HOW TO HOST YOUR OWN CRAWFISH BOIL
The steps outlined here are merely meant to be a starting point for those wanting to try a crawfish boil for the first time. I fully expect that each person who follows these steps for the first time will come up with a few ideas as to how they will do things differently for their next boil. I would also love to hear from anyone who hosts a crawfish boil and has used parts or all of this process, as well as some of the things they’d do differently next time.
My first boil was a single pot affair and with a lot of suggestions and recommendations from friends, vendors, and online sources. I now have 4 pots of various sizes with a burner for each pot, I’ve tweaked the recipe and the process numerous times. I keep a detailed record from each boil and refer back to them which helps me plan for my next boil.
FIRST UP: GET THE CRAWFISH:
If you are fortunate enough to live in or close to Louisiana you can probably pick up a sack of live crawfish at a local grocery store for about 99 cents a pound. Option two is a road trip and option three is to have them delivered. There are a lot of places that you can find online that provide a variety of delivery options. For the past three years I have been using the Louisiana Crawfish Company and have been very happy with their product and their service.
NEXT UP: WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
You will need a crawfish pot with basket and a lid, and a high pressure or jet propane burner. I have been using Bayou Classic products and as with the Louisiana Crawfish Company I have been very happy with their products. As for the size of the pot I would recommend an 80 quart pot. A rule of thumb, every 2 quarts in pot size will accommodate 1 pound of crawfish so an 80 quart pot can cook up to 40 pounds of crawfish. Bayou Classic products can be purchased at a variety of stores including Home Depot, Walmart, and the Louisiana Crawfish Company.
Other items include a very large cooler with a drain plug that can be used for purging the crawfish, a crawfish paddle, a garden hose and a water source.
INGREDIENTS:
Crawfish 40 Pounds
Zatarain’s seasoning 4.5 to 7.5 Pounds
Lemons 3 Pounds (Halved and juiced)
Celery 2 Stalks Chopped
Onions 6 Halved
Garlic 12 Heads Halved
*Mushrooms 10 Pounds (Whole)
*Corn on the Cob 20 Ears (Cut into halves or thirds)
*Andouille Sausage 5-10 Pounds (Cut into 2 inch links)
*Red Potatoes 5 Pounds (Larger ones can be halved)
Ice 20 Pounds
*These items are side items and can be adjusted based on the number of guests you are expecting. These measurements are based on 20 guests.
PREP:
Prepare the veggies and sausage as indicated either the day before or the morning of the crawfish boil.
Fill the crawfish pot just at or just a bit below the halfway mark, do not go over the halfway mark. Add 4.5 pounds of Zatarain’s seasoning and the following ingredients: Lemon peels and juice, Celery, Onions, and Garlic. Light burner, cover pot, and allow to bring to a rolling boil
PURGING:
While the water is coming to a rolling boil you will need to purge the crawfish. There are various schools of thought on the purging process and whether or not to use a box of salt. I don’t use salt, I’m not sure that purging with salt really accomplishes anything other than increasing the kill rate of the crawfish. My primary purpose for purging is to simply remove any mud and dirt from the exterior of the crawfish.
Start by laying the sack (still tied shut) on the grass and then turning the hose on them for a few minutes. This will ‘wake’ them up. Fill the large cooler with water (About half way), then open the sack and dump the crawfish in. I use a 100 quart cooler and purge 20 pounds at a time. This will allow some movement in the cooler by the crawfish while allowing the dead ones to float to the top. Remove all of the dead crawfish that you find. Typically I find that about 5% of the crawfish have died since they were caught. Up to 10% can be expected.
Move the water around gently with the paddle, this will more than likely turn the water very dark with mud. After 5 minutes drain the cooler quickly… crawfish on the bottom can drown if left in the water much longer than 5 minutes. Once the cooler has been drained plug it again, fill the cooler back up with water, and stir gently. Repeat this process until the water is clear. It may take up to 4 or 5 times before the crawfished have been cleaned.
COOKING:
While the purging is ongoing, the pot will have come to a rolling boil. Once it does, dump the potatoes into the water and cover. Reduce the heat to a very low boil. After about 15 minutes check the potatoes by trying to pierce them with a fork. The fork should be able to easily penetrate the outer edge of the potato, if so add the corn, mushrooms and sausage, cover, and continue to boil 15 more minutes. When done, lift the basket out of the pot and dump veggies into an old cooler and close the lid to allow them to stay warm.
Bring the pot back to a rolling boil, add a little water if necessary if the water level has fallen more than a few inches below the halfway mark. Add the lemon juice and peels, the garlic, the onions, and the celery. The veggies and sausage absorbed a lot of the seasoning so we will need to add more here. I would recommend at a minimum to add another one third of a 4.5 pound jar. If your guests like things a little spicier, add another two thirds of a jar.
Once the water has returned to a rolling boil, dump the crawfish in and cover. The crawfish will have cooled the water so we now need to bring it pot back to a rolling boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil continue for approximately 3 minutes then turn off the burner, remove the lid and apply about half of the 20 pounds of ice and stir with the paddle. Ideally the water temp should be around 150*. If you are able to check the water temperature, add a little more ice if necessary.
The cooking process is completed, we now simply want to stir the pot gently every few minutes for the next 20 to 30 minutes to help the crawfish absorb the seasoning. Sample a crawfish after 15 minutes and for every 5 minutes after. Signs that they are ready to be served include the following:
- Crawfish have sunken below the water.
- The head cavity contains liquid from the boil
- The tail meat is spicy.
- The body section and the tail section of the shell have begun to separate a little bit.
When you are ready to serve, either roll out the crawfish and veggies out on a newspaper covered table, or allow your guests to fix themselves a platter. Have plenty of cold beer on hand, and some great music.
PAULIE D’S THIRD ANNUAL CRAWFISH BOIL
Last weekend was my third annual ‘Paulie D’s Crawfish Boil’. It was actually my fifth boil over all but two were much smaller events. I can’t really count the smaller events as annual, unless maybe I were to distinguish between the events as ‘Paulie D’s Annual BIG Crawfish Boil’, and ‘Paulie D’s Somewhat Smaller and More Intimate Crawfish Boil’. I feel that by doing so may cause the unnecessary stress to have one of each, each year.
So discounting the minor boils, this was my third annual, and was as large as the first two combined, both in terms of turnout, more than 60, and in crawfish boiled, 90 pounds. And even with a few minor setbacks and a few lessons learned, this was also my most successful crawfish boil. Special thanks to our hosts, longtime friends Gregg and Grace for all of their efforts and for opening up their home to us. Compliments continue to roll in praising your hospitality to all.
This year’s event also featured some wonderful young musicians, something that I hope to continue to add to for future boils. The first performer was 14 year old Haley who opened by pounding out an amazing thumping bass line to the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s ‘Dani California’. She followed with a few songs on the ukulele then closed out with ‘Landslide’ by Fleetwood Mac on the acoustic followed by an amazing cover of Eric Burden’s ‘House of the Rising Sun.’
Jordan followed with a few Hank Williams songs on the accordion, ‘Jambalaya’ and ‘Hey Good Looking’, and then played a few more traditional Cajun favorites. She was followed by her husband Jeremy who nailed Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ on his 12-string.
While the ground was soggy from a month of rain, the skies cooperated from shortly before the start of the crawfish boil until just after it ended. Plans are already underway for next year’s event as we are now looking to make this an annual Memorial Day event to benefit the Wounder Warriors Fund. Thank you to all who were there or participated in any way. Please let me know if you think this is something that you would like to be a part of or volunteer to help us expand.
What A Long Strange Trip 