One lucky crustacean, Emile the Crawfish, was officially spared from future backyard boils today when Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser and Zatarain’s paired up for the second annual “Pardoning of the Crawfish." This unique event celebrates that crawfish season in the Gulf South is underway.

The crawfish of honor was dubbed Emile after the founder of Zatarain’s who first introduced seafood boil mixes in the 1920s.

Emile was selected for this honor by crawfish farmer, Barry Toups of Kaplan, Louisiana. The fortunate crawfish was then whisked away to the New Orleans Jazz Museum, brought down the red carpet to the soundtrack of a live zydeco band and placed in a regal habitat to receive his official pardon from Nungesser. The Louisiana Crawfish Queen was on hand to congratulate Emile on his newfound freedom.

“With Louisiana crawfish representing more than 90 percent of the domestic U.S. crawfish supply, we felt it important to free Emile from crawfish pots, etouffees, poboys and anywhere else people around the country enjoy crawfish this time of year. Emile is sure to enjoy his freedom in our beautiful state park along Bayou Segnette,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.

“Zatarain’s has been making crawfish irresistible for nearly a century,” said Claude Davis, Principal Product Developer for Zatarain’s. “Last year, we produced enough boil seasonings to perfectly flavor over 165 million pounds of delicious crawfish. So, it was important for us to give back to the crustacean community by creating this annual event and making sure Emile is never ‘a meal!”

Emile was safely released in the Bayou Segnette State Park by Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries to live out his days burrowing in the mud, foraging for food and determining which nomenclature he prefers, “crawfish,” “crayfish” or “mudbug.”

Since 1889, Zatarain's has been the authority on the fun and flavor of New Orleans. From its humble beginnings producing root beer extract, the company has grown to make more than 200 food products from Rice Dinner and Side Dish Mixes, Frozen Entrees, Pasta Mixes, Breadings, Seasonings, and Spices to Seafood Boils, Creole Mustard and other products based on authentic New Orleans–Style recipes and seafood preparation. Now, people across the U.S. recognize that to capture the true flavor of New Orleans cuisine, you have to "Jazz It Up with Zatarain's." For information, visit www.zatarains.com.