This week I will be looking out the window of a car instead of staring at the screen of my computer. Enjoy what I think is the best of The Eco Niche in 2011.
Did you know crawfish are classified as livestock? Neither did I until this past week when I was on assignment for Louisiana Seafood News. I visited a crawfish farm in New Iberia, Louisiana, just west of the projected flooding due to the opening of the Morganza Floodway. The story, In Cajun Country, the Crawfish are Biting, Flood or No, was as fun to write as crawfish are to eat.
And the thing is, eating crawfish are good for the environment and for you.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch creates science-based recommendations that help consumers and businesses make ocean-friendly choices. In their Southeast Sustainable Seafood Guide, Crayfish (US farmed), obviously a northerner wrote it if there is a “y” instead of a “w”, are listed as a Best Choice. They are a sustainable source of food grown in its native habitat.
But just in case being good for the earth is not good enough reason to eat ‘em, crawfish are good for your health too!
Crawfish are lower in calories and fat than even boneless, skinless chicken breast! The USDA’s new Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans eat more seafood – eight ounces a week. To be honest, I’m not sure their recommendations are for those of us along the Gulf Coast. I know I easily eat eight ounces a week of shrimp, oysters, crab, fish or crawfish . . . like the corn and crawfish bisque I made for dinner.
What’s your favorite crawfish dish? Where did you find the recipe?
