Crawfish boil
Photo: Robbie Mendelson · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

The crawfish boil came out of Acadian Louisiana's bayou country in the 19th century, when Cajun fishermen pulled freshwater crawfish from the swamp and boiled them in cast-iron pots over open flame. The dish moved into commercial restaurants by the 1950s; Peche Seafood Grill, Cochon and Acme Oyster House run seasonal boil menus from January through July, peaking March through May. Louisiana now harvests 90 to 100 million pounds of crawfish a year. The tabletop-dump-and-peel ritual is half the experience; the rule is no plates, no forks, only paper towels and beer.

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Common allergens: Shellfish

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 45 minTotal 1 hr 15 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 10 lb (4.5kg) live crawfish, rinsed in fresh water for 10 minutes to purge
  • 6 gallons (22L) water, in a 60L stockpot with a built-in basket
  • 1 (3 lb / 1.4kg) box crawfish boil seasoning (Zatarain's Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil dry blend, or substitute 100g cayenne, 100g paprika, 100g black pepper, 50g garlic powder, 50g onion powder, 50g mustard powder, 30g celery salt, 30g salt)
  • 6 lemons, halved
  • 2 whole heads of garlic, halved horizontally
  • 1 large onion, halved
  • 2 lb (900g) small new potatoes
  • 6 ears of corn, halved
  • 1 lb (450g) Andouille sausage, cut into 8cm pieces

Method

  1. Set up outdoors with a propane burner under the 60L pot; this is a backyard cook.
  2. Fill the pot with water. Add the boil seasoning, lemon halves, garlic heads, onion. Bring to a hard rolling boil over high heat, 20 to 25 minutes.
  3. Add the potatoes; boil 10 minutes.
  4. Add the corn and Andouille; boil another 5 minutes.
  5. Add the live crawfish (use long tongs; the basket makes this easier). Cover; bring back to a rolling boil; boil 4 minutes.
  6. Cut the heat. Let the crawfish soak in the hot water 15 to 20 minutes; this is when they absorb the seasoning. Pull one out and taste; the heat and salt should land hot.
  7. Lift the basket out and dump everything onto a newspaper-lined picnic table in pyramid heaps.
  8. Eat with your hands: pinch the crawfish tail with one hand, twist the head off with the other, peel the shell back from the tail meat in two segments, suck the head if you are doing it right.

Tip from the editors. You need a propane burner and a 60L pot; not a stove project. Order live crawfish Friday for Saturday; never skip the 15-minute soak (when flavour gets in).

Where to eat crawfish boil

Crawfish boil in New Orleans

Peche Seafood Grill ★ 4.6

$$$ SeafoodWarehouse District

Peche in New Orleans is Ryan Prewitt, Stephen Stryjewski and Donald Link's James Beard winning Gulf seafood room on Magazine and Julia, with a wood-fired.

OrderThe smoked tuna dip to start, then a whole grilled fish to share for the table.

TipThe bar walks in best at 17:30; the kitchen sends the same menu and the oyster service is tighter.

Directions Book

Cochon ★ 4.5

$$$ CajunWarehouse District

Cochon in New Orleans is Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski's James Beard winning Cajun room on Tchoupitoulas, an ode to whole-hog cookery in a converted.

OrderThe cochon with turnips and cracklins. Then the rabbit and dumplings.

TipCochon Butcher around the corner sells the same charcuterie at a counter; cheaper and equally good for lunch.

Directions Book

Acme Oyster House ★ 4.2

$$ SeafoodUntil Daily kitchen until 22:00

Acme Oyster House in New Orleans is the 1910 Iberville Street oyster bar between Bourbon and Royal, with char-grilled oysters and the shucker counter running.

TryChar-grilled oysters

TipClosing time is 22:00 daily; the back of the room runs faster than the front raw bar after 21:00.

Directions

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