Behind the Business: Claw Daddy’s

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) – Hot, boiled crawfish is how Claw Daddy’s in Gulfport was first established.

“This location, we’ve been here a little over 30 years,” explained Cameron Cuevas. “My grandpa started this.

Now, years later, third-generation Cuevas is in charge and serving up the family’s signature seasoning recipe on not only the crawfish, but also the shrimp, crab legs, potatoes, corn, and sausages.

“So we cook with only our original seasoning. My grandfather came up with the recipe and, just like the pot in the back? My grandpa custom-built that pot just like our seasoning. He custom-built our seasoning. You can’t get it at a grocery store. It’s only in-house here at Claw Daddy’s.”

Out back, there’s a shed where thousands of crawfish are cleaned before going into any pot.

Cuevas adds that demand for their crawfish has grown over the years. The crew boils three anywhere from 3,000 lbs. to 4,000 lbs. a day — and even more on the weekends.

“On a Friday or Saturday, we triple. Last year, just for our customer appreciation day we do every year, we cooked over 15,000 lbs. just in one day. I like to give back and help the community.”

The Claw Daddy’s owner believes that’s why the business continues to soar — simply showing appreciation to those who have shown their support from the very start.

“You have to give back to the people that support you. Without them, we wouldn’t be in business today. It takes the community to buy crawfish and stand in these long lines. There’s people in line sitting in chairs at 5 in the morning and the lines go all the way to [Highway 49] two hours before we even open the doors. Just for live crawfish. I’m grateful for these people.”

Claw Daddy’s is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday at 15261 Russell Blvd. in Gulfport.

For more information, visit the Claw Daddy’s Facebook page.

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