207. Sam Irwin. Crawfish, part 1.

207. Part 1 of our interview with Sam Irwin. Sam is the author of  Louisiana Crawfish: A Succulent History of the Cajun Crustacean. Sam Irwin is a freelance photojournalist living in Baton Rouge. He is a native of Breaux Bridge, the Crawfish Capital of the World, and spent much of his childhood in Henderson, Louisiana at Amy's Fisheries, his grandfather's fish and crawfish market. Sam is the former press secretary of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry and a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He has also been a history teacher, a Cajun music dancehall operator and the owner of a record store.

Recipe for Crawfish Bisque.
From Cooking in Old Creole Days.
Take two or three dozen crawfish, throw them in boiling water for a minute or two, clean them thoroughly. Take off the heads, empty them, and clean them and wash them, keeping the fat part of the tails. Put them on a chopping board with the fat, a little chicken or veal, a little stale bread, chop it all fine together, flavor with pepper, red or black, a laurel leaf, or put in a bouquet of aromatic herbs for a few minutes, having tied it with a thread so as to pull it out. Brown all this in a saucepan with a spoonful of lard. Stuff the crawfish heads tight with this. Put them in a saucepan to simmer with a quart of bouillon for an hour or more, until you have a good soup. Serve hot.

— Mme. Josephine Nicaud,
Who has been for over forty years in Ambassador Eustis’ family.

1. This week in Louisiana history.
   
• May 7, 1862. The Union Army captures Baton Rouge during the Civil War
• May 7, 1863. Alexandria captured by Union troops during the Civil War
2. This week in New Orleans history. On May 6, 1770, the Cabildo attorney requested soliciting  the establishment of a body of horse police.
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Bobby Love and Friends Thursday, May 11
   5:00 PM CST
   Venue information:
   Vaso's 500 Frenchmen St. New Orleans, LA 70116
   504.272.0929

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