Crawfish Recipe

Purge and rinse crawfish

Place crawfish in a large cooler or sink and cover with fresh cool water. Add 1/4 cup kosher salt, stir, then let sit 5 minutes. Drain and repeat rinsing until water runs clear (1–2 rinses). Remove any dead crawfish (soft shell, no movement). Keep chilled until ready to cook.

Prep vegetables and sausage (if using)

Wash potatoes and corn. Halve potatoes, cut corn into 2–3 pieces, and slice andouille into 1-inch rounds. Smash garlic cloves and halve lemons.

Bring seasoned water to a boil

In a large stockpot (8–12 qt), add 6 qt cold water, 1 cup kosher salt, 1 cup cajun/seafood boil seasoning, bay leaves, peppercorns, smashed garlic, and halved lemons. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat.

Cook potatoes, corn, and sausage

If using potatoes, add them to the boiling water and cook 10 minutes. Add corn and andouille and continue boiling 5–7 minutes, or until potatoes are just tender.

Boil crawfish

Add the rinsed crawfish to the pot. Stir gently, bring back to a boil, then cook for 3–5 minutes until the shells turn bright red. Turn off heat and let crawfish steep in the hot seasoned water for 10–15 minutes for maximum flavor infusion.

Drain and dress

Drain the crawfish (and any vegetables/sausage) in a large colander. In a small saucepan, melt 4 tbs unsalted butter with 2 tbs chopped parsley and 1 tsp extra cajun seasoning; drizzle over the drained crawfish. Toss gently to coat.

Plate and serve

Transfer the dozen crawfish to a serving platter (include any potatoes, corn, sausage as desired). Serve immediately with lemon wedges, extra melted butter, and additional sea salt or hot sauce on the side. Provide napkins and small forks or picks.