ROUSES.COM
9
you watch first-timers struggle with the traditional method.
So without further ado, here’s how it goes:
1.
Pick up a crawfish in the traditional manner.
2.
Grasp the head section (thorax) in one hand and straighten the
tail with the other. (So far, this should be familiar, as it’s identical to
the standard method.)
3.
Take the tail section between your thumb
and side of the index finger at the second
knuckle.The tail should fit snugly where the
thumb and finger form a “T,” and the gentle
hold should cover about two segments of
the tail’s protective shell.
4.
Ok. Here’s the magic move. Instead of
TWISTING to the side, gently PUSH the
tail UP INTO the crawfish’s body. (Do this
slowly at first.) If you’re lucky, you’ll feel a
gentle “click” through your thumb and finger. That’s the crawfish
shell breaking at its weakest point — the thin, flexible section
between the thicker shell plates.
That CLICK, my friends, is exactly what you want to feel. Your first
time around, it might seem strange, but with experience, you’ll be
able to control the break.
(Duck hunters and fans of zombie flicks will recognize the motion
— it looks like you’re cocking a tiny, crawfish-shaped shotgun.)
5.
Now gently,
ever so gently,
pull the tail back out of the crawfish
head, wiggling and twisting a bit as needed. If you did it right, you’ll
be rewarded with a perfect morsel of meat attached to a convenient
tail-shaped handle.
6.
Eat the meat, toss the shells on the “empty” pile, and move on to
the next delicious victim.
Now it doesn’t seem like much, but the whole “cock it like a shotgun”
technique takes about two seconds to execute once you get the feel for
it. The downside of the traditional method is the intricate finger work
required to strip shell frommeat slows you down in between bites.The
Shotgun Peel all but eliminates the need for precise shell-picking.
(Disclaimers: This method works best with medium-sized hard
shell crawfish, so early-season or overcooked crustaceans might
require a little more finesse. The contrast between hard shell and
softer connective tissue is key. The softer the shell, the less leverage
you’ve got. Proceed with caution.)
I discovered this little gem about 20 years ago, reading an article in
(of all places)
Texas Monthly
magazine. I was living in Austin and
read an article by writer John Morthland who described the miracle
move as “The Laotian Method” developed by crawfish plant piece-
workers near Henderson, Louisiana. The recent Asian immigrants
increased their productivity on the peeling line, and gave the rest of
us an amazing competitive advantage at any backyard boil.
Ever since, I’ve been a little conflicted as I approach a paper-covered
table in springtime. Having mastered the Shotgun Peel, I can
honestly outpace anybody who’s not a Guinness-level competitive
eater. And during this most delicious time of year, ripping through
a pile of delicious spicy crawfish in double time seems somewhat
unfair. Especially when I’m looking at guests who grew up in
Cincinnati spend five minutes on a single crawfish before giving
up and retiring to the kid’s table for a hot dog. Or watching patient
mothers slowly starve as they peel nonstop for hungry open-
mouthed toddlers.
This is a moment when I can ease a little bit of culinary guilt by
pulling the transplants aside and spreading the good word. During
every boil, I’ll pick a couple of deserving souls and show them the
magic move in all its quick-peeling glory. And they feel the click,
see the meat, and get better with every bite.
Once they get the hang of it, I tell them
to teach the move to their friends and
neighbors. After all, it’s only fair.
And especially during crawfish season, it’s
good to remember that with great power
comes great responsibility…
“... the whole “cock it like
a shotgun” technique
takes about two seconds to
execute once you get the
feel for it.”
