Crawfish in Indianapolis: Live and Cooked Crawfish at Caplinger's, by the Pound and on the Cajun Menu
Where to find real seafood in Indianapolis, and what makes it worth the trip.
Where to find real seafood in Indianapolis, and what makes it worth the trip.
For a long time, crawfish in Indianapolis meant a cooler in the back of somebody's truck coming up from Louisiana. Caplinger's Fresh Catch changed that. The market brings in live crawfish during the season, boils them in the kitchen with the same seasoning that goes into the seafood boil, and keeps crawfish etouffee on the Cajun side of the menu for the rest of the year. Whether you want a sack to boil in the backyard or a plate at the counter, this is how crawfish works at Caplinger's.
Crawfish season runs roughly from late winter into early summer, with the best supply and the biggest crawfish usually landing in spring. During the season Caplinger's Fresh Catch brings live crawfish into the market and sells them by the pound and by the sack. Call ahead. Live crawfish come in on a schedule and go out fast, especially before a weekend, and the counter can tell you what is arriving and hold a sack under your name. Ask for them purged and ready to cook, and plan on three to five pounds per person for a boil where crawfish are the main event.
If you would rather not run a boil yourself, the kitchen does it. Boiled crawfish are seasoned and cooked at Caplinger's, sold hot by the pound with corn and potatoes when you want the full spread, and they travel well for a party across town. The seasoning is the house Cajun blend, hot enough to be honest and not so hot it hides the sweetness of the meat. This is also the easiest way to try crawfish for the first time: a pound at the counter, a lesson in how to twist the tail and pinch the meat out, and you are in.
When live crawfish are out of season, crawfish do not leave the building. Crawfish etouffee sits on the Cajun menu year round, a rich, roux based stew of crawfish tails over rice, alongside bayou redfish and the rest of the Cajun side of the kitchen. Eat it in at the market or take it home. It is the plate a lot of regulars order on the days they are not there for the fish counter at all. https://caplingersfreshcatch.com/blog/eating-in-at-caplingers-seafood-kitchen-indianapolis-what-to-order/ covers the rest of the menu for anyone eating in for the first time.
A crawfish boil is the easiest big party there is, because the food is the entertainment. Order live crawfish a few days ahead and pick them up the day of the boil. Rinse them, purge if you like, and keep them cool and shaded until the pot is ready. The pot needs seasoning, lemons, onions, garlic, potatoes, corn and sausage, and it needs to be big; a large batch cooks in stages. Boil, soak, dump on the table, repeat. Caplinger's can sell you the crawfish, the sausage and the seasoning, and the https://caplingersfreshcatch.com/blog/how-to-throw-a-seafood-boil/ guide walks through the pot, the timing and the table for any seafood boil, crawfish included.
Neighborhood parties, church picnics, company cookouts and graduation weekends order crawfish from Caplinger's Fresh Catch every spring. For a large group the market can boil the crawfish, corn and potatoes and pack them hot for pickup, or supply live crawfish by the sack for a host who wants to run the pot. Caplinger's catering is large order and event food prepared in the kitchen and picked up or delivered; tell the counter the headcount, the date and whether you want it boiled or live, and they will size the order. Traditional shrimp and crab boils for a party are handled the same way.
Every boil has someone who has never done it. Hold the crawfish with both hands, twist where the head meets the tail, and pull. Pinch the bottom of the tail with one hand and pull the meat out with the other, peeling the first ring of shell if it does not slide free. The head holds the seasoned juices that regulars suck out; nobody is required to. Keep a roll of paper towels and a bowl for the shells within reach of every seat, and expect the table to get quiet for the first few minutes while people figure it out and loud after that.
Caplinger's Fresh Catch operates four locations across Indianapolis, each with a fish counter and a kitchen. Live crawfish supply can vary by location and by week, so call the one nearest you and ask what is in. If one location is out, another may not be.
When is crawfish season in Indianapolis? Live crawfish are generally available from late winter through early summer, with spring the peak. Boiled crawfish and etouffee depend on supply and the menu; call ahead.
How many pounds of crawfish per person? Three to five pounds per person when crawfish are the main course, less when they are one dish among several.
Do you sell crawfish already boiled? Yes. The kitchen boils crawfish with the house Cajun seasoning and sells them hot by the pound, with corn and potatoes on request.
Can you supply crawfish for a party? Yes. Live by the sack or boiled and packed for pickup. Order a few days ahead with a headcount.
Ready for crawfish? Call Caplinger's Fresh Catch to check what is in and reserve a sack.
NOAA Fisheries maintains a plain guide to sustainable seafood for anyone curious where crawfish and the rest of the case come from.