Robert Shaver, of Shaver’s Catering in Shreveport, discusses how to get all the succulent meat you can from mudbugs.

“Most people just pop the tail off, and they peel the rings and then squeeze the back part of the tail to make the meat pop out. The correct way is to lift the tail way up high, put your thumb under the bottom of it and push the tail back down onto itself, then turn it to the right or left and pull it out. You won’t have to peel those rings - it will leave half of the rings on your crawfish,” he said. “No matter what, pop the tail and peel the first ring or two off and grab it with your teeth and pinch the back of the tail and it’s a lot faster than trying to peel the whole tail.”

“Sucking the head is where all the good yellow fat is – the best thing to know about that is you grab him real good where you pulled the tail out. Then squeeze the crawfish and suck the tail real hard and you’ll get all that good yellow fat and everything,” Shaver said. He jokes about being successful getting those fatty juices. “The best thing to remember is if you feel the eyeball come all the way through and you feel it roll on the tip of your tongue, then you’ve done it just right.” Don’t worry – it’s not physically possible, folks!