Crawdads

[alecvg]

Thanks for all the tips guys, I will have to try these all next summer, need to get a few more pots though.

[fc2038]

Make sure when you boil them to drop a BAG BOIL!!!! cajun style!!!! then a little garlic butter and a cold Walking Man IPA!!!!!!    Boy I can't wait to get some more Walking Man IPA. I might just have to make a trip down to Stevenson!!

[Jekemi]

Fresh Crawdads are widely available in Washington ST rivers and lakes. They are abundant in Lake Washington and are gathered and sold commercially. Alligator Soul in Everett has a once a month crawfish feast. Are they as tasty as the ones you get from Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana? No, they aren’t but they aren’t half bad.

Remember the old song “Jambalaya, crawfish pie, file̒ gumbo…” All of these dishes are great with Crawdads. They are a mainstay in Creole cooking. Since two out of the three are already featured on the Hunting-Washington site I’ll give you a great recipe for Crawfish Pie.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
T TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup chopped, seeded, and peeled tomatoes, or 1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes
1 pound crawfish tails
2 TBS chopped parsley
3 TBS flour
2 TBS vegetable oil
Basic Pie Crust recipe 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Sauté for about 8 minutes, or until golden and wilted. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the crawfish tails and parsley. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes. Make a light-brown roux and thicken the mixture. Stir for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Adjust your seasoning with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Make your pie crust or purchase one of the frozen pre-made pie crusts. Be sure to thaw it first. Place the crust in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan and crimp the edges. Brush the pie crust with a little egg white and par-bake for about 5 minutes. This helps keep the pie crust from becoming soggy. Pour the crawfish mixture into the pie crust. Place the top crust on top of the mixture and again, brush with a little egg white wash. Poke a few holes in the top crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the edges of the pie crust are golden. Cool for several minutes. Cut into wedges to serve. Server with cold beer, a good fruity white wine, and a tossed green salad.

[big ed]

You can also catch them in flowing lake over in snohomish and cranberry lake in deception pass. Just find a good weed line 5 0r 6 feet of water, good pot, bacon or cat food and you are set.Good buggin

[superdown]

when is the best time of year to get them and are they worth trying to get this time of year or do they go dorment ?

[big ed]

I don't know about anyone else but I start looking end of April start of May.Genrally when trout season opens.I start poking around different spots.I like snohomish river but need to make more gear.Good luck

[billythekidrock]

I don't know about anyone else but I start looking end of April start of May.Genrally when trout season opens.I start poking around different spots.I like snohomish river but need to make more gear.Good luck

I used to wait until about July when the water was warmer and their metabolism was higher. They are hungrier and move faster.

[alecvg]

I don't know about anyone else but I start looking end of April start of May.Genrally when trout season opens.I start poking around different spots.I like snohomish river but need to make more gear.Good luck

I used to wait until about July when the water was warmer and their metabolism was higher. They are hungrier and move faster.

July is my fav. time to do it too.

[twisp_river_slayer]

Is there a season on them?

[boneaddict]

I don't think so.

[bowhunterforever]

Yummy i havent had crawdads in a long time!

[NRA4LIFE]

There is a season on them.  1st Monday in May to Oct. 31st.  See page 136 of last years sports regs.  There's a minimum size too.

[Gobble]

When I was a kid I remember seeing them as big as small lobsters in Lake Washington, they were huge

[GregU]

is there any place in pierce or king county to get cradads, I dont really now thae lakes or streams to go to. PM me if you can help me out.

[Cascade_Sherpa]

I know crawdad tails cured in "Procure" make fantastic steelhead bait! thats my only recipe!