Almost Mudbug Season

Spring is not yet in the air.  But another season is almost here.  Its getting close.  The ice and snowy part of winter are about done. Its almost that time of the yearwhen those mud bugs start popping out of the ground!  Its an annual ritual in my neck of the woods.  You do all the preparation:  get out the burner, the big ole boiling pot, and make sure you have plenty of gas.

These critters go by several names:  Crawfish, Crayfish, Crawdads, and Mud bugs. They are typically  sold by the pound in 30-45 pound sacks.  The name "mud bugs" comes from their habitat.  They are harvested from ponds in which they have burrowed into the mud during the winter season.  When you get them home, the first thing you gotta do is rinse off as much of the mud as you can.  Next comes the purging:

 

You dump the bugs into an ice chest or wash pan, and fill it up with water, adding table salt as you go.  The salt is supposed to make the bugs "purge" themselves of all the fun stuff inside.  You then cull out all the dead ones, if you aren't in too big of a hurry.

 

 

While the bugs are purging, you load up the pot with all the seasonings for the cooking and add the taters, then the corn, onions, garlic, mushrooms and sausage.  Some folks add other veggies into the mix.  All of these extras tend to soak up all of the flavors that are in the pot, and they will light up those first time rookies once the cayenne pepper hits them.  Once these are done, they are poured into an ice chest to keep them nice and hot.

 

 

Next comes the bugs.  They are added to the drop in basket and then are slowly lowered into the boiling mix.  If you listen real careful, you can hear them yelling "hot, hot, hot!"

 

It doesn't take too long before they turn bright red in color.  After they have boiled a bit, the gas is turned off and they sit for a spell to soak up all of the seasonings that are in the pot.  Some will add a bag of ice to slow down the cooking to keep them from getting mushy.

Once they are done the feast begins!

Here is a sample of what good eating is all about.  Corn, taters, mushrooms, and mud bugs.  Served hot, and washed down with your favorite adult beverage.

 

The table usually gets covered with old newspaper, and the mud bugs get poured out on the table.  The extras are added, sleeves are rolled up and the fun begins!  You pinch off the tails and suck a few heads.  Some are even big enough to get a little claw meat.

 

 

 

This is a typical mud bug feast in our hood known as the "Cliffview Porch Club".  You grab a spot at the table, dig in, and eat till you have had your fill.  By the time you are done, you can't feel your lips or mouth because of all the pepper you have consumed.                                                                         

 

After its all done, the remaining bugs are stripped of their tail meat.  Corn is cut off for re-frying and the taters are made into tater salad.  The tails end up in a number of Cajun delights.

 

All the trash goes into the can for the garbage pickup during the week.  If the weather is hot, the trash can gets to cooking.  On occasion, we have smelled it four houses away!

 

For those of you that have never tried'm, you are truly missing out on a treat.