I used to host crawfish boils and cook the critters myself -- that is, until my garage started to smell like Galveston at its worst and then stayed that way for the next three months. I gave up and got my seasonal crawfish fix elsewhere, but that isn't cheap.

With crawfish season entering its last phase, my friendly neighbors decided to throw a block party with a community crawfish boil. But who was going to take on the dirty work and volunteer for kitchen duty?

Not me and, apparently, nobody else either. While cricket chirps were bad news, this time, with the help of The Crawfish Catering Company--a culinary business that does exactly what its name says--the cooking part was taken care of; all we had to do was show up, peel, grub and have a good time.

The crawfish wasn't too spicy, so you could eat your fair share without dribbling snot all over the place, and there were hints of ginger in the marinade--something different from the sweet or garlicky flavors of most other crawfish. It wasn't the very best I've had (I'm still partial to Boiling Crab, although rumor has it there's new competition on the crawfish scene--stay tuned for a future post), but not having a fly-infested garage and made the catering worthwhile.

Pricing varies depending on delivery location and market costs, but you can fill out the contact form on their website to get a quick quote. For the last weekend in April, our neighborhood paid about $6 per pound for crawfish, potatoes, corn, and delivery. And if you've eaten at some of the tastier crawfish diners around town, you know that price is a bargain. So rip off that apron, wipe that brow, and call The Crawfish Company; throw a little Cajun shindig of your own before the season ends in a few weeks.