Keith Lusher 02.14.24
The most effective components 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 business 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 perfect. 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”. Nonetheless, 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 clarify, “For years I’ve experimented with other ways to maintain crawfish frozen till the offseason. I’ve lastly provide you with a strategy to take pleasure in hot-boiled crawfish through the late summer season and winter months when you’ll be able to’t discover them wherever,” 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 through the offseason.
All the process took the Cajun Vietnam Veteran 10 minutes and we have 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 have been frozen,” he mentioned. After making an attempt the crawfish I can actually say that the meat felt and tasted like that they had been boiled that day!