Forget The Gloves: Here's Why You'll Have A Better Crawfish Boil Without Them

If you've yet to have the pleasure of indulging in a seafood boil, let this be the year you take the plunge. Among the many briny delights to choose from, crawfish is a mainstay and one that requires a little finesse to properly enjoy. Tasting Table spoke to NOLA food history expert, Nicole Caridad Ralston, Ph.D, to get her tips and etiquette rules to follow at your first crawfish boil, and one of the main themes to focus on is accepting that it will be something of a messy affair. Per Ralston, if you can handle the spice and potential skin irritation, it's best to ditch the gloves and go all-in and hands-on for your very first crawfish boil experience.

Knowing how to properly eat crawfish like a pro involves leaving your hands unencumbered by gloves. There's really something to the tactile sensation of opening up shellfish with your bare hands, particularly if you're new to consuming crawfish. Unlike crab legs, these don't call for a cracking tool, just a little bit of elbow grease and curiosity.

To crack and peel crawfish, start by separating the head and tail. Slurp and juices from the head, and then carefully remove the meat from the tail to eat. Gloved hands can limit your dexterity for this and leave you with a mess of shell pieces and crawfish meat that could be difficult to pick through. With some exceptions, this is the best way to immerse yourself in the experience.

With any sort of rule, there is always an exception or two. For example, there are some people who have skin allergies or sensitivities for whom wearing gloves is the safest option. This could be a shellfish allergy that's limited to one's skin or even a sensitivity to the kind of spices used in a crawfish boil. Keeping this in mind, exercising caution with any sort of allergy or sensitivity is of the utmost importance.

Others with newborns or small children might also opt to wear gloves at a crawfish to avoid having their hands dirtied with spicy shellfish residue. Even after an intense hand washing, it can still be difficult to fully cleanse all the spices, oils, and more. For those who are able and willing to get dirtied up, one helpful tip is to keep a small stash of unscented wet wipes nearby for after your meal.

As with most things in life, getting the most out of a crawfish boil depends on what you bring to it. An open mind, hungry tummy, and desire to try something new is always a good look. Whether you choose to glove up or not, one phrase to keep in mind is, "a chacun son loisir," meaning, "to each, their own."