Crawfish in Tyler & Texas
Hot, spicy crawfish, potatoes and corn ... boiled to perfection! (Photograph by the author) |
Some folks call 'em crayfish, crawdads, or mudbugs, but here in Texas they are simply CRAWFISH, whether they are swamp crawfish, spillway crawfish, or pond crawfish.
We've been catching crawfish all our life, and love the tradition of a long, leisurely crawfish boil in spring!
Crawfish are healthy food. They are an excellent source of high-quality protein, low in calories, fat and saturated fat, and a good source of vitamins.
We're looking forward to another great crawfish season in Texas in 2018!
Where to Buy Crawfish in the Tyler Area
Several Tyler restaurants such as Razzoo's Cajun Cafe' and the Boiling Catch offer crawfish meals, and boiled crawfish, in season. Also, some supermarkets such as Brookshires offer boiled crawfish by the pound in season.
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A number of seafood markets and outlets offer live crawfish for sale in Tyler and East Texas during the crawfish season in the spring.
The last four years we have purchased our live crawfish from Wade's Place on East Main Street in Chandler. We've met Wade, and he runs a great seafood restaurant also, serving crawfish, shrimp, fish, gumbo, hand-cut rib-eye steaks, burgers, salads and much more. They are located at the railroad tracks just a block south of Highway 31. We've dined there are recently as April of 2018, and it is highly recommended for great food, friendly service and a comfortable atmosphere.
Included with the live crawfish at Wade's were boiled potatoes and corn on the cob. Phone 903.849.2729.
We've also been pleased with the live crawfish we've purchased by the sack from Rodney Murphy's Circle M Crawfish in Big Sandy, on Highway 155 just south of U.S. 80. Rodney has been selling crawfish for over 18 years. The facility is also known as "Rodney's", or "the Crawfish Stand". Rodney also operates a restaurant, and its menu includes crawfish, shrimp, alligator, boudin, along with choice steaks and other items. Live music is often featured Thursday-Saturday evenings with a family friendly atmosphere. Phone 903.636.9199.
Caddo Creek Crawfish Farm is a 63-acre facility near Frankston. Customers can call no later than Wednesday or Thursday to order how many crawfish they want that weekend and pick them up on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. It is located at 2189 County Road 320 in Frankston. Call Mr. Yeager at 903.876.3083 for details and more information.
Order Live Crawfish Online
And today you can order live crawfish online from a number of crawfish farmers and retailers in Louisiana and Texas, and shipped nationwide overnight.
With the advent of the Internet, and shippers such as FedEx, crawfish lovers everywhere can enjoy fresh crawfish delivered to their door at home, or their nearest airport!
Other Crawfish Suppliers in Texas
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There are a number of crawfish outlets, seafood markets, crawfish farms and caterers selling live and boiled crawfish in Texas, from Beaumont to Houston to Dallas, and in between. Some offer local delivery, while others provide delivery only in designated metropolitan areas. And some offer pickup only.
There are too many vendors to list, but here are a few to start your crawfish search. We highly recommend you check out each supplier carefully, and contact them personally, to determine their current services, pricing, policies, and guarantees before placing orders.
- TheCrawfishCompany.com - The Crawfish Company, located in the Houston area. Pickup at metro area locations, and FedEx shipping.
- TexasCrawfish.com - Southeast Texas Crawfish Farm, located in Hamshire, TX, about 20 miles southwest of Beaumont. Pickup only.
- CajunCrawfishCo.com - Cajun Crawfish Company, Lewisville-Dallas area. Catering and local sales in the metro area.
- TexasLiveCrawfish.com - Texas Live Crawfish, Houston and Dallas (Denton) offices and phone numbers. Supplies from Louisiana and Texas crawfish farms.
- CrawfishTX.com - Critter Runners, Crosby, TX, northeast of Houston. Pickup and delivery.
Ordering Live Crawfish Online from Louisiana-Based Crawfish Outlets
A large number of crawfish outlets, farms and suppliers are located in Louisiana, both for local pickup and online ordering. Listed below is a sample of long-standing dealers offering online crawfish ordering:
- CajunGrocery.com - Lafayette, Louisiana - live crawfish, turducken, King Cakes, kitchen ware, Cajun books, and more
- Louisiana Crawfish Company: Family owned & operated since 1985 - largest shipper of Louisiana crawfish
- CajunCrawfish.com ... run by Mike & Mark Fruge in Branch, Louisiana, near Lafayette
- Kyle LeBlanc Crawfish Farms, since 1990, in Raceland, Louisiana
- Crawfish.com ... live crawfish and cooking supplies
- LouisianasBestSeafood.com
Enjoying and Eating Crawfish Meals
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Crawfish is a key ingredient in many of our favorite dishes and meals ... Crawfish Etouffee, Crawfish Bisque, Crawfish Pie, Fried Crawfish, Crawfish Jambalaya, and of course boiled crawfish.
Crawfish Season in Texas
Crawfish season varies from one year to the next, based on how cold (or mild) the weather was during the winter. It also depends on the amount of rain, and the water levels in the swamps and bayous.
Generally, the crawfish season in Texas runs from January through July for crawfish caught in the wild. Crawfish from farms are available over a longer period of the year.
2018 Crawfish Festivals in Texas
| Festival | City | Date |
| Annual Kemah Crawfish & Zydeco Festival Under the Kemah Bridge details |
Kemah, Texas | April 6-8, 2018 |
| Woodlands CrawPHish Festival Town Green Park 11:00am - 6:00pm details |
The Woodlands, Texas | March 24, 2018 |
Bigass Crawfish Bash BCBF, Inc. is a Texas non-profit corporation that works in partnership with local charities that benefit lives of veterans, children, and the disabled. This year donations will be made to Camp Hope, Texas Special Olympics, and local Education Foundations. Scheduled events include the crawfish cooking competition, live music, Kid Zone, vendors market, Veterans VIP tent, food court and more! |
Hitchcock, Texas | March 24, 2018 |
| Annual Bernie's Famous Crawfish Boil Concrete Street Old Market Pavilion 5:30pm - 9:30pm This is the Del Mar College Foundation’s signature event to help raise funds for scholarships for Del Mar College students. details |
Corpus Christi, Texas | March, 2018 |
| Celina Cajun Fest 2018 Historic Celina Downtown Square Crawfish boil, Cajun music, kids area, and much more details |
Celina, Texas | April 14, 2018 |
Muddy Bowl Crawfish Cook-Off Set up begins at noon, cooking begins at 1:00 p.m., samples ready for judging 4:00 p.m., awards at 6:30 p.m., event ends at 8:00 p.m. Teams of up to eight members are provided crawfish, ice, serving containers, a 10' x 10' tent, a table and chairs. |
The Woodlands, Texas | April, 2018 |
Annual Frisco Crawfish Festival The event is to raise money for the local animal rescue group Habitat for Paws. Sponsored by the Cajun Crawfish Company. Several thousand pounds of crawfish will be boiled. Live bands and music, plus bounce houses for the kids.. |
Frisco, Texas | April, 2018 |
Annual Old Town Keller Crawfish Krawl Great food, festive music and fun galore, from Noon to 9:00pm. Attendance this year is expected to exceed 10,000 visitors. The event will take place on Olive and Pecan St in Old Town Keller. |
Keller, Texas | April, 2018 |
Cajun Crawfish Festival Schertz Park Pavilion Tempt your taste buds with some amazing food vendors. Crawfish eating contest for Men and Women Adults and Children Crawfish race. We also have kid’s activities including bounce, face painter, and more. Come ready to shop because the festival also has arts & crafts booths. |
Schertz, Texas | April, 2018 |
| Big Mamou Festival Traders Village, 2602 Mayfield Road, Grand Prairie, TX details |
Grand Prairie, Texas | April 14-15 and 21-22, 2018 |
| Hutto Crawfish Festival Downtown, East & Farley Streets details |
Hutto, Texas | April, 2018 |
| Annual Mudbug Mash Levitt Pavilion 4:00pm - 10:00pm details |
Arlington, Texas | April, 2018 |
| Annual Llano Crawfish Open details | events |
Llano, Texas | April 20-21, 2018 |
Annual Mauriceville Crawfish Festival Mauriceville is a small community situated between Beaumont and the Southwest Louisiana Border. The Texas Legislature has named Mauriceville the "Crawfish Capital of Texas". The festival was founded in 1981 and features an awesome music line up, entertainment, creole cooking demos, a very competitive crawfish cookoff and and much more. Opening Ceremonies will kick off on Friday night @ 5:00. Saturday morning our 5K will begin at 8 with our “Hometown Heroes” parade immediately following @ 9:00 East down Hwy 12, turning South onto Hwy 62. At the festival grounds, live music, live demonstrations including a master’s gardener and chalk painting, craft and food vendors, a photo-contest, washer tournament, exotic species and whitetail display, silent auction, and many other activities will run throughout the day as well as Sunday. Held at the Mauriceville Crawfish Grounds, 7441 Cohenour Road, Orange, Texas 77632 |
Orange, Texas | April, 2018 |
| 28th Annual Crawfish Boil & Fish Fry details |
Rosenberg, Texas | April 14, 2018 |
| Annual Lonestar Crawfish Festival Sponsored by the Busby Foundation Stubbs BBQ 801 Red River details |
Austin, Texas | April 21, 2018 |
| 2018 Crawfest New Braunfels details |
New Braunfels, Texas | April 27-29, 2018 |
| Texas Crawfish & Music Festival Old Town details | map | Texas Crawfish Festival tickets |
Spring, Texas | April, 2018 |
Rayzur's Annual Crawfish Cook-off website and Facebook page |
Angleton, Texas | May 5-6, 2018 |
| Annual Crawfish Boil Pearland Town Center Proceeds benefit Young Life Brazoria details |
Pearland, Texas | May, 2018 |
| Houston Crawfish, Crab & Grill Festival Crawfish, music and more Hobby Event Center 9906 Gulf Freeway 2:00pm - 11:00pm details |
Houston, Texas | May 12-13, 2018 |
| Annual Crawfish Cookoff Crawfish cook off benefit tournament at Tiger Field. Good company, food, crawfish and games. Proceeds go towards Friends of Tiger Field (FOTF) and the FOTF Scholarship Award. details |
Rockport, Texas | May, 2018 |
Fredericksburg Crawfish Festival |
Fredericksburg, Texas | May, 2018 |
| Crawfish Festival 211 E. Pleasant Run Road DeSoto Amphitheater details |
DeSoto, Texas | June 2, 2018 |
| Grand Prairie Annual Crawfish Boil Market Square, 120 W. Main St., Grand Prairie, TX 10:00am - 2:00pm details |
Grand Prairie, Texas | June, 2018 |
| Annual Medina Lake Cajun Festival Park Rd. 37 and 15th St. W, Lakehills, TX 78063 11:00am - 10:00pm details |
Lakehills, Texas | September 22, 2018 |
Crawfishing Industry
 Don't back away from the boil!
(Photograph by the author) |
Nearly all of the live crawfish sold in the U.S. come from Louisiana, and begin life in the wild waters of the state, or on a farm. Commercial sales of crawfish in Louisiana date back to the late 1800s, and today's crawfish industry includes millions of pounds harvested from farms and natural waterways in the Bayou State.
Texas also has significant numbers and acres of crawfish farms, with many located in Southeast Texas.
There is stiff competition from "foreign" importers, but we steadfastly do not purchase imported crawfish: read the label carefully for the "Country of Origin" and see where they are from!
The harvesting of wild crawfish from natural habitats such as bayous, swamps and marshes provides a significant number of jobs for Louisiana and Texas residents. In addition, crawfish farming is a major industry in Louisiana and Texas.
Photos of Texas Crawfish and Texas Crawfish Boils
(all photos by the author)
Let's start with our sack of live Texas crawfish ... usually 30-40 pounds  |
Gather up the ingredients: shrimp & crab boil, cayenne pepper, black pepper ...
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Texas Size Crawfish ... plump and ready for boiling!  |
How to hold a crawfish ... carefully behind the head!  |
Filling up the crawfish pot with water ... let's get the boil underway Start with about 50 pounds of live Crawfish, add salt, corn on the cob, new potatoes, whole onions, lemons, Zatarain's Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil, red pepper, black pepper, garlic cloves ... make the hot sauce, warm up the buttered French bread, add cold beer, and share with good friends!  |
Giant Texas crawfish backing away from the boil |
Boiled, red crawfish, fresh out of the boiling pot  |
Boiled crawfish ... ready to enjoy!  |
Crawfish, corn on the cob, potatoes ... let's get peeling!  |
Get out the paper towels ... we've got serious eating to do!  |
Southeast Texas Crawfish Farm Video
Nothing brings a Southeast Texas Family together like a good old fashioned crawfish boil. Here's a trip to Hampshire, Texas to met one farmer behind these tasty tails. (YouTube Video) |
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A Recipe for Boiling Crawfish
There are dozens, or hundreds, of recipes for boiling crawfish. Click here to view our recipe for the perfect crawfish boil.