Crawfish boils are a tradition in New Orleans. It is a laissez faire event that revolves around feasting on crustaceans that come out of a rather large pot. These boils usually take place during the springtime as a result of the cooler weather and the availability of these mudbugs.
Boiling crawfish is more of an art than an actually recipe. Everyone has a different way of boiling these crawdads that includes a “secret ingredient”. But the key to flavorful crawfish is in the soaking process. Crawfish will cook really quickly in boiling water but you can bring down the water temperature with frozen corn and ice, which allows the crawfish to soak in all that spicy goodness.
Louisiana Boiled Crawfish
Louisiana Boiled Crawfish
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 64 oz seafood boil seasoning (Cajun Land Complete)
- 6 Zatarain’s 3oz Crab Boil Seasoning Bags
- 16 oz Slap Ya Mamma Cajun Seasoning
- 13 oz salt
- 18 oz bottle spicy brown mustard
- 5.25 oz jar prepared horseradish
- 14 oz minced garlic
- 20 dried bay leaves
- 2 16oz bottles of Louisiana hot sauce
- 32 oz lemon concentrate
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced into thirds
- 6 whole onions, peeled and halved
- 6 whole heads of garlic, top removed
- 12 lemons, halved
- 6 oranges, halved
- 5 pounds red potatoes
- 40 lbs crawfish, live
- 3 – 5 pounds smoked sausage, sliced into 1 inch sections
- 24 oz fresh mushrooms, whole
- 24 corn on the cob, frozen
- bag of ice
Instructions
- Fill a 100 quart stockpot 60% of the way with water.
- Add all the seasonings, mustard, horseradish, minced garlic, bay leaves, hot sauce, and lemon concentrate into the water.
- Light the propane burner with the valve 3/4 open.
- While the water comes to boil add in celery, onions, and heads of garlic.
- Squeeze the juice of the lemons and oranges into the water and toss the halves in.
- Cover the pot while waiting for the water to boil.
- Once the water reaches a rolling boil, toss in the potatoes and boil for 10 minutes.
- Add crawfish, sausage and mushrooms to the pot and open up the propane value all the way.
- Once the pot comes to a rolling boil again set a timer for 2 minutes.
- Shut off the burner and cool down the pot by adding the frozen corn and ice. (you can also hose down the exterior of the pot to lower the temperature)
- Let the crawfish soak for 30 minutes to absorb the seasoning.
- Lift the basket and allow the crawfish to drain.
- Serve from basket or empty the basket onto a table layered with newspaper
Notes
The crawfish I got came pre-cleaned which is really rare. The easiest way to clean off the dirt and grime is to rinse them off in a large ice chest you have lying around. Repeat until the water runs clear.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
Step-by-Step
I recommend Cajun Land for your main seasoning but any seafood boil seasoning could work as a substitute.
The crawfish I got came pre-cleaned which is really rare. The easiest way to clean off the dirt and grime is to rinse them off in a large ice chest you have lying around. Repeat until the water runs clear.
Fill a 100 quart stockpot 60% of the way with water. Add all the seasonings, mustard, horseradish, minced garlic, bay leaves, hot sauce, and lemon concentrate into the water. Light the propane burner with the valve 3/4 open.
While the water comes to boil add in celery, onions, and heads of garlic. Squeeze the juice of the lemons and oranges into the water and toss the halves in. Cover the pot while waiting for the water to boil.
Once the water reaches a rolling boil, toss in the potatoes and boil for 10 minutes. Add crawfish, sausage and mushrooms to the pot and open up the propane value all the way. Once the pot comes to a rolling boil again set a timer for 2 minutes.
Shut off the burner and cool down the pot by adding the frozen corn and ice.
You can also hose down the exterior of the pot to lower the temperature
Let the crawfish soak for 25 minutes to absorb the seasoning. Lift the basket and allow the crawfish to drain. Serve from basket or empty the basket onto a table layered with newspaper
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