Melanie Warner Spencer

Happy Monday, readers! Or at least we hope it’s a happy one. Today, we are visiting the crazy world of crawfish boils, because it’s crawfish season. Check out these hot, spicy “mudbugs”:

Admittedly, not everyone likes crawfish or can even fathom trying it. But if you are game, here are a couple of rules of the road:

Do

Use your hands, dig in and get dirty

Twist off the tail, pull the meat out of the shell and dip it in some melted butter

“Suck the head,” if that’s your thing. Exhibit A:

Enjoy a cold beer. We recommend the Louisiana brand, Abita. Exhibit B (for beer):

Don’t

Spatter your neighbors with juice

Cherry pick for only the biggest “bugs” (guilty)

Waste the crawfish (for example, tossing it if you don’t get a good crack)

Act prissy, after all you are supposed to use your hands and get dirty. UPDATE: Exhibit C (Your hostess Melanie demonstrating how not to twist off the tail):

Remember, a crawfish boil is a communal affair, so bring a friend, belly up and get ya some bugs!

Do you have any crawfish do’s or don’ts to share? Share in comments.

Cheers!