All right y'all! Crawfish season is in full effect once again. For last season, yours truly laid out varying methods, perspectives, and a firm list of dos and don'ts in the article, "
Houston We Have Crawfish. Here's What You Want to Do With It" Some of you read it and followed suit, and others didn't, but that's okay. This year, while keeping the article above in mind, we'll take a look at a certain dish from Ramen Tatsu-Ya.
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The Notorious C.A.T. welcomes Ramen Tatsu-Ya's guests
Photo by Doogie Roux
This place doesn't hold back when it comes to "collabs", fusions, and special combinations. Whether it's
joining forces with Truth BBQ or putting whole crawfish into spicy miso, Ramen Tatsu delivers while representing the eclectic, vibrant Houston food scene. For its 2019 edition of the seasonal “Crawmen,” the Montrose ramen shop cranked out a lighter version of the dish that has a nice range of tastes and textures.
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First steps in preparation of the "Crawmen"
Photo by Doogie Roux
The "Crawmen" boasts the flavors of the boil with fresh, peeled crawfish tails in a broth-less, or Mazemen style of ramen. Those tails, along with thick noodles, and Tsukemen tare are the foundation of the dish. The above is meant to be mixed with the toppings chashu (soy braised pork belly), fresh-pressed garlic, and kewpie mayo in the bowl. It's the very nature of the dish; “Maze” means to mix, and “men” refers to noodles.
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Final touches on the "Crawmen" dish
Photo by Doogie Roux
“In Tokyo, ramen shops love to get creative with their Mazemen toppings. With that same approach, we created what we think is the ultimate celebration of crawfish season. There’s spice, lots of garlic, and noodles – we hope Houstonians will love this rendition as much as the previous ones,” says Shion Aikawa, Director of Operations at the Tatsu-ya family of restaurants.
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What a deal!
Photo by Doogie Roux
The serving size is light compared to other bowls on the menu. You can finish a whole serving and make your next move without feeling too sluggish. Yours truly usually does two bowls. The dish has become so popular that the restaurant commemorates it with Crawmen t-shirts, which are available for purchase. Crawmen is available daily, but in limited quantities, for a limited time. Head over to Ramen Tatsu-Ya before the season is over.
