How to Catch, Clean and Eat Crawdads and Have Fun Doing It

Crawdads (aka crawfish or crayfish) are great fun in the acquiring, easy to prepare, and, as this crawdad hunter and gourmand says, “to die for” delicious.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bucket
• Willing Crawdad Catcher
• Cook-pot
• Drawn Butter or preferred cocktail sauce

1. 
   This crawdad hunter disdains nets or gigs as less than sportsmanlike.

   First of all you need a willing and fearless crawdad hunter with a sharp eye and a quick hand.
   
   Crawdads thrive in moving water.
   
   They can scamper into holes and crannies you may not even realize are there!
   
   And they possess two large and imposing claws, which they use defensively and with precision.

2. 
   Tiny crevices must not be a deterrent

   The crawdad hunter must be willing to plunge his or her hand into tiny crevices and vegetation.

3. 
   Allowing the crawdad to hang on is only fair.

   Above all, keep your prize, no matter the provocation to let go.
   
   ** Notice claws grasping tiny fingers.

4. 
   This bucket presently holds 72 hard-won crawdads.

   When the bucket is sufficiently filled, present to the chef.

5. 
   The cook must be a bit cold-hearted. This ‘dad is ready for the pot.

   Cooking the crawdads is the easy part. You need a large pot of boiling water. Drop (preferably live) crawdads in. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.

6. 
   Freshly prepared crawdads, drawn butter, and a no-frills area to clean and eat.

   The hunter is quite willing to clean his own catch. A dining area suitable for messy eating is a plus. Serve with drawn butter (This hunter’s preference, and you cannot beat it) or spicy cocktail sauce, if you prefer.
   
   **Another option is to cook them up in a gumbo.

7. The tails taste much like lobster. Some crawdad purists eat other parts, but we will not go into that here.
   
   **Okay, they suck the heads to get to the brains, I suppose.
   
   Fun to catch
   
   Easy to prepare
   
   Delicious to eat

Resources

• Encourage Your Budding Naturalist

[Alrady]

on 11/19/2009 Awesome article.. My best friend in younger days and I used to crawdad hunt in a local creek. It was fun. Such a great article. crawdads taste yummy - you are right.

[juliemcmurchie]

on 11/3/2009 We use to lure the crawdads out from the rocks with a bit of fish bait on a stick. Those claws are nasty and they hurt. Thanks for the great article.

[shellbeth]

on 11/2/2009 Makes we wish I lived down South! :)

[jenng]

on 11/1/2009 GREAT ARTICLE ON How to Catch, Clean and Eat Crawdads and Have Fun Doing It 5*

[alltrails]

on 10/1/2009 Terrific article. In Oklahoma, they dig holes in wet areas. If you dangle a string with a piece of bacon tied to it down the hole, the crawdad will latch onto it with his claw and you can pull him out. 5 stars - thanks!