Bibs at the ready – get messy with Louisiana Redclaw’s saucy crayfish catch in Fortitude Valley
Few dishes get our mouths watering as quickly as a steaming Cajun crawfish boil. Those of you that have toured America’s southern states might have encountered this bountiful haul, and now fans of this seductive seafood feast will flip to know that a new eatery is delivering its own spin on Viet-Cajun boils. Louisiana Redclaw is upping the spice factor and encouraging patrons to dig in to its range of signature boils. Don your bibs and grab some napkins – it’s going to get messy in the best way.
Ask anyone that has experienced it – an authentic Cajun crawfish boil is a food experience worth travelling for. Harry Nguyen and Rose Le savoured the experience when they journeyed to the United States in 2017, sampling crawfish boils for the first time at an institution called The Boiling Crab. The couple immediately fell in love with the aromatic and succulent Cajun-spiced crawfish, oysters, shrimp and shellfish, and decided that it was the type of food that Brisbane eaters would go gaga for. Harry and Rose were particularly interested in the tweaks that had been given to the traditional crawfish boil by the American Vietnamese community, with the Viet-Cajun fusion growing in popularity across the country. Enlisting the culinary expertise of Rose’s sister Anna and her partner Khang Hua to help formulate the recipes, the foursome soon secured a location in Fortitude Valley’s M&A Lane for Louisiana Redclaw – their very own Viet-Cajun-inspired restaurant where fresh Australian and imported seafood is imbued with spices and boiled to perfection.
Those dining at Louisiana Redclaw should make the Louisiana Signature Boil their first port of call. Groups (yes, you’re going to need a team of pals to get through it all) are encouraged to sample one of its sizeable signature platters – the Redclaw classic, quartet and deluxe. Instead of the crawfish found in abundance in America, Louisiana Redlcaw foregrounds its distant cousin – the Australian redclaw crayfish yabby. These beauties are joined in the mix by local prawns, snow crabs, spanner crabs, Maine lobsters, mussels, clams, corn, potato and smoked sausage before being doused in spices and aromatics. Before you dig in, you have to get a little bit saucy. Get your platter doused in the likes of natural lemon sauce, Redclaw herb remoulade, Cajun Kicker, Redclaw Original, Redclaw Zing or the super-hot Burn Baby Burn sauces. If platters aren’t your thing, feel free to opt for serves of separate seafood by the pound with sides including clam chowder, potato and bacon salad, corn hush puppy fritters or salt and pepper calamari. If you’re thirsty, make a splash with one of Louisiana Redclaw’s classic cocktails, wines and beers.
Louisiana Redclaw is now open. You can find contact details and opening hours over in the Stumble Guide.
The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.
