By Chad McCowan
My favorite time of the year is here…and of course I should mean spring weather, Easter or even the Masters. But the return of crawfish season gets us mudbug lovers dragging our kettle boilers out from the garage and stocking up on the Cajun essentials. Crawfish boils are the epitome of Louisianna and all things Cajun; with fun music, full-of-life people and spice-filled cuisine. I have always found Cajun cooking the most fun of them all, and when done well, and at the right time, great memories are made. The greats chefs—Paul Prudhomme, Emeril Lagasse, recent James Beard winner Dooky Chase and my new favorite Donald Link of Herbsaint and Cochon retaurants in New Orleans—fill my cookbook shelves with far too many great dishes and with much too little time. Also a quick shout out to our local Cajun spots like Rougaroux for their fresh Cajun dishes and unique specials—we love both their locations and their staff, and I hope you do too.
Many years before the slew of Cajun restaurants started popping up around the Magic City, Chef Wylie Poundstone joined the staff at our quaint, neighborhood spot, the River Market and Deli in Liberty Park, after spending several years at Brennans in New Orleans as the sous chef under the great Jamie Shannon. Wylie, a young southern gentleman from south Alabama, was as charming as his food was amazing. Cajun cuisine was just evolving in Birmingham, and quite frankly our cafe needed some menu changes. Wylie’s first Friday special was fresh peeled crawfish étouffée over a fried zucchini pirogue (for the Spanish boat the zucchini is peeled and carved to resemble). We were speechless! This was just the start of a Cajun cuisine education led by our new chef.
Wylie was also always free in spirit. I lent him my apartment for a time, and one night I spotted Wylie at the Back Alley on Cobb Lane outfitted in my clothes—he had rummaged through my closet and decided to hit the town. And men don’t share clothes! I often think of Chef Wylie fondly, and I hope all the Chef Wylies of the world are still out there stirring up amazing dishes and fun!
I do not know the Billy Bob for whom this recipe is named in Donald Link’s cookbook Real Cajun—we are in Alabama after all, and there are more than a few Billy Bobs. But of all the Cajun recipes I’ve tried, Billy Bob’s crawfish étouffée is quite frankly my favorite. Thie dish is time consuming but worth the effort. Beginning with a small crawfish boil or the leftovers from a gathering the day before, peeling and using the crawfish head fat (sparing the details), the base is well seasoned and thick and rich in taste. Preparing the crawfish stock takes a few hours, then adding the Cajun trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery) along with a litany of spices and peppers, another half hour or so before you add the crawfish until they slightly break in the mixture. What I like about Donald Link’s recipes is that I feel like I am there as I follow his preparations.
So, as spring in Birmingham gathers momentum, and bushels of crawfish await, do yourself a favor and plan, or attend, a crawfish boil or inspire a Cajun-themed family meal. Or check out a few local spots, like Saws in Crestline Park, that serve crawfish by the dozens in season until they sell out. And Red Mountain Crawfish are worth your Instagram follow as well. As Chef Link puts it, ‘put on some good music, get an ice-cold beer, add some good people and start peeling crawfish’.
Cheers.
