ACROSS ACADIANA — Mardi Gras is almost here, which means Lent is just around the corner.
During that time, many across Acadiana participate by giving up most meats, but alongside your classic fish fry is another acceptable protein: crawfish.
KATC is here to help make sure you're getting the best deal each week by tracking crawfish prices in the area. Our CRAWDAQ Index Report logs the rise and fall of the cost for five pounds of crawfish throughout a nine-week period.
Heading into the peak of the season, we reached out to several boiling spots to find out how they're feeling about the season so far, and we're hearing positive things. Despite the freeze that put a damper on the first few weeks, Jett's Crawfish Drive-Thru in Rayne said they believe "the crawfish will soon be plentiful, as we have already started to see an increase in crawfish starting this week now that the weather has warmed up."
Brad Boulet, the new owner of Boulet's Boil-N-Go in Rayne, said "We're looking forward to a promising season!"
When you compare this week's prices across Acadiana to those we saw in February of 2024, it does look like quite a promising season. So far, prices are looking lower than they were the season after the summer 2023 drought. With Lent being earlier this year, we don't have prices from this time in 2025 to compare.
After surveying 29 restaurants across eight parishes in Acadiana, we found the average price for five pounds of boiled crawfish as of Feb. 12 is $43.35. That's an average of $8.67 per pound.
Here's a look at the price for five pounds at some of your favorite boiling spots:
If you would like to have your business added to our weekly report, please email calyn.lamanno@katctv.com.
*Please note: Any prices for four pounds were first converted to a five-pound equivalent before being added into the average price equation.
