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Crawfish - live, fresh or frozen

Crawfish - live, fresh or frozen
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  • Crawfish - live, fresh or frozen

    Post #1 - May 12th, 2005, 7:44 am
    Post #1 - May 12th, 2005, 7:44 am Post #1 - May 12th, 2005, 7:44 am
    Does anyone know a good place to get live crawfish?

    I am looking to surprise Mr. BuddyRock with an early Father's Day treat. Last year I had the little buggers overnighted from LA but I'd prefer to go local if possible?

    Thanks in advance
  • Post #2 - May 12th, 2005, 9:20 am
    Post #2 - May 12th, 2005, 9:20 am Post #2 - May 12th, 2005, 9:20 am
    I'd give Dirk's a call. If they don't have it they can get it. I see crayfish listed on their "fresh with one week's notice" list.

    Dirk's Fish
    2070 N. Clybourn
    Chicago 60614
    773-404-3475
    http://www.dirksfish.com
    Objects in mirror appear to be losing.
  • Post #3 - May 12th, 2005, 10:08 am
    Post #3 - May 12th, 2005, 10:08 am Post #3 - May 12th, 2005, 10:08 am
    I would try Supreme Lobster in Villa Park. Ordering direct from LA might save you some money since that's most likely how any purveyor in this area is going to receive them. You might as well cut out the middle man. the only issue I've ever ran into is getting to the airport to pick them up.

    Flip
    "Beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to be Happy"
    -Ben Franklin-
  • Post #4 - May 12th, 2005, 12:56 pm
    Post #4 - May 12th, 2005, 12:56 pm Post #4 - May 12th, 2005, 12:56 pm
    Wikstrom's Delikatessen in Andersonville used to have them, you might call.

    FWIW, a few years ago I read that Wisconsin was the nation's second largest producer of crawfish, you might do a little sleuthing that way. I used to buy them regularly when I spent a fair amount of time in the state, always reasonably priced.
  • Post #5 - May 12th, 2005, 4:11 pm
    Post #5 - May 12th, 2005, 4:11 pm Post #5 - May 12th, 2005, 4:11 pm
    Have you checked out live bait stores. Crawfish are often used as fis bait, for which they need to be alive. Whether you want to eat ones sold for bait is up to you.
  • Post #6 - May 12th, 2005, 6:56 pm
    Post #6 - May 12th, 2005, 6:56 pm Post #6 - May 12th, 2005, 6:56 pm
    re: crawfish as bait. In reading about crawfish to order from LA, it is frequently mentioned (I presume as a sign of quality) that the crawfish are purged.

    By the way, just went to a celebration hosted by a NOLA native on Sunday which featured seafood flown in from LA, including a huge mound of crawfish. Learned that the dark ones are older. They definitely taste different--go for the younger ones, although the older ones aren't bad, per se, just kind of gamy.

    Had for the first time in many years fresh, never frozen, head on shrimp and was reminded at how amazingly different they are. My tablemates (except the host from NOLA) were surprised to see me eating them shell and all.
  • Post #7 - May 12th, 2005, 7:53 pm
    Post #7 - May 12th, 2005, 7:53 pm Post #7 - May 12th, 2005, 7:53 pm
    I get crawfish every summer at our place in Northern Wisconsin. Apparently, the "rusty crayfish" was introduced to the lake as bait, and they took over and dominated the local natural species. So any efforts to remove a few of them are appreciated by the DNR. They're easy to catch with a crawfiish trap, which every hardware store has there, and I usually come home with a pound or two of the little "lake lobsters".

    As ekreider notes, if you're catching them, you need to let them sit in the water - away from their food - for a day or so, to let them purge their intestines.
    Last edited by nr706 on April 12th, 2014, 12:15 am, edited 3 times in total.
  • Post #8 - May 12th, 2005, 9:01 pm
    Post #8 - May 12th, 2005, 9:01 pm Post #8 - May 12th, 2005, 9:01 pm
    Some of their diet isn't necessarily the freshest. You don't want to eat them when the intestinal tract is full. It can be a little more than shrimps' veins.
  • Post #9 - May 12th, 2005, 11:33 pm
    Post #9 - May 12th, 2005, 11:33 pm Post #9 - May 12th, 2005, 11:33 pm
    at the risk of advertizing,

    dirks can get them on a weeks notice. they are usually available from LA or Oregon. price is typically 8-10$/lb.
  • Post #10 - May 13th, 2005, 8:10 am
    Post #10 - May 13th, 2005, 8:10 am Post #10 - May 13th, 2005, 8:10 am
    SushiGaijin wrote:at the risk of advertizing,

    dirks can get them on a weeks notice. they are usually available from LA or Oregon. price is typically 8-10$/lb.


    SushiGaijin,

    While we don't encourage wanton self-promotion here, we also don't take the hardest of hard-line stances against mentioning businesses with which you have some affiliation. But if you do so, please make that affiliation explicit.

    You very well may have done this elsewhere on the board, but for those who may have missed it, do you mind explaining your connection to Dirk's?

    Thanks,

    Aaron
  • Post #11 - May 13th, 2005, 5:00 pm
    Post #11 - May 13th, 2005, 5:00 pm Post #11 - May 13th, 2005, 5:00 pm
    Just an FYI, my buddy purges with running water. You need to make sure you have running water or a good aerator, otherwise you have a huge tub of $8-10/lb garbage.

    pd
    Unchain your lunch money!
  • Post #12 - May 14th, 2005, 1:47 am
    Post #12 - May 14th, 2005, 1:47 am Post #12 - May 14th, 2005, 1:47 am
    i'd be glad to make my relationship with dirk's explicitly known. i am the manager. i do make the same amount of money regardless of who buys crayfish, and they are a small drop in a big bucket anyway. it is impossible for me to hide my job, since MAG and Gwiv both know me. having said that, i would rather build trust here using (one of my) jobs as a credential rather than using it as my identity. availability of products is provided FYI only, especially since its not my business. FYI i also cook on the line at Volo, and cater private sushi parties/classes.

    Erik.
  • Post #13 - May 14th, 2005, 6:56 am
    Post #13 - May 14th, 2005, 6:56 am Post #13 - May 14th, 2005, 6:56 am
    SushiGaijin wrote: i would rather build trust here using (one of my) jobs as a credential rather than using it as my identity.

    Erik,

    Understandable, though Aaron is absolutely correct. If you reference Dirk's it behooves you to mention you have a professional affiliation with Dirk's.

    LTHForum Posting Guidelines

    SushiGaijin wrote:i am the manager. i do make the same amount of money regardless of who buys crayfish, and they are a small drop in a big bucket anyway.

    Neither Aaron, MAG, me or anyone else suspects you are trying to up Dirk's weekly gross with a couple of lbs. of crawfish. The crawfish info was both relevant and timely, but if you work at a store, and are talking about the place, you (and by you I mean everyone who participates on LTHForum) should mention that fact.

    Speaking of Dirk's weekly gross, Steve Z and I were discussing the Valentine's Day meals we cooked for our wives. I did Homaro Homard the 5.5 LB Lobster and Steve two gigantic Australian lobster tails, both purchased at Dirk's. We both realized, simultaneously in the conversation, by the time we added up lobster, wine etc., we could have gone to Blackbird for dinner and had money left over. Ok, we knew that from the start, but we were enjoying grousing about the price of lobster. :)

    SushiGaijin wrote:it is impossible for me to hide my job, since MAG and Gwiv both know me.

    I'd think having blue hair, and not of the type found in Miami Beach, it'd be impossible to hide just about anywhere. :)

    By the way, I've, since your knife sharpening tutorial, just about managed to get a good edge on my newish Korin carbon steel chef's knife.

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #14 - May 14th, 2005, 10:29 am
    Post #14 - May 14th, 2005, 10:29 am Post #14 - May 14th, 2005, 10:29 am
    Slightly OT, but the Wall Street Journal's Weekend edition featured an article on mail order sources of crawfish about two Fridays ago.
    Last edited by jlawrence01 on May 15th, 2005, 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #15 - May 15th, 2005, 1:46 pm
    Post #15 - May 15th, 2005, 1:46 pm Post #15 - May 15th, 2005, 1:46 pm
    Hey -

    Can you pass on the word at Volo to whoever is in charge of salt - the Escarole and white beans could use a little less of it? I'm leery of letting folks know we are mildly displeased with a dish, as in a lot of places they then feel obligated to comp, and I didn't want to have them do that.

    It was otherwise quite good (as was the rest of the food, wine and service - though we were ready to smack the parent at the next table who kept shouting "Rosso De Montalcino!!!" at his toddler. The kid was quite well behaved, the dad was a doofus ;)

    Thanks!
    Leek

    SAVING ONE DOG may not change the world,
    but it CHANGES THE WORLD for that one dog.
    American Brittany Rescue always needs foster homes. Please think about helping that one dog. http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org
  • Post #16 - May 26th, 2005, 11:07 am
    Post #16 - May 26th, 2005, 11:07 am Post #16 - May 26th, 2005, 11:07 am
    I order crawfish and live shrimp every year from www.cajuncrawfish.com and have been very happy with the quality of their products. The crawfish are farm raised.

    www.cajuncrawfish.com

    Shirley
    Hammer
  • Post #17 - May 26th, 2005, 2:42 pm
    Post #17 - May 26th, 2005, 2:42 pm Post #17 - May 26th, 2005, 2:42 pm
    NR706,

    Do you have a comparison between the Rusty Reds of Northern Wisconsin and the Long Claw Reds of Louisiana?

    I could only find one online dealer in Wisconsin and they wanted $2.50/pound, shipped. Hammer's preferred vendor is about $3, shipped.

    pd
    Unchain your lunch money!
  • Post #18 - May 26th, 2005, 3:56 pm
    Post #18 - May 26th, 2005, 3:56 pm Post #18 - May 26th, 2005, 3:56 pm
    G Wiv wrote:We both realized, simultaneously in the conversation, by the time we added up lobster, wine etc., we could have gone to Blackbird for dinner and had money left over. Ok, we knew that from the start, but we were enjoying grousing about the price of lobster. :)


    Sorry I'm late on the draw on this, G wiv, but I have found the live lobsters at Chinatown Market to be the freshest, fiestiest, tastiest, and cheapest by the pound available in Chicago. You'll find no Homaro there, granted, but I have never been disappointed with what I've found there.

    Non mandarin speakers like me may need to elist the services of one of the women working at the checkout to relay any instructions more complicated than just pointing at the lobster tank and holding up fingers for the number of beasts desired. Size, for example, or sex. The seafood man always holds each lobster up for brief inspection and approval before throwing it on the scale. How I love Chinatown.

    Kristen
  • Post #19 - May 26th, 2005, 4:17 pm
    Post #19 - May 26th, 2005, 4:17 pm Post #19 - May 26th, 2005, 4:17 pm
    pdaane wrote:NR706,
    Do you have a comparison between the Rusty Reds of Northern Wisconsin and the Long Claw Reds of Louisiana?
    I could only find one online dealer in Wisconsin and they wanted $2.50/pound, shipped. Hammer's preferred vendor is about $3, shipped.

    pd


    I don't know anything specific about the Louisiana strain; I've gotten frozen crayfish at Marketplace on Oakton (Skokie) for $1.99/lb, IIRC. The rusty crayfish I catch are a little smaller than the ones I've seen at Marketplace, but that may be a function of my technique (I've learned that putting out the traps a little deeper yields bigger crayfish). Physically, other than the size, there's not much difference, although the Rustys do have the characteristic brown spot on each side of the carapace. And their flavor is maybe a little more concentrated. Plus, you can throw 3-4 ounces of nearly rotten meat into a couple of crayfish traps, and 8 - 10 hours or so later you've got 30 - 40 crayfish.
  • Post #20 - June 8th, 2005, 3:12 pm
    Post #20 - June 8th, 2005, 3:12 pm Post #20 - June 8th, 2005, 3:12 pm
    Food Harbor
    1421 W. Lake St.
    Addison, IL 60101-1870
    (630) 629-1700

    Call first to make sure.
  • Post #21 - July 31st, 2005, 11:50 pm
    Post #21 - July 31st, 2005, 11:50 pm Post #21 - July 31st, 2005, 11:50 pm
    Here's the best way to get fresh (or otherwise) crayfish/crawfish/crawdads/lake lobsters:

    1) Start with a basic crawfish trap. Throw in some leftover/rotten meat (crawfish don't have particularly discerning palates) after dinner. It should look like this:
    Image

    2) Toss it out into the lake. In the morning, pull it in. Empty crawfish into a large bait bucket (with lake water flowing through ... gives them time to purge themselves). Here's one night's haul:
    Image
    (You can see a ham bone picked clean in the lower center of the pic.)

    Now, if you can aerate a water container, you can bring 'em home alive.

    Or, as I do:

    3) Pet/caress the crawfish so they'll feel comfortable before being plunged to their death in boiling salted water, after which they'll be chilled and frozen - much easier to transport the 6 1/2 hours from Vilas County, WI):
    Image

    4) After boiling (and before freezing) you have a mess o' crawdads (and just as there are flocks of geese and pods of whales, I believe the correct term is a mess o' crawdads).
    Image

    Of course, there's a much less efficient - but far more entertaining - way to get live crayfish, especially if you're 8 years old.
    Image
  • Post #22 - April 25th, 2008, 2:17 pm
    Post #22 - April 25th, 2008, 2:17 pm Post #22 - April 25th, 2008, 2:17 pm
    Since crawfish should be in full season now, any suggestion where I can get live and cheap crawfish near the NW suburb area?

    Thanks,

    Nghe
  • Post #23 - April 25th, 2008, 2:35 pm
    Post #23 - April 25th, 2008, 2:35 pm Post #23 - April 25th, 2008, 2:35 pm
    I have looked all over and cannot find fresh either. Just the forzen stuff at whole foods and Jewel. They may think us northerners don't like the suckheads
    Dave

    Bourbon, The United States of America's OFFICIAL Spirit.
  • Post #24 - April 25th, 2008, 2:40 pm
    Post #24 - April 25th, 2008, 2:40 pm Post #24 - April 25th, 2008, 2:40 pm
    probably the best bet is to get some shipped in. Not cheap, but probably the best alternative. I know some folks who have used these guys for live crawfish, crab, gator, and frogs legs

    www.crawdads.net

    good luck
  • Post #25 - April 25th, 2008, 2:50 pm
    Post #25 - April 25th, 2008, 2:50 pm Post #25 - April 25th, 2008, 2:50 pm
    Crayfish are considered a non-native pest in many lakes in Wisconsin, but they're easy to catch with the right trap. I usually get several pounds every summer, basically for free. You might be interested in this thread.
  • Post #26 - April 28th, 2008, 10:37 pm
    Post #26 - April 28th, 2008, 10:37 pm Post #26 - April 28th, 2008, 10:37 pm
    You can occasionally find crawfish on the weekends at Chinatown Market. Dear spouse bought 6 lbs of crawfish at Chinatown Market this past weekend. Boiled them with Louisiana style crawfish boil spice blend. Yum! :D
  • Post #27 - May 4th, 2008, 7:05 am
    Post #27 - May 4th, 2008, 7:05 am Post #27 - May 4th, 2008, 7:05 am
    Be aware most frozen crawfish comes from China.-Dick
  • Post #28 - May 6th, 2008, 10:17 pm
    Post #28 - May 6th, 2008, 10:17 pm Post #28 - May 6th, 2008, 10:17 pm
    I was in New Orleans last weekend and my friend hosted a crawfish boil. He also had a 1/4 barrel of Abita Jockamo IPA, which I decided I quite like.

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image
    Joe G.

    "Whatever may be wrong with the world, at least it has some good things to eat." -- Cowboy Jack Clement
  • Post #29 - May 6th, 2008, 10:33 pm
    Post #29 - May 6th, 2008, 10:33 pm Post #29 - May 6th, 2008, 10:33 pm
    Is this a brussel sprout?!?!?
    Image
  • Post #30 - May 9th, 2008, 9:09 am
    Post #30 - May 9th, 2008, 9:09 am Post #30 - May 9th, 2008, 9:09 am
    Jay K wrote:Is this a brussel sprout?!?!?

    Looks like it, doesn't it? I think those came in a batch after I had pretty much eaten my fill, so I don't recall seeing the sprouts up close. They made some mods to the boil each round, I think.
    Joe G.

    "Whatever may be wrong with the world, at least it has some good things to eat." -- Cowboy Jack Clement

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