Official Crawfish Recipe Thread

Looks good. Mine isn't too much different. I'm a big fan of CajunLand Complete seasoning. I also don't use ice.

I also don't put the lemons in the crawfish boil. I generally get a couple of plastic lined boxes. Once the crawfish are done soaking, I dump them into those boxes, then squeeze the lemon over them. Sucks up the lemon juice much better and gives them a great flavor.

Next boil you do, after dumping them out on the table, squirt a little fresh lemon on a section of them and give it a try. Good stuff, I promise.

People are surprised when they learn how simple my recipe is. Like most, I've tried all sorts of recipes over the years and found out I don't need to add all that stuff now with the premixed packages.

1 4.5 lb bag LA Fish Fry dump and boil
1 16 oz Zatarain's liquid boil
4 oz Chinese Red Pepper (found only at Tony's)
6 large lemons
Potatoes, corn, mushrooms, sausage

I boil the potatoes with the mushrooms and sausage before adding the crawfish. Take the potatoes out after 10 minutes (they will soak later with the crawfish), depending on size. Cook the mushrooms and sausage another 5-10 minutes, then serve while the crawfish cooks.

Dump crawfish in boiling water. Shut off fire when water returns to a full boil. Add the lemons, potatoes and corn.

I add ice, though I'm not sure how much a 10 lb bag can cool off 40 quarts of water. I leave off the top so it can cool faster and let soak for at least 30 minutes. If taste isn't right, let soak another 15 minutes.

The theory is to cool it down to stop the cooking process so it can soak longer without getting mushy. Who knows if it works better or not.

There are a ton of ways to cook crawfish and most turn out pretty good.

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There are a ton of ways to cook crawfish and most turn out pretty good.

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I agree, kinda like gumbo no body does it the same but all turn out good, just wonder about the rationale

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Do you leave the ice in the bag or dump it in?

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Take it out. Don't think the plastic bag will melt, but the water will leak out once the ice melts.

I've heard some freeze water in 1 gal milk containers and toss them in. I guess you can reuse the containers.

I bought a jet burner this morning. 105,000 BTU's should be enough to get the water to a Hard Boil right?

I'm boiling a sack today and plan on doing the vegetables (corn,potatoes) before adding in the crawfish.

I'm not 100% sure about using the bag of ice trick yet. After the crawfish return to a boil, I usually cut the flame, soak about 10 minutes, then pour into an ice chest.

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I bought a jet burner this morning. 105,000 BTU's should be enough to get the water to a Hard Boil right?

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Yep. I normally swap out the regulator for a 30-60 psi regulator, but it's not required. It cuts down on the time it takes the water to boil.

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I find that shrimp peel easier when iced after boiling.

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+1. I always do this with shrimp, but have never iced crawfish. That seems like it would cool the crawfish too much.

As far as peeling crawfish goes, 2 years ago while watching a guy from south la. I discovered that he put NO SALT in with the boil (salt for the purge before hand only). I haven't boiled with salt since then. They are always still hot when eaten, and never have any trouble with the peeling. This is also the same time that we invested in a second cooking pot. When the first batch is ready for the after boil soak - remove it and start the 2nd pot.

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and never have any trouble with the peeling.

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Just don't overcook.......or buy the crawfish with black shells past May and you will have no problems peeling and they will be tasty as all get out.

I dump crawfish in when the water comes to a boil, wait for it to come to another boil shut it down, let them soak a good 10-15 min and start testing......when I feel the seasoning has reached it's peak I pull em.