I remember my first time. I had never done anything like this before. Oh sure I had eaten clams, mussels, oysters on the halfshell, lobster, stone crab claws, king crab legs, crab boils and all sorts of soft shell preparations, but never crayfish. I had hunted them in creeks and streams as a boy, but never eaten them. So out with a group of chef friends we order them, not the frozen, then thawed inferior Chinese crap, but the high quality fresh crawdaddies from Louisiana. I remember the anticipation as the waitress places the large platter in front of us. "How do you eat these things I ask?"...I had eaten prawns with shell and head on, but this was different. With a smile she said "well honey you just twist and suck", I blushed and was stunned. I regained my composure and said "show me". She picked up a crayfish and deftly twisted the head off and sucked out the rich goodness from inside the head section and then twisted off the tail, gave it a twist and extracted the sweet crawfish meat in one move, ate it, licked her lips and said "that's all there is to it, twist and suck." I was awestruck as she walked away while my friends howled in laughter at my expense. I learned a valuable lesson that day and enjoy these little crustaceans more than shrimp, prized for their sweetness. Go to the fish market and get a mess of crawdads, some cajun seasoning, corn on the cob, redskin potatoes a big pot, some ice cold beer and gather your friends for a crayfish boil. When the greenhorns in the group ask how to eat these things just tell them twist and suck!....Until next time..
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