I’m a Seattle native living on the Coast. I just experienced boiled crawfish in Gulfport.

When I was asked to try the Sun Herald’s winner for best crawfish, I jumped at the opportunity.

Although well versed in seafood because I’m from Miami by way of Seattle, authentic boiled crawfish had escaped me. So I figured since I’m living on the Mississippi Coast now, I had to give it a try.

Pulling up to Claw Daddy’s, visitors are greeted to a white and red metal building with a sign reading “CLAWDADDY’S CRAWFISH” and a small lot filled with cars parked every which way.

Once inside, Sun Herald editor Justin Mitchell and I ordered a pound of crawfish, had it smothered in butter and seasoning, promptly set out to the back and sat at a metal table where we prepared to dig in. Spoiler alert: Justin is not a seafood eater, so I was delightfully left with the whole pound to devour myself.

Claw Daddy’s recently won Sun Herald’s first-ever Crawfish Bracket, beating out 15 other restaurants across the Coast. More than 287,000 votes in total were cast in the bracket.

Cameron Cuevas, the third-generation owner of Claw Daddy’s, says on a typical weekday he sells between 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of crawfish, on weekends double that.

In a typical week, he moves over 100,000 pounds of crawfish out of the inconspicuous shack.

Once you crack into the messy meal, it’s easy to see why.

Diners have the option to order mild or spicy, the latter of which sells twice as many, and the crawfish are then weighed and packaged.

The spicy crawfish have just the right level of kick and bring an intense classic Cajun flavor that one would expect.

Although I learned it a little too late, workers are happy to help explain to the uninitiated how to pop the meat out of the tails to enjoy, and one worker referred to customer service as the stores “specialty.”

“I grew up here running through the store as a kid and helping (my grandfather) season the pots,” says Cuevas, who took over the store from his grandmother about five years ago.

Cuevas’ grandfather founded the store. When he passed away from pancreatic cancer, Cuevas’ grandmother took over before eventually passing it on to him.

“They built the foundation and I built on it,” Cuevas said.

The father of three says the work is chaotic but he enjoys it.

“I love the atmosphere,” he said. “I love walking through the line talking to everyone, from the people who work for me to the customers.”

For those who prefer something besides crawfish, Claw Daddy’s also offers an assortment of other shellfish and sides, including Dungeness crab, potatoes and sausages.

For those who wish to visit, Claw Daddy’s is open Tuesday-Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is located at 15261 Russell Blvd.

This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 4:48 PM.