livecrawfish.com - Wall Street Journal



	Bayou in Your Backyard By CHARLES PASSY Special to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL April 22, 2005; Page W5 Let the good times boil. That's what many a crawfish lover is apt to say this time of the year. The peak of the season for crawfish runs from roughly January to June. In recent years, many homesick Louisianans (and those who just crave some Cajun) have turned to crawfish purveyors who can ship the crustacean overnight -- with ice packs to keep them alive -- all across the country. To find out if these almost-mini-lobsters -- "mudbugs", the locals call them -- could manage the journey from the bayou to our front door, we placed orders for live crawfish (which varied from 15 pounds to 50 pounds, depending on the companies' minimums) with five vendors and enlisted two former Louisiana residents to help us with the boiling and the judging. Crawfish is very much a seasonal product -- that is, the size, quality and price can vary week to week, even with the same vendor -- but we looked for a couple of constants: how lively our crawfish were upon arrival (a mudbug that goes into the pot dead is inedible) and how good was the accompanying boil mix, a seafood-friendly blending of spices that usually includes more than a pinch of cayenne. The Spice of Life Crawfish boils are as much about the spice as the crawfish meat, especially since there's so little of the latter to be had: The claws are generally too small to yield anything of note, so you're left picking apart the tail to get at what's edible. Fanatics are known to suck all the spice-flavored innards from the head as a bonus, but, understandably, not everyone partakes in that tradition. In the case of Mr. Mudbug, our 50-pound shipment cost $250 but arrived without the promised boil mix. We relied on a supermarket-brand boil mix to give the crawfish a flavor boost. Our 15-pound order from Louisiana Crawfish Co. had a great boil mix, but our $80 shipment arrived in sorry shape -- a sopping mess, to be exact. We might have been able to deal with the dripping cardboard box if it weren't for the fact that about a third of our crawfish arrived dead. Livecrawfish.com, on the other hand, had a boil mix that struck a better balance, and its 15-pound order, which cost $85, was the only one packaged in Styrofoam. This meant it arrived in terrific shape: The medium-size crawfish still had plenty of fight left in them, and shipping was included in the price, making it our Best Value. Livecrawfish.com Party in a Sack for 4 (15 lbs.), $84.95 866-522-3663 Quality: Best Value. The "party" includes 15 lbs. of medium-size live crawfish, plus a decent boil mix. Shipping Cost/Time: On-time overnight shipping included in price; Saturday delivery adds $12.95. Return Policy: If not satisfied, notify company for a refund. Phone/Web Experience: We had to leave a message to place our order, but got a call back in a few minutes. Comment: Company sells a $300 package that includes 30 lbs. of live crawfish, plus a 60-quart pot and a propane burner. livecrawfish.com 22195 Talbot Drive · Plaquemine, LA 70764 Toll Free: (866) LA-CFOOD · Fax: (225) 687-8200