ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A LOUISIANA BAYOU BOY

BETWEEN THE BAYOUS BONFOUCA AND LIBERTY

ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BAYOU BOY

PRECIOUS MEMORIES

When I was just a boy down on the bayou and the weather was favorable, us kids would load up the skiff with crab nets, crab bait, and our fishing gear. We would go to the mouth of the bayou, where it flows into Lake Pontchartrain. There we would stop and bait all the crab nets, we used chicken necks for crab bait.

After the baiting was complete, then we would start setting out the crab nets, a few in the bayou and the rest of the nets along the shore line of the lake, spacing them about 25 yards apart. In total, we had about 20 nets.

Now after about an hour we would check the nets, but during the time between checking the nets, we would fish and go swimming. Most of the time we could catch about a half to a full hamper of nice crabs, some fish and take a refreshing swim every now and then. I really enjoyed our crabbing trips.

If we had a good day crabbing, we would boil all the crabs, eat the large ones and peel and clean the smaller ones for gumbo.

Back in the day the bayou folks made their own crab nets.

HOW TO BOIL A HAMPER OF LOUISIANA BLUE CRABS

THAT’S ABOUT FOUR DOZEN CRABS

LETS START WITH A DOWN THE BAYOU BASIC CRAB BOIL

INGREDENTS

One 72 Oz or 4.5 pound Jar of Zatarains crab boil

One 8 Oz bottle of Zatarains liquid concentrated crab boil

Note: You can adjust the amount of seasoning to the amount of crabs you have.

Now you could stop with ingredents here, boil your crabs, and be done.

But most Louisianians add vegetables, citrus and andouille sausage to the pot.

CAUTION: Remember the more you put in the pot, the higher the water level will rise. If the water is too close to the top of the pot this could cause problems during a rolling boil because water will top over the sides of the pot and cause problems.

To prevent this problem, I use a large 80 quart pot. Remember a full pot is very heavy and must be placed on a level surface such as a patio slab, so remember to be careful and enjoy.

Here is a list of the vegetables and sausage I use.

Corn on the cob, small red potatoes, onions, lemons and Andouille sausage.

Ok lets get started boiling some crabs:

Fill the pot with water to the half way mark and turn up the burner to high. Add crab boil, stir well, and bring water to a rolling boil. Now add the crabs and vegetables, place lid on pot, and bring back to a boil, while continuing to stir.

Add the sausage, and cover pot with lid then cook about 15 minutes. Remove the lid, turn burner off, and let pot cool for about 30 minutes. (To reduce cool down time, you can add ice to the pot.) After cool down is over, remove inner strainer basket and let it drain and cool. Ok you’re done.

CAUTION: Keep children and pets away from pot area until pot is completely cool.

Always follow manufacturer’s instructions for pot, burner, and propane tank.