Cyclone Anaya’s is kickin’ it up a notch this spring and offering crawfish on its menu. The long-time Houston favorite chain isn't just boiling crawfish, it's bringing Tex-Mex spices to the boil at the Heights location at 1710 Durham and Interstate 10.
Chef Jason Gould told the
Houston Press about what sets the crawfish apart from other styles of crawfish boils in the city. “There are certain expectations when it comes to crawfish— everyone has an idea of what makes a good boil,” he said. As of late, a spicy, tangy Vietnamese-Cajun style has been kicking up a storm in restaurants all over town.
click to enlarge Chef Jason Gould's unique blend of Cajun and Mexican spices along with grilled corn makes for a delicious boil.
Photo by Cuc Lam
“We needed to find a middle ground, and stick with a flavor profile that represented us and still remained identifiable as a traditional crawfish boil,” said Gould.
The seasoning mix was created after chef Gould made notes about Zatarain’s and Louisiana Boil pre-made seasoning that are available in grocery stores. He put together ingredients to develop a special Cyclone Anaya’s blend. The boil mix relies heavily on the addition of cilantro, jalapeno and cumin to make a unique Tex-Mex stock.
During the summer, Cyclone offers a street-style
elote (grilled corn), so the idea was to “enhance the boil with the smokiness of our wood-burning flavors that come through our grilled corn,” said Gould.
Who knew that the addition of pre-grilled corn could bring another depth to crawfish? The boil is available every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from now through the end of April or at least as long as crawfish is still a good size and value.
click to enlarge Cyclone Anaya's is boiling crawfish at the Heights location on Durham from now through the end of April.
Photo by Cuc Lam
For those lazy crawfish lovers who want the flavor without all the pinching and sucking, Cyclone’s has added the crawfish enchilada plate ($15) to its regular menu. The plate comes with two deliciously fat enchiladas stuffed with six ounces of plump, hand-picked, fresh crawfish tails, and Mexican rice and beans. The enchiladas are generously ladled with an étouffée-like creamy, buttery sauce that's mildly spicy and packs a tremendous punch of Mexi-Cajun flavor.
Crawfish is available for a limited time only at Cyclone Anaya's 1710 Durham location. The crawfish boil is offered on Thursday and Friday, all day and during happy hour and on Saturday between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Enjoy happy hour specials: Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursday and Friday 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Check out all happy hour specials at
CycloneAnaya.com.