If you've never eaten crawfish before, sitting in front of at a heaping pile of steaming freshly cooked mudbugs can be quite intimidating. Luckily, Brooks Bassler, the founder of BB’s Café, is here to teach you how to dig in. Be sure to watch Bassler's great explainer video above, but here's the gist of how to do it.
WHAT DO I DO WITH THESE THINGS?
BB: I always like to look for the biggest and best crawfish first, then you work your way down and get the small ones last.
OK, BUT HOW DO YOU EAT THEM?
BB: Right were the tail meets the body, you’re going to softly pinch and twist it off from the body.
DO YOU SUCK THE HEAD OR NAH?
BB: That’s where all the good messy flavor is.
(Note: Sucking the head is totally optional—it weirds out some people (aka ME!)—but there are a lot of great flavors and in the body/head.)
SO I (DID/DIDN’T) SUCK THE HEAD, AND I’M LEFT WITH THE TAIL, NOW WHAT?
BB: You want to peel the top shell off, and from there you’re going to pinch the very bottom of the tail and pull the meat. Pull it away and you’ve got a nice beautiful tail of crawfish meat.
THAT’S IT?
BB: That’s how you eat crawfish.