Swamp Critters

CHOW goes to catch crawfish in the Louisiana swamps.

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Do You Suck the Heads?

Easter is crawfish-boil time in Louisiana.

Heading there this weekend via the Donaldsonville bridge from I-10. any places to eat at on the way or in the Atchafalaya Basin itself? any other tips?

His tel. no. is 225-667-3533. He owns his own crawfish ponds in the upper Atchafalaya basin, as well as a bunch near Mansura, so I know that he has crawfish. He will also do tents, tables, chairs, etc. if needed.

The original Mulates in Breaux Bridge. There are also some great spots for boudin when you pass through the Atchafalaya Basin.

Don’t believe the hype about the crawfish. By the end of April, crawfish should be plentiful. I spoke to a vendor/caterer who owns his own ponds in the upper Atchafalaya basin area and he says the year will be great for...

: some folks in southeast Acadiana (basically, the part east of the atchafalaya basin) make etouffee de macaroni, a crawfish or shrimp dish that’s served over pasta rather than rice. It often incorporates olives, too....

, but little/no taste difference there) supports lots of folks in southern LA. Crawfish are an important secondary crop to LA’s rice farmers, as well as part of a seasonal economic base of traditional fisherman in the...

is pretty good, it has a great view of the Atchafalaya basin, and they serve alligator shaped french fries hehehe! http://patsfishermanswharf.com/

enjoyed this dish immensely. With J Phelps, “Le Mistral”, California, 2003. Fleur de Teche Cheese Flan – Pearl onion-quince jam, Atchafalaya Basin honeycomb and toasted pecan bread ~ I don’t like flan, but...

them all the more appealing to me. Any other local specialties are of interest. Don’t mind poking around in the Atchafalaya basin or other outlying areas, and dives and shacks are perfectly fine. The more local character,...

never called them “filé gumbo,” - just duck gumbo, gumbo z’herbes, turkey gumbo, etc. BTW, it’s maque choux. Funny spelling. The dish probably has its roots with the Choctaw Indians in the Atchafalaya Basin...

and also Indians in the Atchafalaya Basin. The early Spanish explorers in the region didn’t settle there. The Spanish did possess the city of New Orleans at some point and left an imprint but it is no greater than that of...

differed from upland groups who hunted and gathered or those who had primitive agriculture. They would have been very different from the Indians in the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana where I grew up or the mound builders in the...

in the colonies. Cajun food is a combination of the foodways brought by the French who came to Louisiana via Canada, influenced by Germans who had arrived decades before them, the Spanish who settled South of New Orleans, the...