New Orleans is famous for its world-class crawfish (or ‘crayfish’, as the rest of the world calls it), so obviously, like me, you’ll want to make sure that you can try some whilst you’re there. However, if like me, you’re stupid enough to book your trip outside of crawfish season, you might run into some problems. The first time a restaurant owner told me this, I stared back at him in confusion and repeated the question. ‘What, you don’t have any crawfish? Does anyone have any crawfish?’ – because I couldn’t help thinking, how can they only be available in one specific season? And why did nobody mention this to me before? But I don’t want you to suffer through the same struggles that I did, because there is a way – and it’s called Three-Legged Dog, a dive-bar in the French Quarter.
It turns out that crawfish season runs from early March to mid-June each year in New Orleans (for future reference). But if you’re there now or just about to take a trip, don’t despair. I walked around restaurant after restaurant, in total disbelief that none of them could have any crawfish left, but, alas, all I heard at every door was to stop looking – I wasn’t going to find it anywhere – and that was that. So I settled for a dish called crawfish etouffé, which is essentially frozen crawfish tails in a sort of Cajun curry. Don’t make this mistake. It’s perfectly nice, but nothing like the true experience or taste of a traditional crawfish ‘boil’, as I later learnt.
What I later found out was that a proper crawfish boil really is an ‘experience’, not just a meal. Just when I had lost all hope, I was lucky enough to pass by a small sign outside the Three-Legged Dog advertising regular crawfish boils – in July – so I took my chance. The boil at the Three-Legged Dog begins with walking into an unassuming, quintessentially American ‘dive bar’. It’s a dark, local haunt. Friendly, yes, but it doesn’t strike you as the height of culinary establishments at first. That is, until you go outside. First, go up to the bar and ask the smiling bartender for crawfish – then you’re given a box. If you’re as idiotic as I am, you might then spend the next couple of moments standing there, wondering if you’ve been short-changed because it’s as light as a feather. But a second later you’ll realise that it’s empty – and that outside is where the crawfish lies. You get to fill up your box yourself in classic Louisiana style.
You’ll be given a massive spatula by the staff or the person queuing eagerly in front of you as you approach the humongous cooler in the courtyard, filled top to bottom with bright, red juicy crawfish mixed with corn on the cob, sausages, pineapple, vegetable and all manner of other things in a sort of super-stew. It’s enough to make any foodie drool and jump for joy at the same time. So you begin to ladle. They have a rule at the Three-Legged Dog where you can fill up your box with as much crawfish as you like and, as long as you can get the box to shut, you can keep it. Sit down and revel in the fact that everyone is bustling around you; playing with their food, talking, laughing. Crawfish is an incredibly social event in New Orleans, which you’ll probably find out right away if, like me, you’re left staring blankly at this delicious meal in front of you, at a loss of just how to get these critters out of their shells. But, right on cue, the staff at the Three-Legged Dog were ready and raring to help my friend and I out. I got two explanations from two different staff members, preferring the second method, and we all had a laugh about the running joke of ‘sucking the head’ that I had been warned about before. De-shelling a crawfish is like working with a king prawn but much more difficult to get used to; it means using your hands and going back to basics, the perfect way to put everyone on a level and make new friends in a setting that feels like a family backyard barbecue.
And it was delicious. Some of the best food that I’ve had in my entire life. The chef at the Three-Legged Dog was more than happy to talk to us through the process of how he cooks and serves the crawfish (and his secret as to where he gets it), and his passion and vitality for cooking was potent. He has a ‘secret sauce’ marinade where he lets the crawfish concoction marinate – it’s the perfect balance between that classic Nola-Cajun kick and pure, unadulterated flavour. Something that you truly have to try before you leave Nola. I’m thrilled that I came across this gem of an establishment and finally found the last place serving crawfish in the whole of New Orleans. Although the chef warned me that not everyone does crawfish like they do, I have to say that I’m an avid convert. So please head down to the Three-Legged Dog now, before it’s too late – the pub is expecting to have crawfish for the next couple of weeks but you never know what might happen when New Orleans’ best kept secret is let loose by annoying travel writers like me.
Address 400 Burgundy, New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 412-8335
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