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Old-Fashioned Crawfish Boil

3.6

(7)

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Boiling crawfish is an art — something that quickly becomes apparent to anyone who's watched a cook prepare the cooking liquid. This recipe has been modified for ease of preparation at home. Most Cajuns have a strong opinion about what should or should not go into the pot. Use this recipe as a guide and modify it to your own tastes — more vegetables or less, spicier or not. And remember, when live crawfish in the shell are not in season, you may simply substitute shrimp.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 gallon water
2 3-ounce packages crab boil
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup hot sauce
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
6 small onions, peeled
4 - 6 ears corn, halved
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 head garlic, halved
3 large lemons, halved
5 pounds live crawfish, rinsed and purged in salt water

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In very large pot over high heat bring water, crab boil, salt, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper to a boil. Add potatoes, onions, corn, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook until vegetables are barely tender, about 10 minutes.

    Step 2

    Squeeze lemons over pot, add lemons and crawfish, and stir to combine. Cover and return mixture to the boil. Cook until shells turn bright red, about 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

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