I grew up in East Texas in a predominantly Cajun family, so crawfish season always makes me nostalgic for the days of sitting in the back seat of my dad's truck with a wiggling 20 pound burlap sack of mudbugs. At first, I was horrified for being responsible for sending countless crawdads to their delicious ends, but I soon got over it.
Sometimes, sacrifice is necessary.
As the 2011 season begins, crawfish fans and sellers have been a bit worried about the quality of the mudbugs this year. Jon Alexis, president of TJ's Fresh Seafood Market and Catering, says recent winter storms have had a noticeable effect on the supply so far.
"Crawfish hate cold weather," he says, "so the crawfish farmers just aren't getting the catch they want."
Knowing that last year's season wasn't too hot either, I made a few calls to my favorite cajun spots to see what's up. As you might expect, a short supply and rising fuel costs have driven prices up so far this season, though things might look up in the months ahead.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Dallas Observer.