The Crayfish Hunt Part 2

While the fire is being built, Hugo and I walk across the river to a tiny village to buy fresh tortillas. The swinging bridge is still the only way to access the town, but they have finally started to build a bridge across the river. Progress. To me it is sad to loose the charm of a town with no cars, but I'm sure most residents are glad to see it happen. Hugo says they cut down a hundred year old tree, one of his favorites, because it was in the path of the new bridge. He curses them for the havoc the preparation for the bridge has already caused.
As I cross the river, I see exactly how big it is. It is really a peice of heaven, and as a kayaker, I long to ride it.

Unfortunately, the people of Mexico tend to use rivers as garbage cans. This one, which I believe is the Rio de Pescados, is remarkably clean, for the simple reason that it flows from the mountains where few live, and livestock are not kept because of the steep terrain. It could be Mexico's cleanest river. As it gets closer to the shore, and the land flattens out, and the population gets denser, it becomes polluted.
Arriving back at camp, Julio has got the veggies all in the pot, and they are cooking nicely in the oil. In a few minutes, he tosses in the crayfish, and they quickly turn color to deep orange. The pot smells great !
After a while the simmering mass is put aside. Julio throws the tortillas directly onto the white coals, and before they burn, snatches them off and deposits them on a hot rock.
We are ready to eat!
He shows me their method. First you take a tortilla, shake off the ash, then add a second one to thicken the mass. Then you scoop up the mixture and make a taco out of it.

These guys devour all- including the heads!
I have eaten a ton of shrimp and crawfish in my life...but never the heads.
Until now. Muy CRUNCHY.










The first one was hard....But it tasted fantastic. No, sublime. The second one was easier. You get the point!