Recommended Equipment
Propane burner (minimum 100,000 BTUs)
Propane tank
Cooking pot (120-quart holds one sack of crawfish, averaging 35 pounds)
Paddle
Heat-resistant gloves
70-quart crawfish washer bucket, such as Cowboy’s brand out of Missouri City
Heat-resistant bags for optional add-ins
Scoop
Crawfish trays
Paper towels
Bibs
Wet wipes
Optional add-ins
Potatoes
Andouille sausage
Corn
Mushrooms
Brussels sprouts
Shrimp
Eggs
Step 1
Select the appropriate amount of crawfish for your boil. Most hosts recommend an average of 3 pounds per guest. This may fluctuate based on several factors, including other sides and proteins available. Bring a cooler and ice to take the live crawfish home from your pickup location.
Step 2
Rinse your crawfish to avoid cooking them in swamp water and dirt (unless you purchase them already purged). Keep rinsing until the water runs clear.
Step 3
Fill the pot with water. Bring it to 212 degrees or higher and add desired seasoning. If using a commercial seasoning bag—such as Louisiana Fish Fry Products, Slap Ya Mama, or Swamp Dust—one 4.5-pound bag is suggested per 35-pound sack of crawfish. Experiment with other aromatics such as oranges, lemons, onion, garlic, and hot sauce for extra heat.
Step 4
Start the cook. If you’re including potatoes in the boil, place them in a heat-resistant bag and boil for approximately 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Deposit into a cooler where they’ll stay warm while you cook the crawfish. Take the strainer out of the pot. Fill with crawfish and other optional add-ins and drop it into the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil if necessary and cook the crawfish for 3 minutes. Crawfish are done when their shells are bright red and their tails pull out easily. Remember, if you cook them for too long, the tail meat will be mushy, so err on the shorter side. When they’re done, pull them up and deposit into a cooler.
Step 5
Dump straight onto a newspaper-covered table or distribute into individual trays. Dust the crawfish and any add-ins with seasoning of choice.
Peel and Eat Like a Pro
1Using a twisting motion, pull the head away from the tail. Note: This is the moment to suck the juice from the head.
2Peel away the two largest bands of the tail at the widest end.
3There are two popular ways to extract the meat from the tail. For immediate gratification, pinch the base of the tail with your dominant hand and pull the exposed meat with your teeth.
4If you want to avoid the intestinal tract of the crawfish, twist the very bottom of the tail with gentle pressure, which will extract the vein. Pull the rest of the crawfish meat from the thickest point with your opposite hand.
