Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Pinch da Tails & Suck da Heads - Boiled Crawfish!



Hey Blogland buds! Don't know why, but I've got a bad hankering for some real down home food today. Sadly, that "down da bayou" item  isn't available right now. 

So we'll be prepared in the spring when they're in season and plentiful, here's a little tutorial on that most glorious of all seafood ~~ CRAWFISH!

*To begin, check out this video on how to peel and eat crawfish (locally purchased always)!

*Photo from our last family boil in April.

Crawfish Boil 

1 sack of live crawfish (@ 40 pounds) 
24 quarts water
2 8-oz. bottles Liquid Crab Boil 
2 boxes salt
1 small sack onions peeled
3 heads garlic, cut in half crosswise
8 oranges cut in half
12 lemons halved
5 pounds small red potatoes
20 small ears frozen corn
**Then throw in any- and everything else you think you might like in the spicy boil: fresh mushrooms, sausage links, lobster, Brussel sprouts, canned hams punched a few times with an icepick, you name it!

Pour crawfish into a washtub or ice chest and cover with salted water. Drain. Repeat three times or until crawfish are clean. Drain water off, discarding dead crawfish (the ones with straight vs. curled tails!) and debris. 

{This is best done outside on a fish frying rig with propane tank}: Mix water, salt and Crab Boil in a HUGE stockpot. Add in onions and garlic. Bring to a boil on high heat for about five minutes.

Add in your crawfish, corn, fresh produce and anything else you're going to cook. Return to boil. Cover and cook for five more minutes.

Turn off heat and let stand 20 minutes covered. Drain and eat. You'll never be the same again!

*Serves 8 adults @ 5 pounds crawfish each.

Dippin' Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 tsp. each salt & pepper
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
Pinch of garlic powder
1 tsp. lemon juice (optional)

OR: Plain ol' melted butter makes a yummy dip.




*King Rufus on the right and his brother, dumping a fresh batch.















King Rufus and his "Crawfish Tray" aka Car Caddy.

24 comments:

Deb Shucka said...

I love the pictures. It's funny how the changing of the seasons makes us hungry for different foods.

Marguerite said...

Well, Angie, you certainly know how to make a girl hungry. I would love about 5 lbs. of Louisiana boiled crawfish right now! Great video and pics!

Marty D said...

Hey, Ang! I've got a double recipe of your bread pudding cooling in my kitchen right now! It smells delicious, but I may have made an error somewhere. I doubled the recipe and filled 2 8x8 pans, then had enough left over for another 8x8 pan. All three nearly overflowed the edges of the pan when they cooked. Whatever I did wrong, though, if it tastes as good as it smells, I'm sticking with it.

Deb said...

I've never had crawfish. Do we have them in Canada? We have feasts of shrimp when we get to the island. If they taste anything like shrimp or prawns--I'm so in there!

Angie Ledbetter said...

So true, Deb. Always longing for the bounty of some other season. :)

Marguerite - Sorry to fling the envie on you too, sha, but I couldn't help it. The cravin' was baaaad!

Oh, Marty, I can almost smell it! Lemme know how it tastes, k?

Strange Fiction - My hubby worked a long job in Nova Scotia once and introduced them all to the Cajun delicacy...so they must be available somewhere if you look hard enough. And YES...if you love lobster, shrimp/prawns and crabs, you'll LOVE crawfish done up right!

Jessica Nelson said...

Ewwww!!!!

But my hubby would eat those up. LOL Great title!

Rosaria Williams said...

Preciate the recipe. Now, there must be an outfit out here that has crawfish; I'll have to investigate.

Unknown said...

And when am I coming over for this feast? April?

Terri Tiffany said...

Ahem. Not sure what to say;) You guys sure eat different over that way, now don't you?LOL

Anonymous said...

I think you have to start young to appreciate crawfish. I know it's a traditional dish in the South but I just couldn't eat it. I'm one of those that likes my food to be pretty before I will eat it. LOL - I miss out on so many wonderful foods because I judge them by their looks....so shallow.

Elizabeth Bradley said...

I don't believe I've ever eaten a crawfish! Do they taste like anything else?

Dan Holloway said...

Wow, that sounds wonderful! Crawfish (crayfish over here) are a HUGELY controversial topic here in the UK. Apparently the larger American crawfish are predating the smaller native UK ones. Gordon Ramsay launched a campaign as a result to fight back by eating them all!

Midlife Roadtripper said...

We must be on the same page. I'm meeting a fellow writer at a Cajun restaurant for dinner.

Karen said...

Awww, man, you're killing me here. The only good crawfish here in FL is shipped in, and sometimes from CHINA!! Yuk.

My mouth is a-watering.

Anonymous said...

Never had it, but sure I hope I do someday!

Liz Wilkey (a.k.a. A Mom on Spin) said...

You see. . . normally, I'm all. . . "well that looks so good I can't wait to eat it" about your food posts.

I can't do crawfish. Don't know why. . . I just can't do them.

Hope there's no offense taken . . .

Angie Ledbetter said...

Jessica, it's a popular saying 'round these parts. :) You just don't know what you're missing!

Good luck, lakeviewer. Hope you find some!

Suzanne - Yes! If the weather patterns and such hold out, we like to have a boil for Easter. C'mon on down! :D

Yes ma'am, Terri, and dang tootin' proud of it. (I feel sorry for all your spice-less meals!) hehe

JyLnC - Y'all don't have blindfolds up yonder in the frozen nawth? *wink*

Elizabeth - Like young succulent lobster, sorta like shrimp or crabs...not fishy! (I sent you some links for possible outlets in your area.)

I'm glad y'all have access, Dan, even if they're inferior. :D Oh, that Gordon Ramsey and his F-word show!

Midlife - 'scuse me while I go find my drool bib. LOL

Ferin crawfish are a big no-no here in Louisiana, Karen. I know what you mean about mouth watering for some, though.

Angie Ledbetter said...

TTWC - Hoping same for you too!

A Mom on Spin - No offense taken, friend! I just wish you could try those succulent spicy little lobsters one time. :)

Carrie Wilson Link said...

Wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, but love the pictures!

Sandra Leigh said...

I'm still trying to get my head around the news that there is a product called Liquid Crab Boil. What on earth?

Years ago I knew a very prim lady who invited me to lunch at her immaculate apartment. She spread newspapers on the floor, set out cocktail sauce, many napkins, two plates, and a big bowl of prawns. As we sat down on the floor, she said "I just love sucking their little brains out."

That was the closest I've gotten to the crawfish experience. It was certainly memorable. ;>) The real crawfish do sound delicious.

Debbie said...

Yum. Makes my lips tingle to think about it!

Suldog said...

OMG! Crawfish are back! You know how I feel about them, Angie!

Well, really, I think they'd probably be tasty, but I made such a big stink about them last time that I'd look like a right fool saying that now. But I just did. Oh, well. Pass me a few, will ya?

Angie Ledbetter said...

Carrie - Glad you have a wee bit of good taste. :)

They really are delish, Sandra! Love your prim little lady friend. She knew how to do it up right!

LOL Debbie. :D

ATTENTION SULDAWG - Yep, our State Crustacean is here to stay. They're not in season again til the spring, but if you do a MEA CULPA, I LOVE CRAWFISH (spelled correctly), then I'll send ya a pound of frozen tails. hehe.

Anonymous said...

If you send Suldog a pound, he will be here in a heartbeat. The friends in the Frozen Nawth don't know what they are missing. More laughs and stories than they could handle.
Oren
Oh and dessert too.

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