Castnet Seafood

Dishes mentioned

• Boiled Shrimp

  I immediately bite down on that head. The juicy head butter is released and the flavor of that seasoning comes through and just hits all of your taste buds. That seasoning is incredible. It does have some spice to it, like immediately your lips kind of tingle a little bit. Maybe that's from the cayenne. But then you taste the flavor of the garlic, the trinity of the Cajun seasonings and Creole seasonings in there, the lemon in there, a bit of acidity. And because it boils in that broth, in that bathtub, that jacuzzi of liquid, it absorbs all that seasoning and that flavor. That's just incredible.

• Freshly Shucked Oysters

  I eat them pure, nothing on it. That's actually cold. That melts in your mouth. Really fresh, of course. Sometimes you get oysters that are really salty, really oceany. These ones have this really clean less salty flavor to them. But just plump, melt in your mouth, delicious. For my next one I douse it in some Crystal Louisiana Hot Sauce. With that crystal, that saltiness, that acidity. That vinegary acidity added to the plump oyster. Great texture, melt in your mouth, and plump all at the same time. Delicious and very refreshing.

• Gumbo

  There's rice in the bottom when they serve it. There's oysters, some of the sausage, some of the shrimp. It smells good. You immediately smell that smokiness of the sausage in there as well. The flavor of that sausage is incredible. And then you taste the herbs in here as well. You taste the flavor of the roux. And the roux is like a flour which has been sautéed down with fat to thicken it and then to make it give it that like brown gravy flavor and aroma to it. This is so warming. And then all that seafood as well. You taste the flavor of the oysters and the shrimp in there as well. Gumbo is something that's just so warming, so comforting. And I like that that thick texture with that rice. It's one of the most iconic foods of New Orleans that you have to eat. Oh, this is really good. Just pure, warm comfort food.

• Boiled Crawfish

  I twist off the body, open it up and look on the inside. The fat comes out. The fat and juice. Before we dig into the body though, got to suck out all the head butter juices. That's where a lot of flavor lives. That's just a shot of the crawfish juice and all those boiling seasonings and you taste the flavor, the acidity of the lemon as well. That's a lot of flavor. That's incredible. Now for the body, I peel the first two scales and pop out the whole body. The sweetness of it, the texture mixed with that fat. It's a perfect harmony. It's rich. It's so flavorful. That seasoning is just perfection. And it's just a harmony of all those flavors. The cayenne pepper, the pepper, it's just all the flavors of Louisiana and crawfish that you want in your mouth all at the same time. It takes a little bit of effort to open, but you are rewarded with one of the tastiest little most addictive little creatures you will ever eat. You can understand why people just sit around for hours enjoying a crawfish boil, having a drink, socializing. You could just keep on eating non-stop and just overwhelming your taste buds with delicious flavor. Crawfish really are like the perfect little crustacean vessel for absorbing that flavor in that broth, just magnifying the tastiness. They're a perfect food, meal, snack.

• Fried Shrimp Po'Boy

  It's so heavy and you can see the juices coming through. That's why po'boys are wrapped in paper. It's totally loaded, completely packed full of fried shrimp and that seasoning. This is their famous fried shrimp po'boy. Again, one of the iconic foods of New Orleans. This one is impressive because of the quantity of shrimp. And again, we're at the source of the seafood, so guaranteed freshest shrimp. And they're battered, then that egg batter, the wet egg batter, then the cornmeal goes on to make them extra crispy, then that seasoning and just again, fully loaded, absolutely stuffed. You know it's a good po'boy when it's just spilling with shrimp. There has to be like five layers of shrimp in this sandwich from that cross-section. That crispy breading the peppery seasoning the mayonnaise the bread is soft and yet it's crusty and durable all at the same time to be able to hold everything together. So, it has like the crust of the bread has this amazing kind of chewy texture to it. And then the seasonings the toppings are simple, just with the crunch of the lettuce, the acidity of the tomato, and focusing on the freshness of those fried shrimp. Now I know why everyone mentions the shrimp po'boy that you have to try it when you're here. Delicious. Guaranteed fresh and gigantic.