Tasty crustacean

Does your mouth water at the mere mention of the South Louisiana delicacy of fresh Louisiana shrimp? Then you need to be in Delcambre this week for the annual Delcambre Shrimp Festival.

The festivities begin tonight at 6:30 with Family Night at the street fair.

The concessions will be open and serving a wide variety of shrimp dishes, including shrimp sauce piquante, boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, shrimp pasta and shrimp po-boys. The concessions will be open throughout the festival.

On Saturday, the annual Shrimp Cookoff will be held with some of the best cooking teams battling for bragging rights for this year’s festival.

The dishes cooked for the judges always give them a difficult selection from which to choose winners. Visitors can sample the dishes beginning at 1:30 p.m., immediately after the 1 p.m. judging. Each dish will be sold for $2.50 or less.

The challenge for the cooks is that no water or electricity will be provided. Pre-cooked rouxs or pre-chopped vegetables are not allowed so the aroma will be sure to create an appetite if one is not brought with the visitors.

The dishes must have shrimp as the main ingredient. They will be judged on appearance, seasoning and overall taste.

Another crowd-pleaser is the musical line-up. This year the line- up will include local favorites like Jayrd Lane, Cajun Nation and Jamie Bergeron and the Kicking Cajuns, but nationally known recording artists Joe Stampley and Aaron Tippin.

There is a $5 gate fee on Friday and Saturday with no gate fee on the other days.

Sunday features the Fisherman’s Mass and the Blessing of the Fleet, one of the highlights of the festival.

This year’s Shrimp Queen, Lacey Blanchard, 19, of New Iberia, will reign over the five-day festival.

All activities will be held on the Delcambre Shrimp Festival Grounds.

Festival committe members are hoping for good weather and turnout.