Bluewater Boathouse held their monthly Second Tuesday Tasting on April 9, with a Taste of Louisiana: CRAWFISH BOIL & GUMBO. Bluewater chefs wow tastebuds with a new, Louisiana-inspired menu of whole crawfish seasoned with Cajun sauces followed by a beautifully presented Crawfish Gumbo. For the Tuesday Tasting you are also treated to a cocktail meant to cool the authentic spices, with a choice between a Sazerac or Gin Fizz, or a draft beer or house red or white wine. Personally, I would recommend going with a local IPA and thought the Oderville Modern Times was a great pairing. For those who missed the Tuesday Tasting event, Bluewater is offering the same menu without cocktail, wine or beer pairing for $40, April 10-30.
According to the Cuisine History provided on the menu, “the Crawfish Boil tradition in Louisiana dates back to pre-colonial times, the Acadians who had arrived in Louisiana after the great expulsion started catching and eating crawfish. As the Acadians became the Cajuns, the tradition of eating crawfish continued. In 1960 the first crawfish festival was held and crawfish started gaining popularity in Louisiana. Now people continue to gather to share the Cajun tradition each spring.” As you sit down to enjoy your feast, prepare to get messy. While crawfish boils are family traditions, the method in which you have to get the meat from the crawfish is a bit surprising, a bit fun, but not for the faint of heart. The menu provides directions on how to eat the crawfish: 
Remove the head by twisting it off from the tail, suck the meat and juices out of the head, then turn your attention to the tail. Next you crack the tail to get to the meat, remove the vein and then enjoy the meat which is similar to the succulent taste of lobster tail and very much worth the effort and the mess.
After you finish the crawfish boil, you will be presented with the crawfish gumbo, a dish with rice, a strong broth, crawfish tails, okra and sausage along with onions and celery. It is easier, and a lot less messy, to eat with delicious flavors and a kick.
As always at Bluewater Boathouse, your meal begins with freshly baked, warm sourdough loaf and butter. It is my weakness but I try to limit myself so I can enjoy the rest of the meal. For this tasting I brought my son Dylan who loves the bread and really enjoyed the experience of the crawfish boil, “the crawfish are really good, and the gumbo is spicy and filling, I really like the atmosphere and we got lucky with a great view!” The atmosphere at Bluewater Boathouse is inviting and warm with a nautical theme that sets the stage for the meal. The views of Coronado Yacht Club, the bay and the bridge make you appreciate what a special and beautiful place Coronado is.
Bluewater hosts monthly tasting events every second Tuesday, featuring seasonal seafood specialty items paired with hand-selected wines or specialty draught beers. You can find Bluewater special events on the Coronado Times calendar. For menus, locations and operating hours for the seven unique Bluewater restaurants in Southern California and Arizona, go to www.bluewatergrill.com. You can follow each restaurant on Facebook, or the Bluewater family on Twitter and Instagram.
