Louisiana is the number one producer of many seafoods. Large supplies of fish and seafood are a result of the coastal estuaries. Estuaries are the lower part of the river where it meets the Gulf waters. Estuaries serve as the nursery grounds for shrimp, crab, oysters and the many types of finfish. Louisiana also has plenty of freshwater fish from its many bayous, rivers, and lakes. In Louisiana, people have learned how to raise seafood by farming in water. This is called aquaculture.
Catfish has long been an important business in the state. Around the turn of the century, the industry was centered at Morgan City. Today, most of the Louisiana catfish is farm-raised in the northern part of the state.
Fried catfish served with hush puppies, coleslaw and potato salad is a favorite meal. Other freshwater fish dishes include courtbouillon made from gaspergou, or gou, and red fish, fish boullettes made from garfish, and fried buffalo ribs made from buffalo fish.
The crawfish is Louisiana's official crustacean. A crustacean is a hardshell seafood. In the past, crawfish were harvested from bayous and wetland areas during the spring. In recent years, scientists have perfected crawfish farming. This has made it possible to grow crawfish throughout Louisiana. Today, most of the crawfish we eat comes from crawfish farms. The crawfish are farm raised during the winter and spring months. During the summer and fall, many farmers drain their ponds to grow rice. Crawfish raised in Louisiana is sold all over the United States and to foreign countries such as Sweden, Belgium, France, and Japan.
Crawfish and shrimp are served boiled and fried. Also, they are found in many traditional dishes such as étouffée, bisque, gumbo, stew, and crawfish pie.
Crawfish may be the main ingredient to many of the Cajun dishes, but shrimp is the central ingredient to many of the Creole dishes from New Orleans. Shrimp creole, barbecued shrimp, seafood gumbo, and shrimp stuffed creole eggplant are just a few traditional shrimp dishes. Louisiana consistently leads the nation in the production of shrimp. The shrimp industry is an important part of the state's culture. Catholic bishops or priests annually bless shrimp fleets in the coastal shrimping villages and in festivals in the southern parts of the state.
Family trips to the coast often bring people to places where families can go crabbing for blue crabs. Crabs can be boiled. For special occasions, the meat is hand picked from the shells and used to make many gourmet, or fancy, dishes. Crab meat is used in many casseroles, au-gratin toppings, or as a complement to fish dishes.
Department stores in Louisiana stock giant cookers, manufactured especially for boiling crawfish, shrimp, and crabs, out-of-doors. The backyard shellfish boil is among the more popular customs of south Louisiana. All of the foods (the shellfish, potatoes, and corn-on-the-cob) are boiled together in one pot with seasonings. The foods prepared this way are lower in fat than if they had been fried.
Oysters have long been a seafood favorite in Louisiana. Our warm Gulf waters are a perfect place for these bivalves to feed and grow. When spring flood waters of the Mississippi River bathe oyster beds with fresh water, the oysters have a sweet taste. Other times during the fall and winter, Louisiana oysters have a juicy, salty flavor. Oysters can be eaten all year found. There is no truth to the "old wives tale" that oysters can be eaten only during months with an "r" in the name.
Frogs are not as plentiful in Louisiana as they once were. Frog legs are fried, broiled, or used in sauce piquante. Some people think that frog legs taste like chicken. Turtle meat, especially the meat of the loggerhead turtle, is highly prized for making turtle soup and sauce piquante.
Since the state's alligator population is no longer in danger, alligator meat has become part of the Cajun cuisine. The meat from the tail of the alligator is considered choice. It has a very mild taste and can be used in recipes in place of veal, chicken and most seafood. The sale of alligator meat is very closely regulated by state laws.