Whaat's your favorite crawdad recipe?

[Cygnet]

I'm heading up to a favorite crawdad hole on Friday, with the goal of catching enough crawdads for a crawdad boil for at least us, and if I can get enough, for the neighborhood. This canyon is always LOADED with 'dads, and they're 'small lobster' size. I don't go there often because it's a good two hours from anywhere but for reasons I don't understand, all closer creeks and lakes don't seem to have any crawdads in them this year.

(Possibly, word's gotten out that they're good to eat -- Game and Fish has really been pushing "eat the crawdads, please!" to the masses. They're not native and they do a fair amount of damage to the ecosystem. The local Wally World had a stack of crawdad traps ten high on an endcap in the fishing department last time I was in there. Used to be, nobody seemed to eat them but us.)

I have a trap. I have a short (18" inch or so) fishing pole. It's 1/4 mile in, so I'll be somewhat limited on how much I can catch and lug out -- my goal is a couple five gallon buckets, which I have accomplished before in under two hours. I'm planning on taking the trap and the pole and my muck boots to wade with, and some chicken gizzards and catching them both with the trap and by hand by the "flip 'em onto the bank and grab 'em with a gloved hand" method.

Water should be really low with the drought, and where I'm headed is so remote, that I'm hoping to have a productive trip like in past years. (For the Arizona folks who know the local waters -- I was just up at Willow Springs lake about ten days ago and saw ZERO crawdads. I was amazed. I went with my father -- we were after trout, but took the 'dad trap with the assumption we'd at least have crawdads for dinner if we struck out on fish. I caught nothing and didn't see so much as a single crawdad. My dad caught a size six pink flip flop. I asked him what the bag limit was on shoes, LOL ... Both of us pulled in other people's lure, though -- my father got a spoon that was attached to the shoe, and I pulled in a wad of fishing line with a nice roostertail caught in it. Fun times ... not. LOL. Definitely need to go somewhere more remote this time!)

I'm having surgery on July 3rd and will be out of commission for several weeks, so this is my last "fun" trip until fall. (Might get some trout, too -- there's wild browns in this creek, but it's hit or miss and I'll be really after the 'dads, not the trout.)

[vicker]

Crawfish etouffee. Just google it. There are plenty of recipes. I like mine served on angel hair pasta.

[redman]

Cygnet I will agree with fish and game eat the tasty little critters. Most of the time we boil with corn and potatoes. I do enjoy a etouffee or gumbo. Wife does a mean gumbo and it just about anything put in that won't eat us first. Most of the time it is what we hunt, fish, or gather. It's all here for us to use. Mudbugs as we call them are nothing more than small fresh water lobsters.

Redman

[redman]

Cygnet Wife reminded me that this is another one that we enjoy. Guess that you can say that my grey hair makes me a blonde . Duh!!! Here is a link to one that is clone of the wife's we chop up a cayenne pepper in ours. Depends on how hot you like it. you can add a jalapeno pepper instead of the cayenne to make it less hot. but I do like a heat component of it. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Dougs-C...l.aspx?evt19=1

Redman

[BadFordRanger]

And I thought that I knew what a crawdad was. I have been down to the spring fed creek several times this spring and brought on dad up to pick at DW and it jumped her a bit.
Had it been one as a large as some of the ones on a couple sights I just looked at she'd jumped out of her skin.
Are there larger breeds where you are from, redman, or are the ones we have just too small to even eat?
I have seen a lot of them down around here since I started running pipe down the creek bed for the A/C, and I really thought they were exceptionally large, but what I see on the sites are twice as large. What gives here?
I also see that you can buy them live online that look very large. Could I order them and turn them loose down there and they reproduce?
I used to 50 of them for a man and he'd give me a dollar when I was a kid and they were about the size of these in the creek here.
I am lost here.

Ranger

[Appalachia]

We always boil them, and purposefully boil too many. Then you can pick the leftovers and put the tails into etoufee, crawfish monica, etc. the next day or freeze them.

[o&itw]

Originally Posted by BadFordRanger

And I thought that I knew what a crawdad was. I have been down to the spring fed creek several times this spring and brought on dad up to pick at DW and it jumped her a bit.
Had it been one as a large as some of the ones on a couple sights I just looked at she'd jumped out of her skin.
Are there larger breeds where you are from, redman, or are the ones we have just too small to even eat?
I have seen a lot of them down around here since I started running pipe down the creek bed for the A/C, and I really thought they were exceptionally large, but what I see on the sites are twice as large. What gives here?
I also see that you can buy them live online that look very large. Could I order them and turn them loose down there and they reproduce?
I used to 50 of them for a man and he'd give me a dollar when I was a kid and they were about the size of these in the creek here.
I am lost here.

Ranger

Most of the larger crayfish are non native and will tend to push out the native varieties. If you bring some in you will probably be charged and fined at the least, possible jail time if they can prove you did it on purpose.

I sympathize with you. While we do have a large crawdad variety here, they are usually found spread out in bottom-land areas; one can trap or seine a lot from the creeks and small rivers, but those varieties are never large enough for more than fish bait.

I've tried the frozen ones from Asia, and they are barely palatable. I do have some friends down in Louisiana that get some for me from time to time, but the pressure on them in the local rice fields has really cut back their harvest. They still keep me in boudin, though

So... I usually put mine in Gumbo. I would love to have a boil or make etouffee, but I never get them in that quantity. You can buy them online and have them shipped overnight (live), but they are way too pricey for my income.

I think it is like Morels here in Missouri. Lots of people pick buckets of them around here in the spring. If you lived in some states and had to buy them they would cost a fortune.

[Peace n Quiet]

http://www.cajun-recipes.com/html/seafood.htm#41656-a

All the crawfish recipes you will ever need!

I use this site as my "GO-TO" site for seafood recipes. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!

[FarmChix]

Jambalaya!!!! Mmmmmmmmm

[1shotwade]

Y'all need to stop! My mouth is watering all over the keyboard! Then one of you have to bring up Morels! Have mercy! What next? Bacon?!? They are all the same. If you have either of them there's no reason to cook anything else! Man,I'm hungry now!

Wade

[1shotwade]

Originally Posted by Peace n Quiet

http://http://www.cajun-recipes.com/...od.htm#41656-a

All the crawfish recipes you will ever need!

I use this site as my "GO-TO" site for seafood recipes. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!

I can't get that link to open! Got another way to access the site?

Wade

[wally]

The cats like it any way to want to serve it to them...I dont like the mudbugs.

[rickpaul]

Crawfish 1
Crawfish 2
Crawfish 3
Crawfish 4
Crawfish-a-Roni
Crawfish a la Wine Sauce
Crawfish and Corn
Crawfish and Garlic Chicken Etouffee
Crawfish and Rice Fiesta
Crawfish and Shrimp Etouffee
Crawfish Au Gratin
Crawfish Beignets
Crawfish Bisque 1
Crawfish Bisque 2
Crawfish Bisque 3
Crawfish Broccoli Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Crawfish Cabbage Rolls
Crawfish Cakes
Crawfish Chili
Crawfish Corn Maque Choux
Crawfish Cornbread 1
Crawfish Cornbread 2
Crawfish Cornbread 3
Crawfish Cornbread Delight
Crawfish Croissants
Crawfish Dip
Crawfish Dressing
Crawfish Egg Rolls
Crawfish Egg Stew
Crawfish Eggplant
Crawfish Eggplant Pie
Crawfish Enchiladas
Crawfish Etouffee 1
Crawfish Etouffee 2
Crawfish Etouffee 3
Crawfish Etouffee 4
Crawfish Etouffee 5
Crawfish Etouffee 6
Crawfish Etouffee 7
Crawfish Etouffee 8
Crawfish Etouffee 9
Crawfish Etouffee 10
Crawfish Etouffee 11
Crawfish Etouffee 12
Crawfish Etouffee 13
Crawfish Etouffee 14
Crawfish Etouffee 15
Crawfish Etouffee 16
Crawfish Etouffee 17
Crawfish Fettuccine 1
Crawfish Fettuccine 2
Crawfish Fettuccine 3
Crawfish Fettuccine 4
Crawfish Fettuccine 5
Crawfish Fettuccine 6
Crawfish Fettuccine 7
Crawfish Fettuccine 8
Crawfish Fettuccine 9
Crawfish Fettuccine 10
Crawfish Fettuccine 11
Crawfish Foo Young
Crawfish Fried Rice
Crawfish Frittata
Crawfish Ground Beef Rice Dressing
Crawfish in Wine Sauce 1
Crawfish in Wine Sauce 2
Crawfish in Wine Sauce 3
Crawfish Lace Pie
Crawfish Lasagna 1
Crawfish Lasagna 2
Crawfish Loaf
Crawfish Mornay
Crawfish Newburg
Crawfish Pasta
Crawfish Pasta Ole
Crawfish Patties And Green Onion Sauce
Crawfish Peppers
Crawfish Pies 1
Crawfish Pies 2
Crawfish Pies 3
Crawfish Pies 4
Crawfish Pies 5
Crawfish Pies Made Simple
Crawfish Pizza Bread
Crawfish Potatoes
Crawfish Rabbit
Crawfish Ravioli
Crawfish Salad
Crawfish Sauce Piquant
Crawfish Shrimp Etouffee
Crawfish Shrimp Fettuccine
Crawfish Spaghetti 1
Crawfish Spaghetti 2
Crawfish Spaghetti 3
Crawfish Stew 1
Crawfish Stew 2
Crawfish Stew 3
Crawfish Stew with Dumplings
Crawfish Stuffed Bell Peppers 1
Crawfish Stuffed Bell Peppers 2
Crawfish Stuffed Bell Peppers 3
Crawfish Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Crawfish Stuffed Cornbread
Crawfish Supreme 1
Crawfish Supreme 2
Crawfish Tortillas



http://www.cajun-recipes.com/html/seafood.htm
Crawfish with Almond Chips[/FONT][/SIZE]

[tlrnnp67]

Cajun Crawfish Or Shrimp Pistolettes
Ingredients

• 1-2 lbs crawfish tails or shrimp
• 2 1/2 stick butter or margarine
• 2 ounces margarine for brushing
• 3 medium onions diced
• 1 small stalk of celery or 6 ribs chopped fine
• 1 cup bell pepper chopped fine
• 1 tbsp garlic cloves minced
• 3/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 8 ounces Velveeta cheese
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne or more (optional)
• Cajun Seasonings (optional) you can use your own seasonings if you dont want the cajun seasoning
• hot sauce to taste (optional)
• 2 bags Pistolette Rolls (24) or dinner rolls that are large enough to be stuffed
• It may look hard but these are not hard to make..

How to make it
· First prepare the pistolettes rolls; cut a hole into one end of the roll and take out the inside.
· In medium saucepan over medium heat melt the butter and sauté the onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic until onions have wilted.
· Add the seasonings along with the cans of cream of mushroom
· Add the Velveeta cheese and stir until completely melted.
· Add the crawfish/shrimp to the mixture.
· Note - you could chop the crawfish/shrimp into smaller pieces as in a dip. Bring to a boil then simmer about 10 minutes.
· Do not forget to stir to prevent scorching.
· You could choose to add more or less cheese to achieve your desired "pudding" consistency. NOTE: IF THE MIXTURE IS TOO THICK YOU CAN ADD A LITTLE EVAPORATED MILK, TO THIN IT OUT SOME BUT YOU DONT WANT IT TOO THIN
· Add the parsley last (right before you place the filling in the roll)
· while warm, not hot, fill the pocket of the bun with the filling
· Stuffed Pistolettes may now be baked at 375 degrees F until golden brown about 20 minutes.
· If deep frying, drop into heated cooking oil until browned. Make sure there is enough oil to cover the pistolettes. Drain fried pistolettes on paper towels; serve hot.
· If baking the rolls spread butter on the top before putting in the oven
· ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE TO STUFF IN THE PISTOLETTE'S
· BROWN GROUND CHUCK
· SAUTEE BELL PEPPER, GREEN ONIONS, ONIONS, CELERY
· MIX WITH CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP AND
· VELVETTA CHEESE
· SEASONINGS
· MIX ALL THIS TOGETHER AND FILL IN THE PISTOLETTE'S

[Peace n Quiet]

Originally Posted by 1shotwade

I can't get that link to open! Got another way to access the site?

Wade

Oops! Saw the problem and fixed it. The link should work now. Sorry!

[1shotwade]

Originally Posted by Peace n Quiet

Oops! Saw the problem and fixed it. The link should work now. Sorry!

Whow! Got it now. Great site. Thanks.


Wade