The spicy boiled crawfish is so delicious. It’s the best in the city.

Place live crawfish in a cooler or large tub and cover with fresh cold water. Agitate gently and drain several times until runoff is relatively clear (10–20 minutes). Remove any dead crawfish (do not use). Rinse well under cold running water and set aside chilled.

Purge and rinse crawfish

In a large stock pot (at least 12–16 qt) add 8 l of cold water and set over high heat. Place a large bowl with ice and the 2 lb of ice nearby for the shock bath.

Prepare stock pot

When water comes to a rolling boil, proceed to the Seasoning & Aromatics steps to add the spices and aromatics to the pot.

Start the boil base

Add 0.75 cups crawfish boil seasoning, 2 tbs kosher salt, 2 tbs paprika, 1 tbs cayenne pepper, 1 tbs whole black peppercorns, 1 tbs mustard seeds, and 6 bay leaves to the rolling boil. Stir to dissolve and bloom the spices for 2 minutes.

Add dry seasonings and aromatics

Add 6 smashed garlic cloves and the 2 lemons (cut in half) to the pot. Squeeze one lemon into the pot before dropping in the halves. Let boil for 3–4 minutes to infuse.

Add garlic and lemons

Taste the liquid carefully (use caution with steam). If you want more heat, add up to 0.5–1 tbs more cayenne or 0.25 cups extra boil seasoning. Once the flavor is robust and salty enough to season the ingredients, proceed to the Vegetables & Sausage steps.

Finish boil liquid

While the broth is building, scrub the potatoes (leave whole if small), shuck the corn and cut each ear in half (optional), slice the sausage into 2–3 inch pieces, and peel and quarter the onion.

Prep vegetables and sausage

Add the 1.5 lb potatoes to the rolling seasoned water. Boil potatoes for 12–15 minutes, until nearly fork-tender (timing depends on potato size).

Cook potatoes

Add the 1 lb sausage pieces and 1 quartered yellow onion to the pot. Boil together for 6–8 minutes so the sausage heats through and absorbs seasoning.

Add sausage and onion

Add the 6 corn halves to the pot and boil for 4–6 minutes so the corn is tender-crisp.

Add corn

Carefully add the drained live crawfish to the rolling pot (do not crowd—add in batches if necessary). Let the pot return to a full boil and cook the crawfish for 3–5 minutes until tails curl tightly and they turn bright red. Stir gently once to ensure even cooking.

Add crawfish and final cook

Turn off the heat and let the crawfish, sausage and vegetables steep in the hot seasoned liquid for 20–30 minutes, depending on how spicy and salty you want them. Longer steeping = spicier. During this time prepare the ice bath.

Steep for seasoning

Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer crawfish, corn, potatoes, sausage and onions to the ice bath to stop cooking for 1–2 minutes (this helps set texture and preserve color). Then drain well in a large colander. Discard the used cooking liquid responsibly.

Shock and drain

Melt 4 tbs unsalted butter and toss it with the drained crawfish and vegetables. Sprinkle 0.5 cup chopped fresh parsley over everything and squeeze the remaining lemon over the platter. Serve immediately on a newspaper-covered table or large serving tray.

Finish and serve

Live crawfish

Cold water

Ice (for shock bath)

Small red potatoes

Corn on the cob

Andouille or kielbasa sausage

Yellow onion

Lemons

Crawfish boil seasoning (store-bought or homemade)

Kosher salt

Paprika

Cayenne pepper

Whole black peppercorns

Mustard seeds

Bay leaves

Garlic cloves (smashed)

Unsalted butter

Fresh parsley (chopped)

spicy boiled crawfish

Make Spicy Boiled Crawfish Recipe in just 2h . The spicy boiled crawfish is so delicious. It’s the best in the city.

Spicy Boiled Crawfish Recipe

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