Cajun Crawfish Boil

Cajuns are known for their "joie de vivre" (Joy of Living), and they add excitement to their food with herbs and spices.


Over the holiday we were invited to a crawfish boil by our dear friends, Shannon Wilson and Kristy Gassaway. Shannon's parents, Larry and Debbie Thornton hosted the crawfish boil at their beautiful home. We had a fantastic time and it felt like we were back home in Louisiana! Our granddaughter, Ella (8 months old) has just started talking (2 words - BaBa and DaDe) and when she met Shannon's brother, Charlie, she said Charlie. What a surprise! And we were introduced to the newest addition to their family, Grayson; she is 10 weeks old and beautiful.

Crawfish Boil - 40lb. bag of Crawfish

• Fill your 80 quart pot with water to one inch above the halfway
  point of your pot with the basket in. Add 4-6 ounces of oil. (Helps the crawfish meat come out of their shell easier - My dad's secret)
  


• Add 1 small bottle of Zatarain liquid crab boil.
  


• Add about 10 – 15 bay leaves
  


• Add 1 cup Louisiana Pure Crystal Hot Sauce
  


• Add 3 lbs onions cut in wedges
  


• Add your 2 dozen lemons cut in half and squeezed into the water and then dropped in.
  


• Add 5 lbs. #1 red potatoes (called Creamers or salt potatoes) to your basket and lower into the boiling water.
  


• Open 1 can of beer.
  


• Fire up your pot and start drinking your beer.
  


• Bring your water to a rolling boil and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes.
  


• While your potatoes are cooking, take your crawfish,
  put them in the ice chest with the drain open and gently rinse them off with the water hose. You can add salt to this water to help purge the crawfish.When the water is running clear, you know the crawfish are clean. Keep the crawfish in water until ready to cook. Keep refreshing!

• Husk your corn and break it in half. Then add it to your potatoes and cook for an additional 10 minutes. At this time you can also add sausage.
  


• When you can slide your fork easily into your potatoes, lift your basket and insert your crawfish paddle across the top of your pot and rest the basket back down onto the paddle using the paddle for support while you drain the corn and potatoes. Then dump the corn and potatoes (and the sausage) into a container and cover for later. Put the basket back into the pot.
  


• Add a bag of crawfish boil.
  


• Add the container of Tony’s Cayenne Pepper (that’s right, the whole container)
  


• Stir all the ingredients for about one minute.
  


• Add your crawfish.
  


• Bring to a rolling Boil.
  


• When you have achieved a rolling boil, cook for 5 minutes and turn the heat off. If the crawfish are small, turn your heat off immediately so they won't over cook.
  


• Let soak for 10 – 15 minutes. Now they are absorbing the spices that
  give them the added flavor.

• Open another beer and drink while waiting for the soaking cycle.

• After your 10 – 15 minute soak period, dump on the table or into a clean cooler for serving.
  

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler! (Let the good times roll!)