Boiled Crawfish Recipe

Recipe for Boiling Crawfish

boiled-crawfishThere are many recipes for boiling crawfish; however this recipe has been tried and tested and it works every single time!  It’s how my Dad boiled his crawfish and I trust Daddy! Boiling crawfish is a tradition, and when done right, its an event.  Begin by getting your back yard or patio ready.  Gather your drinks of choice, newspaper to spread on your tables and put the lawn chairs around the burner that will be boiling the crawfish.  The men usually hang around the boiling pot and the women are making the dipping sauce and getting the table ready for eating.

Knowing that each person typically eats between 3 and 6 pounds of crawfish; just use 5 lbs per person as a guideline when calculating how much you will need.  You’ll have some who barely eat and some who make lushes of themselves; therefore you’re safe with using 5 lbs as your guide.

Equipment & Essentials You’ll Need:

  • Very large boiling pot with a basket and Lid
  • Propane burner/cooker with Tank
  • Two large Ice Chests
  • Paper Towels
  • Stirring Laddle
  • Round Plastic Trays

Ingredients You’ll Need (30 lb Sack):

  • 30lb Sack of Crawfish
  • 4 Boxes of Salt
  • Louisiana Crawfish Seasoning
  • 8 lemons
  • Small Smoked Sausage
  • 8-12 ears of corn
  • 24 small red potatoes
  • 4 Cloves of Garlic
  • 4 White Onions
  • Dipping Sauce (store bought or make your own)

Let’s Get Started!

Boiling the Vegetables:

  • Add water to the pot making sure there is enough to cover all the crawfish that will added next (Vegetables and Crawfish are boiled in the same water).
  • Boil all the vegetables & sausage listed below.
    • Seasoning
    • Lemons
    • Smoked sausage
    • Corn
    • Red potatoes
    • Garlic
    • Onion
  • Check your vegetables periodically, you do not want to overcook the potatoes.
  • When cooked, pour the vegetables and sausage in large pot and cover it.

Purging the Crawfish:

  • Put half the crawfish in one ice chest and the other half in the other ice chest.
  • Add water to cover the crawfish
  • Add  half box of salt to the water and stir.  This will make the crawfish spit up and purge their intestines.
  • Leave or about 10 minutes, drain water
  • Keep continuous running water in the ice chest (with drain open) until the water is clear.

Boiling the Crawfish:

  • Turn the heat on high and get the water to a boiling stage
  • Pour the crawfish from one of the ice chests (1/2 of your crawfish bag)
  • Cover the pot immediately
  • The minute you see steam coming from the lid, begin timing and let it boil for 7 minutes.
  • After the 7 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat and let the contents sit for 10 minutes.
  • Lift the basket out of the water and let the water drain back into the pot.
  • Dump the crawfish onto the table (newspaper are placed on top of the tables), or into an ice-chest to keep warm.