softshell crawfish

Cajun Grocers?

Louisiana lagniappe has them as an appetizer. I had no idea such a thing existed. I thought it was a typo on the menu. We didn't order it so I still don't know much about them.

Crawfish shed their shells just like crabs and all other crustaceans. So you just need a holding tank and some means to aerate and control water quality, and some crawfish fixing to shed. Add time, and you'll have soft shell crawfish. Here's a link to a soft shell crawfish producer north of BR, which has some pics of their operation: LINK

Good to know they lasted. They must have been really fresh. Love them.

Soooo part of my Masters work at LSU included soft shell crawfish. And it turns out if you cut their eyes off, it triggers the molten process and makes them shed their hard shell very quickly, where you can have them year round. Mass production would be very labor intensive, and not cost effective. You could set up a small re-circulation system in your backyard and have plenty. I had some in Florida a couple of years ago as an app. I believe it was 6 for 18.99 or something ridiculous.

We used to take a little buttermilk batter, light flour, deep fried and a slight honey drizzle on top when they come out the fryer. Man, I am drooling thinking about em.

At one time there was a guy on old jefferson, past azela lakes (headed south), before you hit bayou manchac on the left, that sold them.

Years ago a booth had them at taste of tiger tailgating(before it went to shite). I probably ate my tickets worth in soft shell crawfish that night!

I know a guide on the white River in Arkie who uses them to catch big brown trout..he catches them in ditches and creeks and sorts through them to find the soft shell ones. Brown trout will search for them as they can smell them he claims. We caught a couple of ten pounders but he has caught bigger ones.

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BIG Texan

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I lived in Mt. Home for five years (worked for Baxter).

We would put in the White just above Gaston's and float to Cotter. We would take raw crawfish tails, peel them, bait our hooks with the meat and float them down river ahead of us in a Styrofoam cup. When the cup would go over a hole we'd give the line a twitch and dump the tail into the water. It would sink and hopefully attract the attention of a big brown or maybe a rainbow. Caught a 14 pound brown that way at blue hole. Record on the white is 40 pounds four ounces I think. One that big doesn't even look all that much like a trout. The big ones hardly ever leave the deep holes and are very difficult to catch. You can float over the holes and sometimes see then suspended deep in the river.

Good memories.


Gastons - the place to start your quest for a big big trout

If your pilot skills include grass strip landing, you can land at Gaston's and taxi right up to the check in desk at the resort. Their tackle shop will rent or sell you all the gear you need to fly fish or use a rod and reel. Their guides will put you right on the fish if that is what it takes for you to catch one. The guides run the boats and all you do is sit in a canvas director's chair and cast. I have seen the guides make the cast, hand the rod to the clown and then say, " NOt Yet Not Yet, NOW!" The fisher man would set the hook and "catch the fish". Then a day later, you get back into your plane and fly back out.

For the fishing skill challenged - the sporting life doesn't get a whole lot better.

Do soft shell crawfish require any "cleaning" the way crabs are prepared (cut off face, remove dead man, etc.?)