Crawfish FAQ

 

Everything you wanted to know about our crawfish... plus some extra stuff!

CRAWFISH PAGE: FAQ'S

 

Floyd's Meat and Seafood in Sherwood has been your number one source for live and cooked Louisiana crawfish since 1985.
 
We sell more live and cooked crawfish than anyone else in Central Arkansas short of a distributor, over 2 MILLION pounds (yes, that is milllion with an "M", folks!) so, don't believe the 'new kids on the block' who are telling you they are Central Arkansas only source for crawfish, cuz it just ain't true.

Let it be known that Floyd's DOES NOT sell to other vendors in the state of Arkansas, nor do we GET supplied by vendors here in Arkansas.

Our suppliers are in Louisiana, our crawfish come from Louisiana and not from here.Please inform us if you hear otherwise, because this is not true.
It seems like jealous competitors are telling people that they supply us, and being that they are selling junk,they are slandering our good name.

 

We start carrying crawfish as soon as they are the right size, the right price, and are high quality. We do not sell junk and never will, other people can have that stuff.

Select, graded crawfish are available in mid-season only, so don't believe people when they say they "carry only select crawfish and nothing else", cuz they aren't available year round......just the facts, folks, just the facts.......

Q: When does crawfish season start and end?
 
A: Each year starts and ends at different times, but basically it begins right about Super Bowl weekend (about early February, although it can start sooner if we have a warm or non-existant winter in Louisiana) and ends generally in early June (again, it can last longer if its cooler and wetter than normal.)
 
Mother Nature makes the rules and we have to play the hand of cards she deals us. We have had live crawfish as early as New Years (rare!!) to as late as July 4th (realllly rare!!!)
 
Season is based on the weather and we can't do anything about it.

Q: I heard they quit at Memorial Day. Is there any truth to that?
 
A: Yes and no. Because so much crawfish is farm raised now instead of wild caught, rice farmers have dual crop- crawfish in late winter and into early summer, but they must drain the ponds down and begin planting rice in early June, If they don't, they will be behind in their rice crop and lose money, that is why the majority of farmers quit after Memorial Day and we have to go to deep water and Atchafalaya Basin crawfish and crawfish out of the Bell River.
 
Plus, most people are ready to go jump in the nearest lake and float around drinking beer instead of standing around a hot boiling crawfish pot drinking beer, so it's officially summer by then. Beer is in season 365 days a year, crawfish are not.


Q: Where do you get your live crawfish, here in Arkansas?
 
A: No, no, no, no, no!!! It comes from down in South Central Louisiana where the mud is magic and the mudbugs have mojo! We have been using 2 sources for the last many decades, one for 29 years and one for 12 years, both from South of I-10 for you purists.

Q: What about the crawfish we see in the grocery stores and Super Centers, do you sell stuff from China, Taiwan, Spain or Vietnam?
 
A: Not just no, but heck no!!! There will never, EVER be any imported crawfish in this store. I will run out before I lower my standards to that imported garbage. Period.

Q: Why is your crawfish tailmeat so much more than it is at the grocery store?

A: Several reasons! One, it is from Louisiana, not imported. Two, it is this years, hand peeled fresh tailmeat, not several years' old stuff kept in frozen storage that tastes awful. Three, it's a 16 ounce package (a whole pound!), not a 12 ounce package. Four, it hasn't had to be quarantined by our government to be sure its free of pesticides, herbicides, raw sewage, chemicals, hormones or antibiotics found in the waters of foreign countries that farm raise fish and crawfish sold to the United States because we want cheap goods. "Cheap" comes with a price. To your health.

Q: What makes your crawfish different from other people in the area who sell it, too?
 
A: Several reasons. Being one of the oldest sellers in the business, we have buying power others don't have, we have first choice from our 2 sellers .
(We sell so much they have to send a truck just for us, can't get our shipment on the truck with anyone else or the tires would blow out!! *)
 
We get first pickings right out of the fields; we never sell any "holdover" crawfish from the previous week, our crawfish were swimming the day before you get them, we will skip a week if necessary to avoid any problems (molting or de-oxygenated ponds); we are picky, picky picky and last, we truly care about our customers and want you to come back over and over again, not just once and we have your money.
 
This is a family owned and operated business. Our customers are more important than the Almighty Dollar.
 
* We had a truck break an axle one time, years ago because it was overloaded!!

Q: We heard someone call Lisa the "Crawfish Queen". Who gave her that title?
 
A: It wasn't given, it was earned. Over 2 million pounds earned. Just sayin'.............
 
I don't know about you, but when you sell 78 thousand pounds in 5 months, I think it is fitting, don't you?

Q: Do you sell any crawfish from here in Arkansas?
 
A: No. The Natural State produces crawfish, yes, but it is the inferior White River species, not the Red Swamp species from Louisiana.
We carry only the Reds from the Bayou State.

Q: How do I go about ordering crawfish from you?
 
A: Easy. Call or come by the shop. We need the amount you want, date, time and a deposit made by either credit card, debit card or cash. We also accept EBT/SNAP for payment but cash must be on deposit for these customers. No order will be filled without a deposit.

Q: When and how do you take orders and get shipments? I need crawfish in the middle of the week, can you do that?
 
A: Yes and no. At the beginning of the season and at the end of the season, we have one truck on Fridays only due to demand. When things get really swingin' we get a truck 4 times a week, Wed, Thurs, Fri and sometimes even on Saturday.
 
For Wed and Thur, order by Tuesday 4 pm.
 
For Fri and Sat, order by Thurs 4 pm. Call for order scheduling. 501 833 3308.
THURSDAY BY 4 PM.....Repeat after me...THURSDAY BY 4PM... I will order by THURSDAY 4 PM...Repeat after me... I will order by THURSDAY 4 PM....

Q: How much does a sack of live crawfish weigh?
 
A: Average sack of live is between 28 and 42 pounds, average is about 35 pounds.

Q: Do you have sacks available for sale after the deadline of Thursday by 4 pm for weekends?
 
A: Yep, no problem, but the spares go first come, first served and we always, always sell out.

Q: I have ordered live crawfish from other people in the area and gone to pick up only to be told, sorry we sold them. Do I have to worry about that with you?
 
A: Once you place your order and give us a deposit, a sack is here waiting for you and only you. If we have a problem or a delay, we will call you and let you know.
 
No rude suprises here. Every once in a while there is a truck breakdown or it leaves later than expected or a delay due to weather and driving conditions, but we always get our shipments. Sometimes things are just plain ol' out of our control, folks. Towards the end of the season the catch is way down. Knowing this, we will warn the customer to have a firm plan B in place in case Mother Nature does us a dirty turn and wont let us have any or enough crawfish.

Q: What form of payment does Floyd's accept?
 
A: We accept debit, credit, VISA, MasterCard, Discover, cash, EBT/SNAP. No checks, No AmEX, no Pesos or Yen.

Q: Can I buy live and or cooked crawfish with my EBT/SNAP card?
 
A: Yes, you can, but it cannot be used for deposits on crawfish, that is against the rules of the Program. A cash deposit will be taken and refunded against your EBT/SNAP card at time of purchase.

Q: I hear you have great cooked crawfish, do you sell a lot of them?
 
A: Holy smokes, yes we do! We sell them cold (we're not a restaurant) and they are cooked by professionals who know how to spice 'em up nice and tasty, all you must do is steam them 'em and eat 'em. We give free samples to prove how good they are. And we never have to put them on sale to get rid of them, we sell over 900 pounds per week with no problem. Spicy. Juicy. Tasty. Head sucking, tail pinching roll your eyes oh my goodness these are great crawfish.. ...You hungry yet?

Q: Do you sell prepared corn and potatoes with your cooked crawfish?
 
A: No, but we sell the corn and spuds for you to cook, plus everything else you need but cold beer, propane and friends. Check out our Party Packs on the website. We also sell the veggies by the single piece or by the pound.

Q: What else do you sell that goes with a crawfish boil?
 
A: Shoot, the question is what DON'T we sell!!! :) Corn, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic, spices, lemons, salt, sausages, shrimp, hush-puppies, fish, oil, pots, burners, burner stands, cooking accessories, stirrers, paddles, liquid boil, hamburger patties, chicken breasts, seasoning, steaks, steak sauce, remoulade sauce, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce.....the list is endless so just call and ask, it's a lot easier on us!

Q: How many boiling spices doesFloyds carry and what name brands do you have?
 
A: OMG, so many its silly. We are the largest source of name brand seasonings and boiling spices North of the Louisiana state line.
 
We have everything from CajunLand to Zatarains, 10 different brands to choose from, 31 varieties of dry and liquid available.

Q: How much spice do I need to cook my live crawfish?
 
A: General rule of thumb is one pound of dry spice per 10 pounds of live crawfish to be cooked. That is why most spice is sold in 3 to 4 pound increments. It's what they call 'sack size'.

Q: Do I need to order my extra stuff like boiling spices, shrimp, sausages, veggies and the like ahead of time like my crawfish?
 
A: Yes, please! We will do our best to accommodate last minute desires because we are here to serve you, but if you can plan ahead it makes it easier on all of us, especially on Saturday mornings when we unlock the door to 20 to 25 people waiting to pick up things and it's just crazy. We might not have time to put a party pack together for you, so PLEASE order in advance.

Q: How much crawfish do I need per person?
 
A: Depends on who you are feeding. First, count your crawfish eaters ONLY. Then, separate your eaters from your pickers. Dont even count those who won't eat crawfish, they will be eating something else. Count folks from Louisiana as heavy eaters, count "tweeners" as adults. Feed the under 6 crowd kiddo food.
Heavy eaters and Cajuns: up to 10 pounds per person.
 
Moderate eaters: up to 6 pounds per person.
 
Lite eaters: up to 3 pounds per person.
 
Newbies: 1 to 2 pounds per person. (Cook 'em right, give peeling lessons and next time you will need 6 pounds for this person!!)

Q: How much corn and potatoes do I need per person for my boil?
 
A: Catering rules say 2 potatoes and 1 ear of corn per person, but I personally like more corn than spuds.

Q: What do I need to bring when I am picking up my live crawfish?
 
A: A few things, please.
 
A huge ice chest. Bigger is better. There is no such thing as too big, but too small can be a problem.
 
An un-opened bag or two of ice. If you forget, ice is available nearby.
 
Wet towels or old T shirts.
 
A large tarp is OK if you have no ice chest. Be smart. Bring an ice chest.

Q: Cant I just toss them in the bed of my truck and go?
 
A: Sure, if you'd like to kill your mudbugs. Three things will kill them really fast: sun, wind and water. So, don't expose them to any of these.
 
Even a few minutes exposed to wind and sun can cause you to lose up to 10 percent due to gill dry out. They were alive when they left our shop and we check each bag and show the customer.
 
We aren't responsible for dumb mistakes you make.

Q: Um, don't crawfish LIVE in water? Why can't I leave them in water for hours or even overnight to purge?
 
A: Yes, they DO live in water, but that water is constantly moving and being oxygenated by wind and under current you can't see.
 
Storing or placing your crawfish in water will kill them because they use up all the oxygen in a matter of minutes and suffocate and die right under your nose.
Dead crawfish cannot be cooked and must be thrown out. Cook and eat them anyway and they will make you sick.

Q: What is purging and why should I do this or not?
 
A: Purging is done basically to clean out the gills (lungs) of the crawfish, clean up the outside and make them taste better, especially if you are a head sucker.
Purging does NOT remove the sand vein from the tail contrary to popular and incorrect belief.
 
Purging is placing your live crawfish in salted water for about 30 minutes to get them to ingest the salt and freshen them up. Then, they are rinsed in clean, clear water and cooked right away. Do not attempt to purge in the sack, long term or overnight. Your reward will be dead mudbugs.
 
LSU recently finished up a study that confirms what I have said for decades: purging is a waste of time, salt and water, it doesn't do what people think it does about removing the black "doodle vein" from the tail, only freshens up the gills. If you won't listen to me, listen to the LSU study. Do what makes you happy, they are your crawfish, you are eating them.

Q: Bigger crawfish are better than smaller ones, right?
 
A: Bigger is better in some things but not with crawfish. Medium crawfish actually yield out more tail meat by weight, have better flavor, more tender shells and less waste than the big select crawfish, plus you can feed more people on a sack of medium bugs. Once again, LSU studies prove this point and agree with me.
 
Hey, I didn't even go to this school and I know this! Where's my darn diploma?

Q: I'm not cooking my live crawfish until the next day, how should I store them?
 
A: In a large ice chest, in the sack they come in. Cover the sack with a dripping wet towel or old t-shirt, place your UNOPENED bag of cubed ice on top, leave the lid cracked at least one half inch for air, keep them in a garage, a carport or even in the house. Do not place in the fridge. Do not expose to sun, wind or water, keep away from children, pets, wild critters, drafts, water and strong odors and chemicals. Do not leave them overnight in a kiddie pool (they will escape or raccoons will have a free buffet at your expense) Do not let them out of the sack, do not attempt to purge overnight, do not freeze.

DO NOT USE DRY ICE!!!! IT WILL KILL YOUR CRAWFISH!!!!

Q: What else do you sell that I can put in my crawfish boil or have for non crawfish eaters?
 
A: Andouille sausage, mild sausage, hot sausage, boudin sausage (7 varieties!) pork and alligator sausage, rope smoked sausage, all kinds of finfish and shellfish, oysters, shrimp, crab legs (3 sizes!) chicken, steak, pork chops, duck breast, frog legs, tamales...shall I go on?

Q: Do you sell the crawfish cooking pots and burner stands? Big pots are hard to find around here.
 
A: Yes, we do, big pots up to 120 quarts available for sale here at the shop, plus all kinds of cooking goodies from cypress wood stirring paddles to beer can chicken racks. You need it, we have it.

MORE QUESTIONS???? CALL US AT THE SHOP 501 833 3308 FLOYD'S MEAT AND SEAFOOD " Homesick Cajun HeadQuarters Since 1978"