Dining
BY KAMERYN GRIESSER
The Austin area craw sh season is looking grim—and expensive
For Texans, spring is synonymous with blue- bonnets, warmer weather and craw sh season. But this year, lovers of the mud-burrowing crustacean may nd themselves paying triple what they usually do to host a boil. The craw sh industry is reporting a delayed season due to recent drought conditions and freezing temperatures in Louisiana and East Texas, where most live craw sh come from. Two-minute impact While the season typically starts in January and lasts until July, farmers only caught about 10% of their usual harvest in January, said distributor Russ T. “Crawdaddy” Smith of Loui- siana Wild Craw sh & Catering, which supplies craw sh to local restaurants. On top of lower supply, the crop has been smaller than previous seasons, making them more di cult to eat and more likely to die in the eight-hour journey to Central Texas. “We have to slow our roll,” Smith said. “I’m still o ering catering, but not on a mass scale like other years. ... It’s a question of ethics. If we go scraping the ponds now, there’s not going to be any craw sh to breed for next year.” Mudbugs, another common nickname for craw sh, get this moniker from the way they burrow in the shallow, muddy ponds around rice paddies, Smith said. Louisiana’s drought conditions, which occurred during peak breeding months last year, caused ponds to dry up or become too salty for the critter in some cases. On top of that, mid-January’s freez- ing weather reduced the already dwindling supply by starving them of oxygen under frozen ponds.
What restaurants are saying Several local restaurants are bracing them- selves for a slower, pricier start to the craw sh season. While a plate of craw sh could cost customers as low as $7-$8 per pound in previous years, restaurateurs are looking at $16-$22 per pound just to break even, according to local vendors. Willie’s Grill and Icehouse usually puts craw- sh on the menu in January, but this year they waited until Super Bowl weekend for prices to cool down, Chief Concept O cer Marty Wad- sworth said. Cat sh Parlour, an Austin-based seafood joint, was planning to o er craw sh on their George- town menu for the rst time this year, but owner Chris Kerbow said it will likely have to wait due to the exorbitant prices. Meanwhile, those trying to get ahead of the demand this year had to take drastic measures, as many suppliers refused to sell in early January. “Our owner himself was driving to Louisiana just to get the craw sh,” HappyRito Seafood Manager Laura Rozo said. “And, when they show up here, half of them are dead, and we can’t sell them. ... Currently, we aren’t making a pro t, but we hope that can turn around.” Other restaurants, such as Louisiana Crab Shack, keep craw sh on the menu year-round by o ering them frozen for the majority of the year or sourcing them from Asian countries. Overall, craw sh fans can expect to see more substitutions for the beloved bug in the form of shrimp, snow crab and lobster boils, Smith said.
Russ T. “Crawdaddy” Smith trucks in craw sh from Louisiana to Austin every other day during the season.
COURTESY LOUISIANA WILD CRAWFISH & CATERING
Supply and demand
10% of usual catch reeled in this January 3x higher prices reported $16-$22 per pound this season
SOURCES: FISH CITY GRILL, HAPPYRITO SEAFOOD, LOUISIANA CRAB SHACK, QUALITY SEAFOOD MARKET, RUSS SMITH, WILLIE’S GRILL AND ICEHOUSE COMMUNITY IMPACT
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