NJ June Massacre

As many of you know, my trip to New Orleans for JazzFest was trumped by my need to stay home and heal from bone breakage.  To make up for it, we promised ourselves that we would not miss the annual Crawfish Festival held in Sussex County at the beginning of June.  And, true to form, last Saturday, day 1 of the festival, was awesome. 

First, the weather.  You can’t plan for it.  We’ve been there in years when the temperature hit 90 degrees easily.  The first year we went, we did so without knowledge of traditions and we were terribly unprepared.  On the way there, I had to stop at a Marshall’s to get a pair of shorts.  That said, this year, it was 71 degrees with a breeze and mostly sunny skies.  Perfect.

To do Crawfish Fest right, you need to BYOS…bring your own shade.  After that first year, I found a portable tent for $30 at Walmart, and we’ve since gotten fantastic use out of it.  I think we’ve used it at least 10 times.  Rubber mallet is packed semi-permanently with it so that we can hammer in the stakes to keep it from blowing away.  Two blankets, two adult chairs and two kids chairs later, and we were set.  Marcia Ball was up next and the smell of Cajun cooking was high in the air.  Time to eat.

It’s a difficult choice.  Sara immediately went for the crawfish bread…similar to pepperoni bread complete with cheese and mud-bug tails.  She also brought me a tray of boiled crawfish, potatoes and corn on the cob.  Just as good as ever.  This is the massacre part…they truck in thousands of live crawfish for this event and boil them on site in these enormous boiling vats.  When the timer dings, they winch the crawfish up and literally (not figuratively) shovel them out into trays for waiting patrons.  

 

Courtesy of Andrea J. Bartholomew Photography and the Michael Arnone Crawfish Festival

The true way to eat them is fairly simple: gently twist the tail off…suck the heads, and then pinch/squeeze the meat from the underside/bottom of the tail until it separates slightly and then just pop it into your mouth. 

Real men suck the heads. 

Band changed, and next up was the Raw Oyster Cult…kind of a New Orleans supergroup of bands we’ve come to know from getting to the Big Easy periodically: Radiators, Papa Grows Funk, and Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes.  Fantastic set which included a Cajun version of the Dead’s “Morning Dew.”  I’m sold.  Where’s the CDs at?

Then I hobbled over to catch the end of Bonerama’s set.  There’s nothing more powerful than a 4-trombone front.  In addition to originals like “Shake your Rugalator”, they also kick ass at covers including “Gimme Shelter” and “The Ocean.”  Trombones rule!

More music needs more food.  As the kids were demolishing a plate of chicken nuggets and fries, I head out to find more grub.  Passing on the alligator sausage (mixed with ground pork for extra flavored goodness) and the chicken/sausage jambalaya I decided to hit the critters again.  Hello crawfish etouffee.  It’s like a roux-based (browned flour oil and butter) crawfish stew…rich and buttery, with veggies and okra, typically served over rice.  That said, this one was passable, and certainly appropriate for a festival crowd: tasty, especially with the addition of some Crystal Hot Sauce. 

 

Courtesy of Andrea J. Bartholomew Photography and the Michael Arnone Crawfish Festival

Finally, as the Funky Meters took the stage, the question request was for ice cream.  After reviewing the lines, it was apparent that we could stand there for another day before we got to the front.  The concession was perfect in that it was thematic, and that Jude agreed to it: beignets.  Is there anything better than fried dough?  In addition to the dumpling, this fritter-esque pastry has siblings all over the world including Italian Zeppoles and Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cake.  Still delicious any way you cut it, and the perfect ending to a fantastic day out. 

If you have the ability to get to Northern New Jersey next June, it’s a must see, and the most unique festival I’ve been to in the Garden State.