Zatarans Boil Bags

isn't cayenne like a central ingredient in the whole thing?

there's also black and green peppercorns in there. i think red too

I got all 3 to try out...I tossed the herb in the trash. To me it was that bad tasting it on my finger. So bad I made some friends taste it (because that's what friends do) and watched their reactions

The garlic didn't really have much of a flavor...I expected a big garlic onion flavor. That was the one I thought id most likely use with or instead of the citrus. I didn't use it at all tho. Maybe it had better flavor in the water but ill never find out.

The citrus was the best to me...strong lemon orange flavor. So I used that one in my test boil. While I could taste it and it was good...I don't know that its much better/different than just adding cut lemons/oranges (I don't use oranges usually)

I normally season with a big bag of Louisiana, 1 lb bag of swamp fire, onion and garlic powder, cut lemons. If I feel the need maybe more slat or pepper but usually just the above. I don't add raw onion or garlic to the pot because its usually not eaten. Sometimes ill put some garlic but its not enough to add much flavor so I add the powder for my flavor boost.

I always throw a few in my pot for nostalgia sake. That's all the seasoning my family used in the 80's. I think it was the only crab boil in existence then.

He's not talking about the new boil booster bags from Louisiana. He's talking about the old school boil bags from Zatarrain's. They come 6 bags in a box and if you busted a bag during your boil, you had seeds all over everything.

You don't remember those?



Back to the boil boosters...I tried the herb one in a shrimp boil a couple of weeks ago and the wife and kids said it was the best boil shrimp they'd ever had. I really enjoyed them too.

Did some crawfish last Friday and used it again with my recipe and they were outstanding. Granted, I didn't stick my finger down in the bag and get a taste...Lol.


eta: Dammit kengel...lol.

I just followed the directions on the bag...for a whole pot of crawfish, use half the bag. And that's why I didn't do a finger test...because I figured it was concentrated.

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always throw a few in my pot for nostalgia sake. That's all the seasoning my family used in the 80's. I think it was the only crab boil in existence then

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I do the same mostly for the same reason

I like adding those bags. I think it adds a Depth of flavor that you down get with just powder

I don’t use the powder mixes at all because I like to have more control over the salt. Plus I just think fresh spices give a little different depth of taste.

Also, here’s the ingredients of the zatarains powder:
Salt, Dextrose, Spices (including Red Pepper), Natural Flavors, Extractives of Paprika, Monosodium Glutamate (Flavor Enhancer), Lemon Puree, Sugar, and Lemon Juice.


And the bags:
Mustard Seed, Coriander Seed, Cayenne Pepper, Bay Leaves, Dill Seed, Allspice.

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habanero

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I had a great yield off my plant last year. Dehydrated a bunch and will crush them into powder. Plan on trying some in my crawfish boils this year.

Just to add a little more flavor. I use it in addition to the powder.

Dont really need all the pepper so was just looking to make my own.