This past weekend... I'm never making that mistake again, these Texans have no idea how to boil crawfish! They had carrots in there & a potato which exploded all over the first batch. They would boil the crawfish with minimal spices, but then when they were finished cooking they'd put them into an ice chest, put some spice on top, and then shake the d@mn thing to spread it around. And I'm not sure what the key to getting deliciousness in the heads is, but they were bone dry. Yet, I made the mistake of trying to suck the head. Well, with all that seasoning on the outside it burnt my lips like hell, and the actual meat had almost no flavor!
Living here in Houston, I have found that despite some similarities to La., even here the people, food, etc., miss the mark by a wide margin. The only people I know living in Texas that know how to cook like us, came from La. If I want food from back home, I cook it myself.
In North Texas, just finding shrimp that aren't rotten is challenge enough. There is, however, a huge Asian market that serves the entire Southwest only a couple of miles from my house. I've heard their seafood selection is extensive (which probably means octopus and such), but perhaps, they have fresh shrimp?
true. all shrimp is frozen and most of that is imported, not domestic. i sometimes get frozen shrimp and hope that the label that shows it from the usa is correct. i love going to the grocery store when in nola. i cant wait for the day that im shopping to cook at home there with wonderful fresh seafood.
I agree about the quality of crawfish in North Texas. Terrible. Everywhere. That's why I started hosting my own annual crawfish boil. If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. Plus its a killer party.
My husbands family has put carrots in their crawfish ever since he can remember. I think it is weird. Texans also do not put lemon or onion in their crawfish. I dont know why.
I eat at a boil on St. Patricks Day in my neighborhood every year and the host is known for putting lots of stuff in the boil along with the crawfish, corn and potatoes. He puts in carrots, long whole green beans, mushrooms, artichokes, and some andouille, too. He keeps bowls of melted garlic butter on the table to dip the veggies in.
That sounds really good, actually. Another thing I do is put out some french bread with butter knives to spread the boiled garlic on. Yum.
i love mushrooms in crawfish boils, but there is something about the thought of carrots and green beans that i cant wrap my mind around. however, artichokes sound interesting. that does sound good. i love roasted garlic on french bread, and your version sounds even better. *drool*
