[Where Y'at Magazine Staff Provided Photos]

Outlook for 2017 Crawfish Season Looks Bright

13:51 January 16, 2017
By: Samantha Yrle

When the weather is warm, wet and sticky, some may complain about the unbearable humidity, but in Louisiana, when these conditions present themselves we know that can only mean one thing: a great crawfish season. Although crawfish-lovers can enjoy these spicy little bugs anytime beginning in November all the way through mid-August, peak crawfish season typically runs from March through July. In New Orleans, there’s nothing better than enjoying a beer or two with friends and family to get together and boil one of Louisiana’s favorite type of fish.

In preparation for the sunny splendor that is the crawfish boil, we called up some of Louisiana’s most popular crawfish farms to get some quotes on what this year’s season will bring. Kyle Leblanc of Kyle Leblanc Crawfish Farm assured us that so far, the weather has been wet, bringing in a large crop of crawfish, and sales have been steady. “Right now, our biggest concern is soft crawfish, but this is all part of the process.” Leblanc expects sales to pick up significantly closer to March. Dexter at Riceland Crawfish Inc. also gave a hopeful prediction for sales this year stating that “the crawfish are a medium size right now because of cold weather a few weeks ago,” however, he also guaranteed us that the “the demand is very high and the pond crawfish look promising, although it is currently still too early to judge the size of the Atchafalaya basin crawfish.”

 Because of this year’s high demand of crawfish, local seafood retailers have extremely reasonable prices this season. Captain Sid’s Seafood in Bucktown offers their crawfish for a mere $3.99 per pound and warns to “get them soon,” because a high demand is causing a daily sellout. Also, Bevi’s Seafood Company is selling their crawfish for only a dollar more at $4.99 per pound with a similarly high demand. Overall, it’s safe to say that this season’s crawfish will be just as big, red, and delicious as ever. 


As we all know, there are several ways to cook and eat your crawfish, other than just boiling them in a pot. Find a favorite recipe for crawfish etouffee from Kyle Leblanc’s below. 

Crawfish Etouffee

  • 1 cup butter                 
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/2 cup bell pepper
  • 1 stalk chopped celery
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups seafood stock
  • 1 lbs. crawfish tail meat
  • Cooked rice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic in butter until tender.  Stir in flour, salt and pepper.  Add stock and simmer until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add crawfish and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

Sign Up!

FOR THE INSIDE SCOOP ON DINING, MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT, THE ARTS & MORE!