CRAWFISH BOIL

Authentic New Orleans-style crawfish dishes that are sure to please. Delicious chowder made with live crawfish, Louisiana and Cajun ingredients, corn, red potatoes, and smoked sausage.

CRAWFISH BOIL RECIPE

Summertime means crawfish boils, and this is one of the most popular ways to prepare them. It is a classic Louisiana Cajun cuisine like seafood boil and shrimp boil.

People get together in the spring and summer to eat crawfish (or crayfish) cooked in a spiced broth while they’re in season.

Step-by-step images are included in this crawfish recipe so that you may learn how to create New Orleans-style crawfish boils.

WHAT’S IN A CRAWFISH BOIL?

The following are the ingredients:

• Corn.
• Red potatoes.
• Garlic.
• Smoked sausage.
• Seasonings.
• Live crawfish (preferred) or frozen crawfish.
• Lemon.

CRAWFISH BOIL SEASONING

You’ll need the following items for a Cajun or Creole dish:

• Bottled Lemon and Pepper Seasoning.
• Bottled Cajun Seasoning.
• Louisiana Crawfish, Shrimp, and Crab Boil spice mix. You can buy it on Amazon.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS A CRAWFISH?

• A freshwater crustacean or shellfish, crawfish is one of the many varieties. Crayfish and crawdad are other names for it. After cooking, they resemble miniature lobsters with their hard red shells and two little claws. Wild or farm-raised, they can be found in abundance.
• Wherever there is fresh water in the area where they live is where they’re most likely to come across one of these creatures. They are a favorite of many foodies, particularly in the southern states of Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi.
• In recent years, Vietnamese-Cajun eateries like The Boiling Crab have helped crawfish grow more popular in California and Texas.

HOW TO BOIL CRAWFISH?

• To boil crayfish, you’ll need a saucepan that’s large enough to hold the shellfish and enough water to keep them submerged. To cook them, you’ll need 8-10 glasses of water. I used a Dutch oven to boil crawfish, but any large, deep soup pot will do.

HOW LONG DO YOU BOIL THEM?

• Cooking time for live crawfish is three to four minutes in a saucepan of hot, boiling water with a lid on. Shells glow crimson when they’re done, indicating that they’ve been cooked.
• Before cooking, defrost frozen crawfish at room temperature. Since they’ve already been cooked, only bring to a boil for one minute.

HOW DO YOU EAT CRAWFISH?

Crawfish may be peeled and eaten in a few simple steps:

• Remove the crawfish’s head first.
• Starting at the tail’s furthest end away from its bottom, peel the shell off. Shell on one side to reveal the flesh.
• Enjoy the tail by removing it from the shell.
• A crawfish’s yellow liver, which tastes like uni, is the most delicate portion of the creature (sea urchin).
• If the claws are large enough, you can eat them. Gently bite into the claws’ shells to break them open. To get to the meat, crack up the body.

The best way to serve crawfish is to put them out on parchment paper or newspapers. Get your hands in there and savor the flavor!

What is the average number of calories in one serving?

• Each serving of this recipe contains only 317 calories.

With this recipe, what are its complementary dishes?

This dish is best with a cold beer to wash it down. I’d like to offer these meals for a summer cookout.

• HONEY CAJUN GRILLED SHRIMP
• LOBSTER ROLLS
• GARLIC BUTTERFISH
• STEAMED CLAMS IN BEER

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon McCormick Lemon Pepper seasoning
• 1 head garlic, unpeeled but separated
• 6 oz. (170 g) Louisiana Crawfish Shrimp & Crab Boil
• 3 ears corn, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons McCormick Cajun seasoning
• 8 -10 cups water
• 14 oz. (400 g) smoked sausage, cut into chunky pieces (Hillshire Farms)
• 3 lbs. (1.3 kg) crawfish
• 12 oz. (340 g) small red potatoes halved
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds

Instructions

1. Fill a pot with water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Crawfish and crab boil from Louisiana, Cajun seasoning, and a dash of Lemon Pepper flavor are added. The mixture should come to a full boil.
2. Using a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage and add to mixture. Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Take a sip of the boiled crawfish water. Add extra water if it’s too salty. Add more seasonings to your preference if it’s under-seasoned. In a pot, add the crawfish and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, with the lid on, until they are done.
4. Allow the crawfish to soak for ten minutes after the heat source has been turned off. There’s more heat with extended soak times. Strain the mixture to remove any remaining ingredients, and serve right away. Remove the crawfish boil water and flush it down the toilet.

Notes

• In the absence of fresh crawfish, frozen crawfish may be used. Just cook the crawfish for 1-2 minutes if you’re using frozen crawfish.
• This recipe can be used to prepare a shrimp boil. Head-on and shell-on shrimp can be substituted for the crawfish.