Freezing Crawfish for the Offseason

Among the best elements of being a journalist is having the ability to make fishing journeys with outdoorsmen who’ve a wealth of data from chasing a sure species of fish for many years.

Not too long ago, I had the chance to leap on board with somebody who has been a industrial fisherman all his life. CJ Mayeux of Pearl River, La invited me to tag alongside and find out how he catches crawfish within the swamp. On our journey, Mayeux shared the place he units his nets, what he makes use of for bait, and at what time the crawfish chunk the very best. However the spotlight of our journey got here once we returned to his dwelling. Mayeux requested me if I had a couple of minutes to take pleasure in some hot-boiled crawfish. Since I by no means flip down boiled crawfish, I answered with an excited, “Completely”. Nevertheless, I’ve to confess that didn’t fairly perceive how he deliberate on boiling the sack of crawfish that we caught that day in solely a few minutes. Mayeux walked into his workshop and opened up a freezer. He then walked away with two gallon-sized oyster containers and plopped them in a boiling pot that was already sitting on a burner.

Then Mayeux started to elucidate, “For years I’ve experimented with alternative ways to maintain crawfish frozen till the offseason. I’ve lastly provide you with a method to take pleasure in hot-boiled crawfish in the course of the late summer time and winter months when you may’t discover them anyplace,” Mayeux mentioned. Throughout crawfish season when Mayeux boils crawfish weekly, he takes the time to scoop out containers of boiled crawfish which he completely preserves by filling the container with the seasoned water from the boil. After sealing the container, he places it within the freezer to take pleasure in in the course of the offseason.

The complete process took the Cajun Vietnam Veteran 10 minutes and we had been consuming boiled crawfish. “After you fireplace up that burner it takes about 5 minutes to soften all of it down after which they’re prepared,” he mentioned. “Simply don’t let the water get again to a boil and also you’ll by no means know they had been frozen,” he mentioned. After making an attempt the crawfish I can actually say that the meat felt and tasted like they’d been boiled that day!

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award profitable outside journalist that resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outside column for the Slidell Impartial Newspaper. He additionally writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Fee’s VisitTheNorthshore.com. He’s the previous host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Present and is on the board of the Louisiana Outside Writers Affiliation. Keith contributes to quite a few publications each on-line and in print and prides himself on selling South Louisiana’s distinctive fishery. To contact Keith e mail: keithlusherjr@gmail.com