Craving crawfish? Battistella's has got your fix

For anyone who hasn't been to a crawfish boil before, here's the lowdown: Crawfish (which look like baby lobsters) are boiled in a giant pot filled with seasoning, new potatoes, corn on the cob and sometimes sausage. You scoop your portion onto a plate or into a bag and then sit at a picnic table covered in newspaper and get to work!

Posted 9:30 p.m. Apr 19, 2012 — Updated 9:30 p.m. Apr 19, 2012

By

Kathy Hanrahan

Crawfish, crayfish, mudbugs - whatever you call them, they are good!

Growing up in south Louisiana, I was raised on seafood. And every spring, we would go to at least one crawfish boil. Since moving up here, I have really missed those boils, so I was overjoyed to hear that Battistella's in City Market was planning a boil this Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

For anyone who hasn't been to a crawfish boil before, here's the lowdown: Crawfish (which look like baby lobsters) are boiled in a giant pot filled with seasoning, new potatoes, corn on the cob and sometimes sausage. You scoop your portion onto a plate or into a bag and then sit at a picnic table covered in newspaper and get to work!

Eating crawfish takes a little work. You break off the tails and then peel the outside shell from them exposing the meat. Then, enjoy. And you can suck the juice out of the back of the head. (OK, now that I am reading this, I realize how insane it sounds!) You throw the heads and shells into a pile, then start on the next one. Experienced peelers can get through a pound pretty quickly! Newbies can expect to take a little more time, but it is worth it.

Tickets for Battistella's crawfish boil are $20 a person. It gets you 2 pounds of crawfish, new potatoes, corn on the cob, andouille sausage (a very spicy sausage from Louisiana) and iced tea. Expect live music and draft beer. They said they are featuring Abita beer - which hails from Abita Springs, La. (Points to any of my native Louisiana folks in the comments section below who can remember the Abita Water commercial's slogan. It is stuck in my head now.)

The whole event goes down picnic-style rain or shine. There are only a certain number of tickets. It is first come, first serve. If you see me out there, I will teach you how to eat crawfish.

If you are in north Raleigh, the Village Market located in Lafayette Village is having its own crawfish boil on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. It is $35 for all-you-can-eat crawfish, corn and potatoes. There will also be a la carte meals including Cajun favorites like jambalaya. There will be music, games for the children and beer. All you can eat tickets need to be purchased by Friday. You can get them at the Village Market.

The party will go until the food runs out.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the Tammy Lynn Center, which helps children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Craving boiled crawfish all the time? Papa Mojo's in Durham has boiled crawfish and live music every Friday and Saturday night. It is $10 for 1 lb and $30 for 3 lbs. You get new potatoes, corn and onions with each pound.

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