What To Know Before You Buy

Due to the seasonal nature of crawfish, and the unpredictable nature of the exact months contained in that season, buying crawfish at any time can cause some uncertainty. The Spruce Eats says that for people who live in the crustacean’s harvesting regions, it’s possible to get them fresh any time of the year. That means crayfish enthusiasts who reside in prime mudbug locales, such as Louisiana, the Pacific Northwest, China, or parts of California, which Seafood Source says are major harvesting locations, are likely to be able to dine on crawdads nearly all year long.

H-E-B stores are largely located in Texas, home of the aptly-named Texas Roadhouse, where the company is based. While Texas isn’t Louisiana, the close proximity makes it possible that certain H-E-B locations might have fresh crawfish anytime the crustacean craving strikes. On the other hand, Texas is huge, so the farther one goes west, away from the rich Louisiana swamps, the less likely the stores are to stock much that’s straight out of the water.

That won’t necessarily stop each store from offering crawfish, but the company’s website specifies that it offers “Live Louisiana Crawfish in Season.” Thus, going at the wrong time could mean that you get a frozen pretender, rather than the real thing.