Best Crawfish FAQ
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Crayfish prices, grade/size, quality, availability and etc. will vary throughout the entire crayfish season dependent on demand, supply, locality, weather, other environmental conditions, local and governmental regulations and other factors. For the most accurate pricing and other crayfish related questions, please call a franchise store near you to find out more!
The “LA” in LA Crawfish is originally intended to be pronounced as “L-A”. But you can also pronounce the “LA” as “Lah”, “Louisiana”, or “Los Angeles”. We actually don’t mind as long as you keep coming back to us!
Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans that are basically miniature lobsters, ranging in size from 3.5 to 7 inches (including their outstretched claws). 400+ species are found worldwide, 250 of which are in North America, found in rivers, lakes, swamps, canals, wetlands, irrigation ditches, and even in some backyards. The most important farmed U.S. species is red swamp crayfish, found in southern Louisiana. Second is the white-river crayfish from northern Louisiana. Approximately 90% of the United States farmed and wild crayfish production comes from Louisiana, where crayfish are caught in the wild and farmed as a dual crop with rice. Crayfish are also farmed and harvested wild in other southern states and in the Pacific Northwest. In China, crayfish are cultivated in ponds with other fish and sea life. In California, fishermen trap coolwater crayfish in rivers that feed the Sacramento Delta. Fishermen in the Midwest trap the species in lakes. Limited amounts are farmed in Europe, Egypt and Spain. Crayfish meat is sweet similar to lobster meat but a bit more tender and not quite as rich. Softshell crayfish are those that have just completed the molting process. As with lobster, the meat perishes rapidly after death. Crayfish fat, sometimes called head fat, is yellow and contains most of the flavor. That’s why many crayfish fans suck the head in order to savor the flavors.
At LA Crawfish the average is about 3 lbs per person (whole cooked crayfish yields about 15% tail meat, therefore 3 lbs of whole cooked crayfish equals about 1/2 lb of tail meat). However, it is important to take your guests into consideration, crayfish fans may consume 5-6 lbs of perfectly cooked crayfish easily in one sitting!
Field run mix will typically be between 20 to 30. Keep in mind, if they’re running smaller, the count could be as high as 40, and if the crayfish are jumbo, you may find that 10 to 15 jumbo ones will make up a pound!
Each bag on average weighs between 28 to 35 lbs and is typically enough crayfish for 12 or less people, depending on how many other fixings you may have with your crayfish boil.
LA Crawfish is currently located all over Texas! Find one near you here: https://thelacrawfish.com/crawfish-pho-finder/
Crayfish is packed with high grade protein. A 5 oz serving of crayfish tail meat may contain close to 25 grams of protein. It is also low in fat and contain only trace amounts of carbohydrates. Crayfish is also high in B Vitamins and minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc and Phosphorous. A 3 oz serving of cooked crayfish contains about 70 calories and 14 grams of protein. Find the best crawfish at a LA Crawfish near you! Click here!
Crayfish season can run anywhere from Mid-December through August along the Gulf Coast, but weather conditions play a major factor. If winter is a cold one, the season will begin a little later. If it’s a dry year, the season ends a bit earlier. Generally speaking, peak months for the topmost quality Crayfish are usually March through May. Find the best crawfish at a LA Crawfish near you! Click here!
Step 1. Gently twist and pull the tail to separate it from the head.
Step 2. Suck on the opening of the head.
Step 3. Separate the tail exoskeleton by applying pressure with your thumbs on the first two lines of the tail underside right by the opening. After it cracks, push the sides outward in both directions to completely separate.
Step 4. Now you’re ready to extract the tail meat. Once you crack open the tail exoskeleton, pinch the back end of the tail, and gently pull out the meat from the other end with a twisting motion.
Step 5. Devein the tail. Remove it by pressing your thumb down on one side of the vein and pushing it along the meat until removed.
Step 6. The larger crayfish, in particular, will also have meat in the claws. Pull the lower claw down and away with a twisting motion to get at the meat inside.
Step 7. Eat and repeat! You’ll get better with practice! If you need additional help, ask one of our friendly LA Crawfish staff and we’ll be happy to demonstrate!
Yes, your LA Crawfish does offer franchising opportunities! Click here to learn more about the #1 best crawfish franchise!
Costs to franchise an LA Crawfish is low cost comparatively to other crayfish franchises available. Our store unit’s footprint is lean but at maximum efficiency, flexible to fit many 2nd generation restaurant spaces looking to convert, an original QSR based brand concept vs. other crayfish concepts which are all full service, and at a lower cost to start up. Find out more about our crayfish franchise, click here now!
Yes we do deliver! We’ve partnered exclusively with DoorDash to deliver to areas near each of our stores. Click here to find out if we can deliver our delicious food to you now!
Our boiled seafood items and fresh oysters are all gluten-free. Our Pho bowls (like the Crawfish Pho) and Awesome Garlic Noodles uses just rice noodles so they are free of gluten. All of our rice dishes (except the Gumbo) are also gluten-free. Our world famous crispy chicken wings are gluten-free too since we lightly batter them in potato starch. The Salt-toasted Shrimp, BBQ Crab, Chicken Bites and BBQ Shrimp are all gluten-free.
Our fried seafood baskets and po-boys does use a flour corn meal blend so they are NOT gluten-free. The Cheesy Crawfish Rolls, Crawfish Empanadas, and Beignets are also are NOT gluten-free.
We do use MSG in our recipes.
We do not at this time. Louisiana Crawfish Co. is a company we recommend for your LIVE crayfish shipping needs.
We source our fresh crayfish daily from Louisiana through our great wholesale partners.
Crayfish need to molt as they grow because their hard exoskeletons do not allow much room for expansion. Baby crayfish can molt on a daily basis but as they grow older, the regularity of molts decreases to a period of weeks or even months. The first few days after a molt, a crayfish’s skin is very soft and it is very vulnerable to handling, attacks from other animals and other crayfish.
You can contact each store directly at the store phone numbers listed on this page.
You can contact corporate customer service at the contact form here or call 1-833-LAC-RAWF (522-7293), Ext #0.
For Franchising opportunities or questions please contact us here or fill out the short franchising form here.
LA Crawfish started in the year 2011 at it’s original location at 1005 Blalock Rd, Inside 99 Ranch Market, Houston, Texas 77055. We did it for the love of the restaurant industry and our entrepreneurial passion. Nothing made us happier than watching our fans visit us daily with their family and friends, enjoying our great food and creating greater moments with our foodie family by their sides!
We’re always looking for great partners with a passion in the food industry to work and grow with us at each of our stores! Please feel free to contact the store(s) you are interested in directly here. You can also feel free to fill out the contact form here or call 1-833-LAC-RAWF (522-7293), Ext #0.
Crawfish is available almost all year round these days. For the best balance in size, availability, prices and quality, March, April and May would be the top 3 months to go out and grab a few pounds to try it at its peak!
Crawfish, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, mudbugs, or yabbies are all the same thing. Which term you use may depend much on where you reside. Louisianans most often say crawfish, whereas Northerners are more likely to say crayfish. People from the West Coast or Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas often use the term crawdad. In the Mississippi Delta, they call them mud bugs.
The bright yellow to orange crawfish “stuff” squeezed from the heads and sticking to the tail meat is not fat in the usual sense. It actually is an organ in the head called the hepatopancreas that functions much like the liver in other animals out there. Yes, you can most definitely eat it and don’t worry, crawfish actually are low in fat, saturated fat and trans fat.
When live, red swamp crawfish are red to nearly black in color; white-river crawfish are light to a darker shade of brown. All crawfish cook up bright red. Raw meat is grayish in color. Cooked meat should be a clean white.
Born and raised in Houston, Texas folks! Your LA Crawfish started back in 2010 in Houston, Texas at 1005 Blalock Rd, inside of 99 Ranch Market! Our original location is still rocking on at the Blalock Rd location. We are proud Texans and Houstonians both! Visit one of our stores in Houston or anywhere else in Texas for the best crawfish in Houston and all of Texas!