RAYNE, La. — It is early April in southwest Louisiana, and we are trundling along sumpy dirt roads flanked by muddy corrugated fields where the crawfish dwell. Peak season is approaching, when these crustaceans are at their largest and most plentiful, so I was keen to reach Hawk’s restaurant, which is widely considered a touchstone of this gastronomic genre.

I discovered Hawk’s four years ago during one of my periodic food tours through Cajun country. It is in the vicinity of Rayne, a small city (population: about 8,000) that bills itself as the “Frog Capital of the World,” dating to its days as a major commercial source of the meat.

Hawk’s sells T-shirts boasting of its location “in the middle of nowhere,” but today it is easy to find, thanks to satellite navigation systems.

The 33-year-old Hawk’s is closed for more than half of the year and looks it. It operates during crawfish season, typically early January to late May. A giant red crawfish painted on the door of a low, unprepossessing barn marks the spot.