One of our new pickleball buddies, Steve, is from New Orleans originally and he's loud and proud about his roots. He played football for LSU way back in the day - 'nuff said.
Ray and I were invited to his 35th annual Crawfish Boil on Memorial Weekend. Wow - quite a fest. Friends, family, neighbors. There was a steady stream of people. It was a hot, steamy day - I felt like I was on the bayou. Mardi Gras type music played. There were chests of beads to adorn you.
Big pot was filled with boiling water, seasoning packets, a full big seasoning bottle of cayenne pepper, etc. Crawfish imported from Louisiana, potatoes, corn, andouille sausage, full garlic cloves, onions all went into the hot water and churned with a huge paddle. Finally, it was ladled onto a huge table covered in paper and everyone dug in.
Ray gamely peeled and ate. I was not enamored by the star of the show. However, the potato and corn were yummy and HOT! Whew, my mouth was on fire!
We enjoyed our time there from 1 to 4. As we left, another pot was boiling, and more folks streamed in. Those folks know how to party!
I'm not into peeling shrimp or crawdads either. That was some party though!
ReplyDeleteIt was fun. And plenty of other stuff to eat.
DeleteHi Joanne - oh my gosh ... I'd have loved that ... but I'd have wanted to be there for longer .. taking my time as the chat gathered! I envy those sorts of dinners - South Africa, Canada, USA - which I've never experienced ... one day perhaps. Looked like so much fun - ideal for Ray ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteYes you would have appreciated the whole scene. But after 4 hours we were hot! It was a very steamy day.
DeleteI love the dinner-dumped-on the table crawdads. The spice is daunting. It felt so primal to grab and eat like that. Thecontemplativecat here.
ReplyDeleteIt is a party atmosphere, for sure.
DeleteSounds like quite a party! I love shellfish of any sort...we Bengalis shell it partially before cooking which makes it easier to eat at the table...BUT that makes it vulnerable to overcooking and becoming chewy if you so much as look away for a second. Leaving the shell on means greater succulence and less super vigilance of the chef - they can join in the partying.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to be back here reading!
And I am glad you are back too. I’ll try to keep things interesting.
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