This a great recipe and a lot of fun you can reduce the recipe for few people. Plan on 2-3 lbs of crawfish per person for a complete meal.
To eat the crawfish grip the tail and main body. Twist the tail and and break it off the body. Discard the body. Peel the tail like you peel shrimp. Dip in garlic butter or cocktail sauce.
The following recipe is from http://whatscookingamerica.net/Seafood/CrawfishBoil.htm
Ingredients Needed:
1 (35 to 40 pound) sack live Louisiana Crawfish*
1 (26-ounce) box salt (for purging crawfish)
Water
2 (1 pound) boxes/sacks Crawfish Boil Seasoning** (I use old bay seasoning)
6 to 8 lemons, sliced in half
Small onions, peeled
Smoked sausage, cut up into large pieces(optional)
Small red or new potatoes, unpeeled
15 to 20 ears of fresh corn on the cob, shucked and broken in halves
6 heads of garlic, split in half exposing pods
Whole mushrooms, Green Beans, etc.
* Use overnight delivery for live crawfish. You should order the crawfish to arrive the day before or the day of your crawfish boil. See below to determine how many pounds of live crawfish you will need to order for your party.
** Also known as crab or shrimp boil seasoning - see column on left.
Equipment Needed:
As you can see from the photo of the boiling pots on the right, John boiled up many sacks of live crawfish for this party.
One large Stainless-Steel Boiling pot (60 to 80 gallon) with basket insert, and lid (you can use your Deep-Fat Turkey Fryer) - will cook about 10 to 15 pounds of crawfish per batch)
Outdoor high-pressure propane cooker
Large tub or two ice chests (depending on the amount of live crawfish)
A large paddle for stirring the crawfish.
A large picnic table with plenty of newspapers to cover it, several rolls of paper towels, and a large garbage can.
Crawfish:
How many pounds of live crawfish to order: Plan on ordering about 2 to 3 pounds of crawfish per person or 4 to 5 pounds for a heavier crawfish eater. Some people are extra-heavy eaters. For them you will need 5 to 7 pounds.
Keeping Live Crawfish Techniques: Crawfish season is from late February to mid-May. You must keep the live Crawfish fresh and healthy. Keep them in a cool place and out of the heat. Your garage is the perfect spot until you're ready to boil.
When you receive your sacks of crawfish, simply take your sack of crawfish, hose them down, and place them back in a cooler (or the box the sacks arrived in) with a bag of ice. Do not take the crawfish out of the sack, leave them in the sack and hose the entire sack with fresh water.
If you use ice, be sure to drain them frequently. DO NOT let them sit in cold water for a long time or they will die! Keep live crawfish at 36 to 46 degrees F. for approximately 3 days with wet burlap sacks, towels, etc. on top. Let crawfish return to room temperature before using. Do not leave the crawfish outside if the temperature is freezing level or below!
When traveling with crawfish, a few of them will die naturally due to stress of being moved, etc.
Purging Crawfish:
One thing to remember is they call crawfish mud-bugs. The cardinal rule is to purge and thoroughly wash the crawfish before boiling them. Pour the sack of live crawfish in a plastic children's pool, large tub, or a large ice chest. Pour one (1) 26-ounce box salt over the top of the crawfish. Add water to just cover the crawfish. Gently stir with a large paddle to mix the salt and the water. Stir for 3 minutes, then rinse crawfish. NOTE: some people skip adding salt.
Be careful not to let them purge too long. You do not want them to be dead when you add them to the boil. Throw away all crawfish that have already died (the dead crawfish should float to the top). You do not, I repeat, DO NOT want to add dead crawfish to the pot.
After purging and cleaning, do not leave the crawfish covered with water, as they need air to stay alive. Keep the crawfish in a cool or shaded area until you’re ready to start cooking.
Boiling Crawfish:
If you have not already done so, drink a cold beer.
In a large (60- to 80-gallon) pot over high heat, add enough water to fill a little more than halfway.
Squeeze the juice out of the lemon halves into the water and throw the lemon halves into the water.
Add crawfish or crab boil seasoning (see left column).
Cover pot, turn on the burner full blast, and bring water to a boil; boil 2 to 3 minutes to allow the spices to mix well. NOTE: It needs to be hot enough to bring the pot to a rolling boil in about 15 minutes.
Using a large wire basket that fits into the pot, add onions, sausage, mushrooms, potatoes, and any other vegetables you desire. Maintain a boil and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add crawfish to the wire basket, stirring them a bit. Once the water starts a rolling boil again, boil 5 minutes. Regulate the burner so the rolling boil is maintained, but where the pot does not boil over.
Turn the burner off, keep the pot covered, and let the crawfish soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove wire basket from pot.
Remove the strainer from the water, and rest it on the top of the pot using two boards laid on the top of the pot as a rack. Let the crawfish drain.
Serving Boiled Crawfish:
To serve the traditional way, cover a table (preferably outdoors) with thick layers of newspaper.
Spill the contents of the basket (onions, potatoes, sausage, mushrooms, green beans, and crawfish) along the length of the newspaper-covered table. They are best served steaming hot.
If you want the crawfish more spicy, you can add additional seasonings at the table.
Serves many hungry people!
