Description
We are smack dab in the middle of crawfish season, so if you haven’t had a boil at least once this year it’s time to read this guide and catch up.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 30-pound sack of crawfish cleaned
- 1 bag of fresh lemons, halved
- 1 bunch celery with leaves cut into thirds
- 5 whole garlic heads sliced in half top to root
- 5 onions peeled and cut in half top to root
- 1 bag of small red potatoes (not cut) and washed, larger potatoes cut in 1/2
- 1–2 packs whole mushrooms, dusted (I use a makeup blush brush)
- 2 pounds of Andouille or smoked sausage cut into 3 inch lengths
- 1 .12 ounce bottle of Bay Leaves
- 1/2 cup celery powder
- 60–70 ounces of Seafood Boil Seasoning for 30 pounds of crawfish
- 4 ounces liquid crab boil (8 oz bottle)
- Frozen mini corn (16 need for 2 per person)
Instructions
- Fill the pot 50 percent of the way with fresh water, and turn on the burner.
- Add dry and liquid seafood seasoning products, celery powder and bay leaves.
- Squeeze lemons into the pot and add the halved lemons as well.
- Add onions, celery and garlic to pot and bring to a boil.
- It takes about 20-30 minutes (with the right burner) to get the water and seasoning mix to a hard rolling boil.
- Add crawfish into the boil and stir, also softly folding the mixture with the wooden paddle for about 5 minutes, it will die down and will simmer.
- Put the lid on, wait 5 minutes and add the potatoes, putting the lid back on.
- Check back in 5 minutes for a quick stir, and add the mushrooms, sausage and stir, putting the lid back on.
- At this point the crawfish have been in the pot about 15 minutes.
- During the cooking process, the water/mixture should not come to a hard rolling boil again. More like a simmer with bubbles.
- At 20 minutes, cut off the flame, check the crawfish and close the lid.
- Steeping the crawfish will increase the spice and enhance the flavor.
- At 25 minutes add the mini corn while crawfish are still sitting high in the pot, and stir about every 5 minutes, as this releases the heat
- Note: You can also hose down the exterior of the pot so it will cool down faster.
- Taste the crawfish every 5 minutes for the next 10-15 minutes until done. If the tail meat is rubbery, the crawfish is undercooked, if mushy and falling apart, it is overcooked. You are looking for a firm tail, juicy head and great spice.
- The crawfish will begin to sink. The sinking means they are ready to eat and have absorbed all of the flavor.
- Pull the basket out (this often requires two people), set the basket on the ground for a few minutes to drain, and pour the crawfish onto a table prepped with newspapers for all to enjoy.
Notes
Corn is added at the end to cool down the boil since it takes just a little time to cook itself.
- Category: Side, Cooking Tips