Louisiana's Best-Kept Secret: A Fishing Town Full Of Mouthwatering Seafood Events

Louisiana perches loud and proud on America's stage, known for the hearty-party enclaves of New Orleans, the rich cultural cuisine of Cajun and Creole communities, and a deep connection to fishing industries both large and small. But small is an understatement when it comes to the charming fishing town of Delcambre. It spreads across Bayou Carlin in Iberia Parish, along Highway 14, sometimes referred to as the Delcambre Canal. It incarnates the concept of a working waterfront, with bobbing shrimp boats, rustic docks, and tide tables dictating daily life.  

As you can imagine, a whole lot of seafood ends up on home and restaurant tables throughout the region, as well as migrating to bigger cities and across state lines. But those in the know patiently await the biggest event of the year: the Delcambre Shrimp Festival. Tumbling through time since 1950, it's a quintessential small-town event, taking place rain or shine, and welcoming folks from all walks of life. It happens on the third weekend of August and runs for five days. 

In typical festival style, the whole town shows up for shrimp cook-offs, food booths, and concession stands dishing out jambalaya, boiled shrimp, shrimp boudin, and more — all honoring the local seafood that's sustained them for generations. There's a Blessing of the Fleets ceremony, boat parades, crowning of the Delcambre Shrimp Queen, and old-fashioned carnival rides. All ages are known to kick up their heels in the lively art of Cajun cultural fais-do-do dancing with fiddlers and accordion players. 

If you miss the August festival window, it's still possible to eat your way through fresh catches and prepared seafood dishes at the monthly Delcambre Seafood & Farmers Market at Bayou Carlin Cove Boat Landing and Pavilion. It operates on first Saturdays from April through December, with a break in July. Dozens of artists, crafters, and culinary purveyors dish out homemade foods and tasting samples, while live music lingers and family-friendly activities keep things lively. If you'd rather buy now and cook later, market vendors peddle fresh local seafood, including oysters and Gulf shrimp, straight off the boats in season.

The seafood identity of restaurants near Delcambre is a given, drawing folks from near and far to tuck into the freshest daily catches from the Port of Delcambre. Dining in the actual town of Delcambre tends toward quirky, authentic spots such as the lively Hot Food Corner II, located inside a gas station on Highway 14. Seafood platters and shrimp po-boys routinely perch on the menu, but the real draw is "seafood Fridays" with local seafood cropping up in shrimp étouffées, court-bouillons, and fried shrimp or fish. 

Just three miles away in Erath, you'll find a raucous tumble of spicy Cajun seafood at places like Big John's Seafood Patio and the tiny mom-and-pop T-Bob's Seafood, specializing in crawfish and shrimp boils. Bon Creole in New Iberia, a lunch-counter restaurant about a 20-minute drive from Delcambre, is well known for its thick Cajun seafood gumbo, seafood baskets (including oysters), and catfish po-boys.

When visiting the fishing town of Delcambre outside festival or market days, Delcambre Direct Seafood connects buyers with arriving fishing boats for fresh crabs, shrimp, and fish. You can also angle for fish straight from the cove's fishing pier. If visiting by boat, 28 slips at North Pier Marina serve as a launching point for fishing in Intracoastal City, Vermilion Bay, Bayou Blanc, or Southwest Pass. Local charter companies get you on the water with little or no expertise needed.

Road-tripping around the Delcambre area provides access to a quietly huge chunk of American food culture on nearby Avery Island. The quaint little bump of land (actually a salt dome) rising from the water is home to world-famous TABASCO Sauce, made by the McIlhenny family on Avery Island for generations. Things here are casually understated from a visitor's point of view — just friendly working folks sharing their slice of Americana. 

On my own fascinating visit to Avery Island, it was easy to explore freelance-fashion, roaming the 170-acre Jungle Garden teeming with thousands of sheltered birds, wildlife, bamboo groves, and mesmerizing moss-draped oak trees. Wandering through serenely silent gardens, I suddenly stumbled across a Buddhist pagoda and centuries-old Buddha statue, with no other human soul in sight. It's possible to dive deeper into Tabasco culture with factory tours, museum visits, the pepper greenhouse, barrel warehouse, and culinary courses. At the rustic onsite restaurant, rivers of Tabasco sauce meander through the menu, flavoring classic Cajun dishes such as my favorite, crawfish étouffée, and chicken-sausage gumbo.