SEMO Crawfish Compay: Crawdads invade Jackson in the most delectable way

"And if you gaze long into your food, your food also gazes into you."

This irreverent morphing of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's quote was uppermost in my mind when I unpacked my to-go order from SEMO Crawfish Company. Crawdads galore, all tails and claws and heads with antennae. Huge head-on shrimp, which supposedly deepens the sweet flavor that processed examples lack. Eyes, eyes everywhere, and I couldn't wait to dig in. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

SEMO Crawfish Company was one place I simply couldn't wait my standard two months to visit. Usually, I give a place time to find their groove before I visit and tell you what I think about it, but I have been waiting for this place to open for what feels like forever now. And I really have been waiting years for someone, anyone, to serve an honest, old-fashioned boil. A boil is a traditional Creole dish that involves boiling crawdads (crawfish, crayfish, mudbugs), vegetables and sometimes other kinds of meats (seafood, sausage) in a huge pot of water doused with Creole seasoning.

SEMO Crawfish Company offers two kinds of boils, and I went for the Low-Country Boil. Tons of crawdads, huge whole shrimp, crab legs, potatoes, corn and andouille sausage made locally by Stonie's Sausage Shop in Perryville, Missouri, spilled across my table. Eating a boil is never tidy, and that's part of the fun.

How do you eat a crawdad? You break it in half right behind the legs, and hold onto the tail. Run a fork tine down the bottom of the tail just inside the shell. A gentle pull out, and the shell parts, giving you access to the meat. A perfect bite-sized morsel, more tender than lobster and with a flavor mild and all its own, the meat is permeated with SEMO Crawfish Company's Cajun seasoning, giving it just the right tingle on your lips and tongue without causing discomfort.

Submitted by Rececca LaClair

Now, you may look at the front half of the crawdad that you're not supposed to eat and think, "What a waste." I know I do. I've pried open the claws to see what kind of wonderful claw meat might be inside, and let me tell you, it is not worth the effort. However, there is a tradition of eating crawdads that can utilize the front half of the little crustacean. You put the broken front half of the crawdads to your lips and suck, slowly and gently. You will get a smattering of rich Cajun spiced seafood broth, deep in flavor and delicious. Though "sucking heads" kind of sounds disgusting, I encourage you to try it, just once. Personally, I don't suck every single head of crawdads I eat, but I do enjoy tasting about every third one, especially if the tail meat was exceptionally sweet.

You eat the head-on shrimp exactly the same way you would a normal "peel-and-eat" shrimp. You break it behind the head, peel off the shell and legs, and enjoy. For the record, I don't suck the heads of shrimp at all. I don't find the flavor as rich as the crawdads, and I get plenty of meat from the bodies of these huge shrimp to feel like I didn't waste the animal.

The andouille sausage was mild and delicious. Sausage is a must in a good boil. I find the heavy greasiness of a sausage perfectly complements the light delicate meat of seafood, and mixes in my mouth in a delightful way.

The corn was sweet and crisp, not overcooked, and the potatoes are perfect for dragging through the inevitable broth at the bottom of the plate. I thoroughly enjoyed this boil, and I will order again. I also bought a bag of spices while visiting, and will treat myself to a homemade boil soon.

Sleek, white and clean, the restaurant itself was lovely and spare. The entire back wall is glass, framing a green growth of trees and a large outside seating area. I can't wait to eat there in person and see how they present the boil to diners.

If your food stares at you, don't be afraid to stare back. Try something new, or revisit an old favorite, and let SEMO Crawfish Company clean up the mess when you're done.

You can find SEMO Crawfish Company at 3582 East Jackson Boulevard in Jackson.