Where Crawfish Are Boiled, Fried and Celebrated

RAYNE, La. — It is early April in southwest Louisiana, and we are trundling along sumpy dirt roads flanked by muddy corrugated fields where the crawfish dwell. Peak season is approaching, when these crustaceans are at their largest and most plentiful, so I was keen to reach Hawk’s restaurant, which is widely considered a touchstone of this gastronomic genre.

I discovered Hawk’s four years ago during one of my periodic food tours through Cajun country. It is in the vicinity of Rayne, a small city (population: about 8,000) that bills itself as the “Frog Capital of the World,” dating to its days as a major commercial source of the meat.

Hawk’s sells T-shirts boasting of its location “in the middle of nowhere,” but today it is easy to find, thanks to satellite navigation systems.

The 33-year-old Hawk’s is closed for more than half of the year and looks it. It operates during crawfish season, typically early January to late May. A giant red crawfish painted on the door of a low, unprepossessing barn marks the spot.

This year has been a great crawfish harvesting season, owing to the exceptionally wet and mild winter, according to the owners, Anthony Arceneaux, 54, and his wife, Jennifer, 49. Crawfish, sometimes called mud bugs, were pretty much a Cajun victual until the early 1980s. Then a short-lived Cajun mania swept the nation, fueled by the fire-stoking, telegenic chef Paul Prudhomme.

Hawk’s 188-seat dining area is plain, spacious and neighborly, attracting a mostly local clientele — large families, young couples and old-timers in cowboy hats and Western shirts. Its décor revolves around an admirable collection of neon signs donated by beer salesmen; small wire crawfish traps hang from wooden beams.

My group of four was escorted to a table next to a hearty threesome who were staring down a huge five-pound platter of boiled crawfish in the shell ($27.99). Alongside sat a three-pound serving ($17.99).

Mr. Arceneaux takes great pride in his “purged” crawfish, which undergo a 36- to 48-hour cleansing process that causes them to expel the bitter-tasting waste material in their gastrointestinal tracts.

The boiled crawfish are cooked in water seasoned with both cayenne and what Mr. Arceneaux describes as a commercial Chinese pepper mix, which leaves them faintly sharp but not too spicy; a similar blend is used on the crunchy, cleanly fried crawfish tails.

Hawk’s étouffée departs from the traditional recipe in that the roux is made with cornstarch rather than flour. This leaves it lighter and more sumptuously absorbed by the white rice. The addition of tomato lends a touch of sweetness that plays off the peppery aftertaste.

In Cajun country, it is said, the only restaurants that do not serve bread pudding are those that have gone out of business. There are endless variations. Ms. Arceneaux’s startling rendition is made with glazed doughnuts, condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs and sugar. It’s an acquired taste.

Hawk’s, 416 Hawks Road, Rayne, La., 337-788-3266, hawkscrawfish.com.