Crawfish Recipe

Crawfish Boil

1. 1

   Purge the crawfish

   Place crawfish in a large cooler or tub and cover with cool water to remove debris. Add 1 cup coarse salt, stir gently and let sit 5 minutes, then drain and rinse with fresh water. Refill with fresh cool water, add 6 cups crushed ice, stir and let sit 10–15 minutes. Drain and repeat once if water remains very muddy. Transfer cleaned crawfish to a breathable container or mesh bag and keep cool until ready to boil (do not store in fresh water for hours).

2. 2

   Prep vegetables and aromatics

   While purging finishes, halve the lemons and onions. Smash the garlic cloves lightly with the flat of a knife (leave skins on). Cut potatoes if large so pieces are roughly 1–1.5 inches. Halve corn cobs into thirds or halves depending on size. Slice andouille sausage lengthwise, then across into 2–3 inch pieces if desired.

3. 3

   Bring seasoned boil to a rolling boil

   In a very large stockpot (big enough for 6+ quarts), add 6 quarts water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add 3 cups seafood boil seasoning, bay leaves, black peppercorns, all garlic cloves, and the halved onions. Squeeze in the juice of two lemons, then drop the squeezed lemon halves into the pot. Let the seasoned water return to a rolling boil (2–4 minutes) so spices infuse.

4. 4

   Cook potatoes and corn

   Add the potatoes to the boiling seasoned water. Boil 10–12 minutes, until potatoes are nearly tender when pierced with a knife. Add corn and continue boiling 5–7 minutes until corn is almost tender.

5. 5

   Add sausage and finish vegetables

   Add the andouille sausage to the pot and boil 2–3 minutes to heat through and absorb flavor. At this point test a potato for doneness: it should be tender but not falling apart. If still too firm, give potatoes another 2–3 minutes.

6. 6

   Add crawfish

   Add the purged crawfish to the pot in batches if necessary. Gently stir to submerge. When the water returns to a full rolling boil, set a timer and boil the crawfish for 3–4 minutes (small/medium crawfish cook quickly — overcooking makes tails rubbery).

7. 7

   Soak to infuse flavor

   After boiling for 3–4 minutes, turn off the heat and let the crawfish soak in the hot seasoned liquid for 15–20 minutes with the pot covered to allow them to absorb the seasoning. If you prefer spicier results, let soak longer up to 25 minutes. During soak, add the remaining two lemons halved and, if using, 4 tablespoons butter for richness.

8. 8

   Drain and serve

   Using a large strainer basket or draining the pot over a table, remove crawfish, potatoes, corn, sausage, onions, and garlic and dump them onto newspaper, a large serving tray, or into a steam table. Sprinkle chopped parsley over top and offer hot sauce at the table. Serve immediately while hot.

9. 9

   How to eat (optional serving note)

   Twist off the head and suck out juices if desired, then pinch the tail to extract the meat. The small claws and legs can be nibbled for extra meat. Discard shells in a separate bowl.