Creole Crawfish Boil Recipes

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.

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 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.

CREOLE CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring often, until the roux is pale brown, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, onions and bell pepper. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds.
• In small bowl, combine the stock and tomato paste. Add the stock mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until slightly thickened and the flavors have married, about 10 minutes.
• Add the crawfish, parsley and cayenne pepper. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon over hot rice. Garnish with scallions and serve immediately.

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.