06/15/2026
Good afternoon, everyone and happy Monday :)
We've got a lot of great stuff to go over for the week but we're just going to cover seafood and the boils in this post.
First and foremost, thank you all for another amazing turnout at the boil this past weekend. We truly appreciate all the love and support ya'll show us and we hope to see you at the next one July 11th & 12th.
Now on to the hot topic of crawfish since there seems to a world of confusion about them in the State of Illinois which led to someone contacting the Health Department about us selling them.
So we're going to clear the confusion. There is only ONE commonly edible species of crawfish that's prohibited to import into the state live, Procambarus clarkii, or red swamp crayfish.
Procambarus acutus, or the white river crayfish are perfectly legal to import and possess live.
They are very similar for our purposes. Both species share the same habitats and live along side one another from Indania to Texas. In fact if you've ever eaten at a crawfish boil, even down south, you've likely had white river crawfish and probably didn't know the difference. When nets and traps are baited, they're both coming to eat, and there isn't an underwater doorman that only drops the velvet rope for one species. The key difference in consumption is in the head fat for those who like to suck the heads. The tail meat is identical in flavor and texture.
To recap, if you're an Illinois business wanting to have a seafood boil, you can buy live white rivers from a number of suppliers across southern states. You can also bring in red swamps that are steamed so you can still drop them in a pot with your own blend of spices to enjoy. Just like the snow and king crab that's available. Alternatively you can bring them in frozen, although this would be the least favorable option in our opinion.
There are also a ton of crawfish in Illinois waters, including red swamps, even though they are invasive. You can catch them, cook them, and eat them. All perfectly legal. Provided of course you are following all other laws and respective property rights.
The issue with red swamp crayfish and largely the reason they are labeled as invasive here, is one, because their burrowing habits can be destructive, two they can breed year round producing 3 or more broods, and three they mature rapidly causing populations to explode in a short amount of time, especially in areas like ours where there is no commercial harvesting or official season to help manage their numbers.
It may change one day, but for now, thems the breaks, and it's been that way statewide for years and years.
We're proud to bring you these fresh seafood boils and will continue to do so while complying with all the rules.
