Best Crawfish Boil Recipes

CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• Place the crawfish in a large cooler, cover with cold water and add 1 cup of the salt. Allow the crawfish to purge in the salted water for 5 to 10 minutes. (This Southern tradition is said to remove mud and impurities before cooking.) Strain the crawfish and set aside.
• Fill a 42-quart stockpot fitted with a boil basket halfway with water. Add the crab and crawfish boil seasoning and remaining cup kosher salt. Then add the sausage, corn, onions, lemon juice and rinds, garlic, butter, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Carefully add the crawfish to the stockpot and cook until they're bright red, about 8 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and add the ice to the stockpot to halt the cooking. Allow the crawfish and other ingredients to sit in the iced water for 25 to 30 minutes (the longer the crawfish sit, the more flavorful they become).
• Pull the crawfish, sausage and vegetables from the water using the boil basket. Serve over newspaper spread out on a table and sprinkle with seafood boil seasoning.

CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• Place the peppercorns, coriander, clove, and allspice into a spice grinder and grind for 10 to 15 seconds.
• Fill a 40-quart pot with 5 gallons of water and add the freshly ground spices, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, thyme, oregano, dry mustard, dill weed, and bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, approximately 40 minutes.
• Rinse the crawfish thoroughly in the bag in which they arrived to remove excess dirt and mud. Put the crawfish in a large container and fill with cool water. Stir to remove dirt from the crawfish. Transfer small batches of crawfish to a colander and rinse under cool running water. Pick out any debris or dead crawfish. Once all crawfish have been rinsed, discard dirty water, and return the crawfish to the container. Repeat this process 6 to 8 times, or until the water is clear.
• Once the seasoned water comes to a boil, add the potatoes, corn, garlic, and sausage. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the crawfish, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Drain well and serve immediately.

CREAM OF CRAWFISH BOIL SOUP

Steps:

• Peel the crawfish, cut the corn off the cob, and set aside with the potatoes.
• In a soup pot, saute the flour in butter, but do not brown it.
• Pour in the chicken stock all at once, stirring with a whisk until blended. Don't worry if there's a few lumps because you'll get them with a stick blender later. Bring to a simmer.
• Break up the potatoes with your fingers into the pot and add most of the crawfish tails and corn as well. Save a handful of crawfish and corn to add later. Bring the pot back up to a simmer.
• Use a stick blender to blend the soup until it is mostly smooth. BE CAREFUL not to spatter hot soup on yourself!
• Add the half and half and the remainder of the crawfish tails and corn. Stir well while heating for about five minutes more, then you're ready to serve.

EMERIL'S TAILGATING CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• In a large stockpot fitted with a basket insert, combine the stock ingredients and bring to a boil.
• Add the potatoes, corn, and artichokes. Cover and bring back to a boil, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, lemons, onions, and garlic, cover the pot and return to a boil, about 5 minutes. Taste the stock and adjust seasoning as needed. Add the crawfish and shrimp, cover, and turn off the flame. Allow the mixture to steep for 10 minutes. Add the asparagus, cover, and let steep until the vegetables and crawfish are tender, 5 to 15 minutes.
• To serve, line a table with brown paper bags and newspaper. Lift the basket from the stock and drain. Dump the basket ingredients directly on newspaper. Serve with melted butter, beer, French bread, and paper towels.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

LOUISIANA CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• Wash the crawfish with fresh water in a large plastic tub; let the water run until clear, then drain.
• Fill an 80-quart pot halfway with enough water to cover the seafood and fixin's. Add the potatoes, sausage, oranges, artichokes, garlic and celery -- things that take longer to cook. Bring to a boil, then add the crawfish boil mix and liquid crawfish boil. Continue to boil for 3 minutes.
• Add the crawfish and return to a boil; cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, then stir in the corn, mushrooms and Brussels sprouts. Let the crawfish soak for 20 to 25 minutes. The longer they soak, the spicier and juicier they get.

CRAWFISH BOIL CHOWDER

Steps:

• Make stock by peeling all your crawfish. Reserve tails for later, and throw all the peelings into a stock pot. Cover with about 8 cups water, bring to boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain through fine mesh strainer and discard solids.
• Brown sausage in large stock pot, add onions and garlic, sauté til translucent. Add stock and bring to boil, simmer for 20-30 minutes.
• Add corn and potatoes, bring back to simmer. Add crawfish and cream, heat through. Check seasonings.
• Stir in parsley.
• Serve with hot bread and enjoy!

CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• Fill a washtub or ice chest with water and 2 cups of the salt, stir, and place the crawfish in the mix. As they swim around, the salt will cause them to purge themselves of impurities and cleanse their outer shells. (Let them purge for 30 to 40 minutes; they need to stay alive until you're ready to cook them.)
• While that's happening, pour the 12 gallons of water into a 20-gallon pot. Add the remaining salt, the seasoning, cayenne pepper, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and lemons. Boil for 15 minutes. In a basket insert, place half the garlic, half the onions, and half the potatoes. Place the basket in the water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add half the corn and return the water to a boil.
• Drain the crawfish from their purging water, add half of them to the basket, and bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and let soak for 10 minutes. Pull out the basket, drain, and dump the basket's contents onto a newspaper-lined table. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Serve crawfish, corn, onions, and garlic to each person.
• Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a blender, food processor, or mixing bowl, and pour the mixture into a large glass or plastic jar. Seal it so that it's airtight. It will keep indefinitely.

INSTANT POT® LIVE CRAWFISH BOIL FOR FOUR

Steps:

• Combine water, dry crab boil, and seafood seasoning in a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®). Add live crawfish. Close and lock the lid. Select high pressure according to manufacturer's instructions; set timer for 0 minutes. Allow 15 minutes for pressure to build.
• Release pressure carefully using the quick-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, about 2 minutes. Carefully pour crawfish and the liquid into a large bowl and let sit for 30 minutes to soak while you prepare the rest of the meal.
• Add potatoes, corn, andouille sausage, and 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning to the pot. Pour in water and stir until evenly combined. Close and lock the lid.
• Select high pressure according to manufacturer's instructions; set timer for 5 minutes. Allow 15 minutes for pressure to build.
• Release pressure carefully using the quick-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, about 2 minutes. Divide the mixture between 4 plates and serve with crawfish.

CRAWFISH BOIL RECIPE FOR 40 TO 45 POUNDS OF CRAWFISH

Steps:

• Leaving the crawfish in the broth for a longer time results in more spiciness. Sprinkling additional spice mixture on the crawfish after draining also will increase the spiciness.
• Crawfish Crab and Shrimp Boil: There are many manufacturers to choose from. This is a spice blend of salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, and additional spices. Typically a bag of spice mix costs about $5.00. The brand used for the show was Lousiana Fish Fry Products Crawfish Crab and Shrimp Boil.
• Instructions:
• Place the cooking pot with its basket on the propane burner and fill with 11 gallons of water, about halfway. This should be about the right amount of water to protect against spillage when the potatoes or crawfish are added later. Add the 2 sticks of butter and 2/3 of the bag of Crawfish Crab and Shrimp Boil, and the 5 pounds of red potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes for 15 minutes and, while the potatoes are cooking, rinse the crawfish.
• Place the bag of crawfish in 1 of the coolers, or, on the ground and hose down the bag until the water runs clear, about 5 minutes. Open the bag and pour the live crawfish into 1 of the coolers. With the drain of the cooler open, continue to rinse the crawfish for 5 minutes or until the water runs clear.
• After the potatoes have cooked for 15 minutes, add the corn and continue cooking the corn and the potatoes for 15 minutes more. Remove a potato and test for doneness, continuing to cook, if needed. Remove the basket and dump the corn and potatoes into 1 of the coolers. Close the cooler in order to keep the corn and potatoes warm.
• Pour the crawfish into the cooking basket and lower the basket into the pot. Bring to a boil and cook the crawfish for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the crawfish to simmer in the liquid for an additional 15 minutes.
• Remove the crawfish and serve with the potatoes and corn. Traditionally, the crawfish is dumped onto a newspaper covered table (we used a door on 2 sawhorses). Additional spice mix can be sprinkled on the crawfish, if desired.
• Variation: Some cooks add 1 to 2 pounds of sweet onions, peeled and cut in wedges, and/or the juice from 1 dozen lemons to the cooking liquid.
• Variation: With proper ventilation, several pounds of shrimp could be cooked with approximately 1/2 to 1 cup of the spice mixture indoors. However, without proper ventilation the spice mixture fumes will overwhelm the typical house.

OLD-FASHIONED CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• In very large pot over high heat bring water, crab boil, salt, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper to a boil. Add potatoes, onions, corn, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook until vegetables are barely tender, about 10 minutes.
• Squeeze lemons over pot, add lemons and crawfish, and stir to combine. Cover and return mixture to the boil. Cook until shells turn bright red, about 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

LINK FAMILY CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• Bring a very large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the salt, onions, lemons, garlic, and spice mix and boil until the onions and lemon soften, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and boil until tender when pierced with a knife, approximately 15 minutes. Add the corn, cook an additional 10 minutes, then transfer the vegetables to a colander. Drain well, then spread the corn and potatoes on a table lined with paper. Return the water to a boil, then add the crawfish, and bring back to a boil once more. Immediately turn off the heat and allow the crawfish to soak, uncovered, in the spicy water for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the crawfish and serve alongside the vegetables with plenty of napkins and cold beer.

STOVE-TOP CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• In a very large pot heat 3 gallons of water until nearly boiling. Add dry and liquid crab boil, squeeze in lemons, then throw in potatoes, garlic and onions. Boil 10 minutes. Add everything else. Cover and boil 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Uncover, sprinkle in 1/4 cup salt and 1 tablespoon cayenne, stir it up, cover again and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain off liquid. Line table with newspaper and dig in.
• In a very large pot heat 3 gallons of water until nearly boiling. Add dry and liquid crab boil, squeeze in lemons, then throw in potatoes, garlic and onions. Boil 10 minutes. Add everything else. Cover and boil 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Uncover, sprinkle in 1/4 cup salt and 1 tablespoon cayenne, stir it up, cover again and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain off liquid. Line table with newspaper and dig in.
• In a very large pot heat 3 gallons of water until nearly boiling. Add dry and liquid crab boil, squeeze in lemons, then throw in potatoes, garlic and onions. Boil 10 minutes. Add everything else. Cover and boil 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Uncover, sprinkle in 1/4 cup salt and 1 tablespoon cayenne, stir it up, cover again and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain off liquid. Line table with newspaper and dig in.
• In a very large pot heat 3 gallons of water until nearly boiling. Add dry and liquid crab boil, squeeze in lemons, then throw in potatoes, garlic and onions. Boil 10 minutes. Add everything else. Cover and boil 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Uncover, sprinkle in 1/4 cup salt and 1 tablespoon cayenne, stir it up, cover again and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain off liquid. Line table with newspaper and dig in.

CREOLE CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• Fill a huge stock pot, preferably fitted with a basket insert, with about 4 quarts of water. Keep in mind that when you add the solid ingredients the water level will rise, so don't fill the pot up more than 1/2 way. Squeeze the lemon juice into the water, tossing in the halves too. Add the bay leaves, salt, seasoning, onions, and garlic; bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 10 minutes. You want a very aromatic broth with plenty of salt and spices; taste it, don't be afraid to make it strong so some of that flavor can penetrate and get absorbed by the potatoes and stuff.
• Add the potatoes to the pot to give them a head start and simmer for 10 minutes. Now add the corn and sausage; cook another 10 minutes, making sure everything stays covered with the liquid. Toss in the crawfish and shut off the heat. Cover the pot and let the crawfish steep in the flavor for 15 minutes. Drain and spread the crawfish, sausage, corn, potatoes, and onions out on a table that's covered with newspaper. Serve with lemons, hot sauce, and plenty of napkins.

LOUISIANA CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• Fill a very large pot about 1/3 full with water. Add the garlic, bay leaves, dry and liquid crab boil seasonings, salt, pepper, oranges, lemons, artichokes, and potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
• Stir in the corn, onions, mushrooms, and green beans; cook 15 minutes more. Stir in the sausage; cook 5 minutes more. Add the crawfish, return mixture to boil, then simmer until the crawfish shells turn bright red and the tails pull out easily, about 5 minutes. Test for doneness by peeling a crawfish. Be sure not to overcook, or crawfish will become tough.
• Drain well. Serve crawfish hot, Louisiana-style, spread over a picnic table covered with newspapers.

CREOLE CRAWFISH AND SHRIMP BOIL

Steps:

• Combine the potatoes, Creole seasoning, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, lemons, boil seasonings bag and onion with 6 quarts cold water in a 14-quart or larger pot with a colander insert. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.
• Add the andouille and corn to the pot. Cover and simmer an additional 15 minutes. Add the crawfish, cover again and cook 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Carefully strain the seafood, sausage and vegetables and serve on a large table covered with newspaper. Season with salt or additional Creole seasoning.

CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until well browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Cut into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Place water, crab boil, lemon juice, cayenne and salt in a very large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the garlic, onions and potatoes, return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Toss in the crawfish and the corn. Bring the liquid back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the sausage. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain. To serve, cover a table with newspapers and dump the mixture out onto it or pile it in a large bowl and let guests help themselves.

LOUISIANA CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• Fill a large stockpot with the seafood boil, the water, and the salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, decrease the heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the potatoes, onions, lemons, and garlic. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and return to a boil; cook an additional 10 minutes. Add the corn, sausage, and crawfish. Cover and return to a boil; cook until the crawfish are bright red and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

CRAWFISH BOIL

Steps:

• Fill a large stockpot with about 15 quarts water. Add salt, lemons, crawfish boil, garlic, cayenne, and bay leaves; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer; cook for 15 minutes.
• Add potatoes, corn, and onions. Return to a boil; cook for 5 minutes.
• Add crawfish, and return to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes.
• Using a large slotted spoon, transfer crawfish and vegetables to a large serving platter. Season with salt and pepper. To eat, hold crawfish in one hand; gently twist off tail. Peel off first 2 or 3 rings; suck juices out of the head. Squeeze sides at top of tail with thumb and forefinger to break shell; remove meat.

"CRAWFISH BOIL" FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preparation For Fried Chicken: Combine the chicken, water and crab boil in a large pot and marinate chicken overnight or at least 16 hours. Remove chicken from brine and pat the skin dry. Combine 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and coat the chicken with the mixture. Place coated chicken on a sheet pan in a single layer and allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (this will help pull excess water from the chicken and create a crispier skin). Samantha Okazaki / TODAY Season 2 cups of flour with 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning. Toss the chicken in the new flour mixture to coat liberally and shake off excess flour. Fry chicken at 350 degrees F for 12-14 minutes. Strain and season with more salt and pepper to taste. For the Crab Boiled Vegetables: Combine first 11 ingredients through bay leaves in a pot of water and marinate overnight in refrigerator. Place pot on stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Then lower heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Strain vegetables and discard liquid. Place strained vegetables in a bowl and toss with 1/4 cup of lemon olive oil and 1 bunch of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place vegetables on a large serving platter and arrange the fried chicken over the top.

CRAWFISH BOIL RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. The first thing you do is empty your crawfish in a No. 3 washtub and cover them completely with cold water. Makes no difference where your crawfish come from (farm pond or swamp), the only thing you must do is wash them. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PURGE CRAWFISH IN SALTWATER! That's an old wives tale. It isn't necessary and it doesn't work! All it does is kill the little critters! But it is necessary to wash them several times. I recommend you do at least 4 or 5 washings, dumping the old water after each filling of the tub.In short, you should wash until the water comes out clean. Then drain off the last rinse completely and get your boiler ready. In a large pot - 90 to 102 quart is suggested if you plan to boil the entire sack at once - put in enough water to completely cover the crawfish when they are added, and bring it to a rapid boil. Then, toss in all the ingredients except the corn, potatoes & sausage and boil them for about 15 minutes - you want the flavors to mix and create a seasoned "stock". Next, drop in the corn on the cob, potatoes and smoked sausage. You want to put them in before you put in the crawfish (because the crawfish cook quickly, and if you don't pre-cook the "lagniappe", the entire boil won't be finished at the same time). Let the lagniappe cook for 8 to 10 minutes. When all the "extras" are three-quarters done, add your crawfish and cover the pot. The water will stop boiling immediately.So here's how you figure cooking time.Just watch the pot, and when the water comes back to a full boil, time your crawfish for just about "2 minutes", shut off the fire, and remove it from the burner. Then drop some crushed ice on top of the crawfish, (which will make them sink), and soak the crawfish for about 25 minutes so that they pick up the seasonings.I do suggest you test the seasoning every 5 minutes or so to keep the crawfish from getting too spicy for your taste.