Viet-Cajun crawfish
Photo: Phương Huy · CC BY-SA 4.0

Live Louisiana crawfish boiled in lemongrass-and-spice court bouillon, then tossed in garlic butter laced with cayenne, paprika and Vietnamese seasonings. Eaten by hand off newspaper.

Viet-Cajun crawfish was developed by Vietnamese-American boilers in the Houston Asiatown along Bellaire Boulevard through the 2000s. The base technique came from the Cajun boil tradition that Vietnamese refugees encountered when they settled along the Gulf Coast in the 1970s and 80s. The breakthrough was adding garlic, butter, lemongrass, ginger and chillies to the post-boil toss. Trong Nguyen opened Crawfish and Noodles in 2008 and got a James Beard semifinalist nod by 2018. Cajun House, Cajun Kitchen and the LA-based Boiling Crab chain all trace back to the Houston style. Crawfish season runs late February to early June; the boil tradition has since gone national.

1 editor pick for Viet-Cajun crawfish in Houston, ranked by editorial score. All Houston signature dishes · Viet-Cajun crawfish across every city.

Crawfish and Noodles ★ 4.4

$$Cajun & CreoleBellaire Asiatown

Crawfish and Noodles in Houston is Trong Nguyen's Viet-Cajun room on Bellaire Boulevard since 2008, the country's defining Viet-Cajun crawfish boil.

OrderA pound of crawfish (in season Feb to June), the blue crab in house garlic butter, salt-pepper shrimp.

TipCrawfish are seasonal. October to January menu pivots to blue crab and Dungeness. Cash card surcharges apply.

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