NEW ORLEANS — A Cajun food connoisseur stops slurping down his plate of freshly boiled crawfish to share a story about the miniature crustacean.
“Do you know how crawfish got to Louisiana?” he asks me.
“Well,” the ragin’ Cajun continues without pausing, “when my Acadian (French) ancestors were expelled from Nova Scotia by the British (in the mid-1700s), they loaded up their ships with lobsters and set sail south down the east coast.
“However, the journey was very long and by the time the Acadians, (now known as Cajuns) reached Louisiana, the lobsters had shrunk to this size,” beams my dining partner, who erupts in laughter while holding up a thumb-sized crawfish.
While his story may be hard to digest, most tourists who visit Louisiana find crawfish very digestible.
In fact, the tiny arthropod, which ranges between 7cm to 15cm in length, is one of the most sought after dishes by foreigners who visit this charming state shaped like a boot.

Above: Crawfish boils, that come with spices and corn, are one of the most popular dishes in Louisiana.

The lobster’s tiny cousin also goes by different names here — mudbugs, yabbies, mud puppies and crawdads.
“Just don’t call them crayfish! That’s what northerners call them,” fumes the proud southerner as his face turns as red as his plate of crawdads.
Crawfish farming is also one ofLouisiana’s main industries. The state’s 1,200 crawfish farms produce over 45 million kilograms annually, representing 85 per cent of all U.S. production.
They don’t last long, though. Louisianans eat, on average, 1.3kg of crawfish daily.
Crawfish connoisseurs prefer them boiled in exceptionally well-seasoned water with some added corn stalks, sausage, garlic and potatoes.
It takes about three minutes for the crawfish to cook and seconds to consume — only 15 per cent of the tiny delicacy is actually eatable.
They also appear in many of Louisiana’s other popular dishes, like gumbo, the official state dish.

Above: Louisiana is the largest producer if lobster's tiny cousin.

“Gumbo tastes best when crawfish is used instead of shrimp,” says the Cajun, who orders us another plate of the freshwater shellfish.
In the wild, he tells me, crawfish can live as long as 50 years. “But,” my friend laughs, “they never reach that age around here.”

• To learn more about Louisiana and New Orleans, go to https://www.louisianatravel.com/canada

TOP CRAWFISH SPOTS IN NEW ORLEANS

There are dozens of crawfish restaurants in the Mardi Gras city and vacinity. Here's a few we suggest you try out:

Schaefer Seafood: http://schaeferseafood.com/
There's no tables in this crawfish eatery that's been in business for 40 years. Their turtle soup is also legendary. Expect a long lineup.

Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant:  https://www.deanies.com/restaurants/

There's multiple locations of this local favourite but the original at 1713 Lake Ave, in nearby Metairie, is still the best.

Captain Sid's: https://captainsids.com

Sid's is just down the street from Deanie’s and its  stuffed crabs, crawfish pies, alligator sausage and turtle soup are legendary.

Nola Crawfish King Seafood:  https://crawfishking.com

Open seven days a week, this is an exciting addition to the city’s crawfish options

Zimmer's Seafood:  https://www.neworleans.com/listing/zimmers-seafood/33468/

The St. Anthony Ave. landmark  is known for its crawfish boils and hot sausage po-boys. Yum!

North Broad Seafood:  https://www.northbroadseafood.com

This family-owned store on Broad St. is a hidden gem and one of the most pleasant spots to get crawfish.

Clesi's Restaurant & Catering:  https://www.clesicatering.com

Clesi’s crawfish comes spiced with citrus, pepper and cloves

Broadview Seafood:  https://www.neworleans.com/listing/broadview-seafood/33161/

Broadview claims to be the “Crawfish House of America.”

Bevi Seafood Co:  http://beviseafoodco.com

The boiled and fried seafood at this Carrollton Ave., eatery is spot on.

 Bayou Country Crawfish Trail: https://crawfishtrail.com/

This trail was launched in 2021 and covers all crawfish harvests.