Robb Walsh confirmed that crawfish season goes into full swing after Easter. Well, it's past Easter, and we're ready for our mudbugs. Faint of heart, stop reading now. You just can't understand the undying love for these freshwater crustaceans. But if your heart starts beating faster just at the mention of crawfish season, this is for you.
We wait all year for crawfish season. The first invitation to a crawfish boil brings a smile to our face like a kid on Christmas. But, eating crawfish is much more primal than opening presents under the tree. We salivate as we quickly tear through a steamy pile of seafood, throwing the empty head to the side and pulling the small piece of spicy meat from the tail. Our hands get messy and covered with small cuts. Our lips swell with the spice. And, when we're done, we're ready for a shower. But, it's worth every bite.
This past weekend, we spent Saturday afternoon stuffing our faces with crawfish, steamed and fried, at Calliope's Po-Boy (2130 Jefferson Street). These aren't just any crawfish. Calliope's serves some of the largest crawfish we've seen this season. Spicy and tender, their steamed crawfish were a perfect appetizer for our fried crawfish po-boy, fully dressed with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and pickles.
Calliope's serves its fried crawfish and fixins on homemade French bread in traditional New Orleans fashion. We could barely get through a small, although we tried. Even after crawfish season is over, we will be back for Calliope's shrimp and oyster po-boys.