Crawfish Along the Byway
There is little that says “Louisiana” more than our food and few things that define our food more than crawfish. What crawfish lacks in size, they make up for in availability. Native Americans, Acadians, and Creoles of the past all took advantage of this naturally occurring protein for survival. Now, crawfish is still a major part of any Louisianian’s diet.
Rice fields are the perfect foil for crawfish ponds. The nutrient-rich and flooded environment is a haven for the freshwater crustacean. Acadia Parish is one of the top rice producers in the state, with tens of thousands of acres of rice farms. Crowley, as the parish’s seat, was once hailed as the Rice Capital of America and is the site of the Rice Festival, one of the oldest agricultural festivals in the state.
Kelly Hundley, Crowley native and lifelong crawfish farmer, hosts tours of his crawfish ponds and rice fields. The retired farmer also has an extensive collection of John Deere memorabilia and farm equipment that draws agriculture enthusiasts from across the country and even the world.
His wife Lynn is fluent in French and recalls a time when she had to be held back in school because she didn’t speak English. Now, the skill is invaluable to making connections with French visitors.
With the crawfish industry being as big as it is today, it’s hard to imagine that there was a time when it was not widely consumed. However, just as speaking French used to be seen as lower class, eating crawfish wasn’t always a statewide craze. It wasn’t until the start of Breaux Bridge’s Crawfish festival in the 1960s and the popularization of Cajun and Creole cultures in the 1970s that the tide began to turn in favor of crawfish.
During the 1980s, a massive crawfish farming boom happened. This was when Hundley began his crawfishing career that carried well into the 1990s. According to the farmer, if you are farming rice, it just makes sense to farm crawfish as well. These days you’d be hard-pressed to find a Louisiana-style restaurant with dishes that don’t include the protein.
Crawfish is more than something you order at a restaurant. Our iconic crawfish boils have always been a way for families to get together over good food and good company. A typical crawfish boil is measured in sacks that can range from 30 to 40 pounds each. There are some common threads that are popular throughout crawfish boils around the state, like including mushrooms, corn, onions, and potatoes in the boil. There are plenty of regional differences, as well including boiling eggs with the crawfish or adding sausage.
Here are some locations where you can purchase live crawfish, farmed locally, and try your hand at your own crawfish boil.
Live Crawfish
Crawfish Junction
o 5681 Interstate 49 South Service Rd, Opelousas
o (337) 942-7020
Alonso's Crawfish Shack
o 928 Saizan Ave, Port Barre
o (337) 585-1070
Cajun Crawfish Tails
o 1895 East Main Street, Ville Platte
o 337-363-2000
Central Crawfish
o 4435 Whiteville Rd., Ville Platte
o 337-363-1389
A&S Crawfish
o 6960 Chataignier Road, Eunice
o 337-885-5565
Crawfish Nest & Market
o 805 West 2nd Street, Crowley
o 337-783-9900
B& L Seafood
o 151 South Street, Mamou
o 337-468-3117
Sebastien's West End Seafood
o 1538 W Landry St, Opelousas
o (337) 407-0780
Crawfish Corner
o 529 S Union St, Opelousas
o (337) 407-2529
Crawfish Man
o 158 W Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Opelousas
o (337) 678-0946
Crawfish house
o 2004 W Landry St, Opelousas
o (337) 942-1175
Fresh Catch Seafood
o 6360 HWY 31 Lot B, Opelousas
o (337) 678-4445
Guillory Seafood Express
o 4916 I-49 Frontage Rd, Opelousas
o (337) 678-1807
Craving Crawfish Drive-thru Boiling House
o 5681 Interstate 49 South Service Rd, Opelousas
o Closed Sunday
If you’re not up to buying your crawfish live, there are plenty of opportunities to have someone else do the cooking for you. Here are some of our favorite restaurants where you can stop to get crawfish along the Zydeco Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway.
Seafood Restaurants
o 512 East MLK Drive, Grand Coteau
o 337-258-4970
o 1214 South Union Street, Opelousas
o 337-948-0049
o 603 East Landry Street, Opelousas
o 337-678-3032
o 29017 Crowley Eunice Highway, Eunice
o 337-457-8434
o 1789 Mayeauxville Road, Ville Platte
o 337-363-2322
Whatever your stance on crawfish, it is undeniable that the shellfish remains a staple of our food and culture.
