Once a year, they must die and we must eat them.

I know, I know. This post is a bit late. Between my day job and NOLA Eats, I’ve developed carpal tunnel, so I’ve been resting my right hand as much [...]]]>

Once a year, they must die and we must eat them.

I know, I know. This post is a bit late. Between my day job and NOLA Eats, I’ve developed carpal tunnel, so I’ve been resting my right hand as much as possible. Makes it a bit difficult to type. Anyway, let’s get back to the update, shall we?

So, Crawfish Boil 2010. What a tasty massacre that was. We had a great turnout at our hosts’, Lindsay and Keith, home. We bought the crawfish live from Big Fisherman Seafood on Magazine Street. Since most of the fun was had in eating, I will skip right to the pictures.

Lindsay had made some marvelous ice creams for us to taste. I don’t think anyone had fewer than two servings. My favorites were the lavender and the basil with strawberry lemon sauce. Yes, they were as scrumptious as they sound. As I’ve written before, Lindsay has a blog with all of her frozen creations, so be sure to check it out at ScoopAdventures.com.

P.S. – Please bear with me while I test several gallery plug-ins for the site. If anyone has recommendations for a simple plug-in that allows me to create multiple galleries within one post, I will love you for life.

Yes, details were finalized a bit late, but hey, I can only work on so many things at once. One of the perks of being a regular NOLA Eats supporter is you get first dibs on event availabilities. Thanks to those who have already sent their RSVP [...]]]>

Yes, details were finalized a bit late, but hey, I can only work on so many things at once. One of the perks of being a regular NOLA Eats supporter is you get first dibs on event availabilities. Thanks to those who have already sent their RSVP and payment! For those who would like to join in, I am maxing this event out at 30 guests, so get your RSVP in ASAP.

Your $15 gets you hot, boiled crawfish with the fixings, such as corn and potatoes. It also covers the cost of paper products, boil ingredients and extras, like cups, napkins, sodas and seasonings. If you are a vegetarian, but would still like to mingle, feel free to bring your own dish. This event is BYOB, and if you would like to bring any sides or snacks to share, be my guest. Our gracious hosts for this year’s party are Lindsay of ScoopAdventures and her husband Keith, so once I receive payment, you will receive the address to the private location in the Irish Channel. They have a lovely back yard, so we will be very comfortable with the accommodations, unlike a public space (won’t miss those hot, stinky bathrooms!).

Payments can be sent to me via PayPal at NOLA.Eats@gmail.com. When you send the payment, please include your name and how you heard about the event. I will use that email address to send you the location details, so if you don’t check that account, please make certain to include an alternative method for me to reach you. I’ve got a handy event widget over to the right of my website you can use to instantly add the event to your Google Calendar, if you like.

Disclaimer: For those new to NOLA Eats events, I don’t make money from them. It’s usually quite the contrary. I do it because, for six years, I’ve been able to spend time with people I’ve grown to adore. I budget carefully for events when asking for pre-payments, so if there’s anything left over after buying boil necessities, I would be happy to split and refund the difference. I truly work to make the cost as low as possible for my guests to make events more appealing. Unfortunately, if you RSVP for the crawfish boil and are unable to attend or change your mind, I will be unable to refund your money after I have ordered the crawfish. Any refunds made prior to the ordering will be minus fees as set by PayPal.

A stand-out suggestion [...]]]> Despite the fact that the season has yet to begin, I have been plagued with major crawfish cravings. I consulted the NOLA Twitter population for recommendations of seafood restaurants that offer dine-in service. I amassed quite the list of restaurants that I will soon be hard at work scratching off one by one.

A stand-out suggestion came from Chef Mary Sonnier, who stated that she enjoyed the offerings from Smitty’s Seafood in Kenner. Since I don’t make it out to that area too often, I decided to try them out for myself. Knowing that crawfish aren’t at their best right now, I knew that the price per pound would be steep and there was a high probability of being disappointed. I opted for a starter of their seafood gumbo and just three pounds of crawfish.

I am an odd one when it comes to gumbo. I don’t care for sausage, chicken or turkey variations. I prefer a simple seafood recipe that’s easy on the oysters. This cup from Smitty’s was very tasty and did the job of satiating my cravings for a good gumbo. The roux lacked a bit of depth, but was still quite flavorful. The oyster meat, minced and mostly undetectable, added what I thought would be a sufficient amount of its essential flavoring. While I do not like oysters (Yes, I know. Blasphemy.), I don’t think you can make a good seafood gumbo without them.

My daughter ordered a simple ham and cheddar po-boy with a side of baked macaroni. The quality of the ham was better than she and I anticipated and was deemed “yummy”. She also noted that the bread was chewier than she liked, but since I didn’t try the bread, I couldn’t agree or disagree on the matter. The baked macaroni came out in a brick that could easily feed three people. We all sort of stared at it for a few seconds, taken aback by its enormity. I prefer a creamier baked macaroni, but for those who like this home-style variation, it’s a pleaser.

Alright, now let’s get down to business. As I said before, I only ordered three pounds of crawfish. Had I not ordered the gumbo, I would have ordered five.  The price per pound is definitely steep this early in the year. At the time of my visit I paid $4.99 per pound. When my tray arrived, I noted that most were intact, of a reasonable size and very few had hard shells. We were already off to a good start!

The seasoning is exactly how I like it; I wasn’t crying in pain, but I wasn’t reaching for the hot sauce, either. The levels of spiciness, saltiness and lemon were well-balanced and even throughout the batch. At another restaurant, I was once served a tray that tasted like it was made from two different pots and weren’t even close to being similar in flavor. Not at Smitty’s. Their crawfish is also very clean. All boiled sides, such as potatoes, mushrooms and heads of garlic, can be ordered at an additional cost. My potatoes came six to an order, I believe, but by the time I decided to get them, I certainly could have done without. I did it in the name of science, I tell ya.

My experience at Smitty’s was a pleasant one, so I thank Chef Mary for the recommendation. I will definitely return in a few weeks when the crawfish are in their prime and the price is more reasonable.