The Jasper County village of Bay Springs, twenty miles from Laurel, Mississippi, was named in 1901 for an artesian spring flowing from the trunk of a bay laurel; it flows still to this day. I always think of that town when I make this dish. Introducing freshwater crawfish to leaves from a bay laurel, traditional pickling spices, and tarragon vinegar prepares them to sit on top of salads and toasts.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　2 (12-ounce) packages frozen cleaned and peeled crawfish tails, defrosted

　　1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

　　1/2 cup tarragon vinegar

　　1/4 cup olive oil

　　3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

　　6 whole black peppercorns

　　2 whole allspice berries

　　1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

　　1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

　　1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

　　1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

　　1/2 teaspoon dill seeds

　　1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

　　4 bay leaves

　　1 cinnamon stick

　　4 whole cloves

　　1 star anise

　　1 tablespoon sugar

　　1/2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

　　

Step 1

Put the crawfish tails and onion in a large glass container.

　　

Step 2

Bring 1 cup water, the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, peppercorns, allspice, coriander seeds, celery seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, dill seeds, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise, sugar, and ginger to a boil in a nonreactive saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Pour the hot liquid over the crawfish and onion. Let cool, then cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.

　　

Notes

Step 3

If you like, 1 1/2 pounds peeled boiled shrimp can be substituted for the crawfish in this recipe.

　　

Step 4

I like to serve these with assorted pickled peppers and vegetables for a spicy snack with cocktails or on top of leafy green salads. Quite good stirred into pasta salads, too.

　　

Step 5

This pickling-spice mixture works well with many recipes that call for pickling spice. Make a big old batch of this spice blend (minus the fresh ginger) to give as gifts for friends who are into home canning.

　　A Southerly Course