Boil them in a large pot with sausage and ears of corn for about 12 or 15 minutes. Once they're done, drain and dump them out on the table.  To eat, take the tail of the crayfish and twist off.  Peel away shell and eat meat inside.  For extra yumminess, dip meat into melted butter or cajun spices.  Wash down with cold beer.

ENJOY!