Lessons learned from my first crawfish boil
It’s crawfish season (or crawdad, as we used to say in Texas when I was growing up), and nothing beats having a group of people over for a big boil. Usually, these gatherings are held outside since the cleaning, boiling and eating of the crustaceans can get messy. But what if you don’t have an outdoor space? Here are 10 things I learned this weekend when I held my first-ever crawfish boil inside my tiny New York City apartment.
1. These guys are feisty and love to pinch. Either wear thick gloves or stock up on bandages.
2. A broadsheet newspaper, such as The New York Times, makes a better table cover than a tabloid newspaper, such as The New York Post. The latter, however, has far wittier headlines.
3. Accordions are optional. If you don’t have any Zydeco bands on your IPod, don’t fret. Anything that gets your feet tapping and your hips shaking will be fine.
4. Finding Zatarain’s or Tex-Joy crawfish boil spice mix on the East Coast is impossible. Old Bay will suffice as long as you supplement it with tons of cayenne. Or better yet, make your own spice mix.
5. If you don’t have a supply of local, live crawfish, order them from Louisiana purveyors such as Cajun Grocer or Louisiana Crawfish. Not only do they taste better but it helps the Louisiana economy.
6. Don’t gaze at their cute little bug eyes for too long or you might start feeling bad about what you’re about to do the creatures: boil them and eat them.
7. If you’re cooking in a small apartment without any outdoor space, be sure and open a window (or two) when purging (a.k.a. cleaning) the crawfish. All that mud and swamp gunk gets stinky.
8. When your live crawfish arrive at the office, resist the pleadings of your colleagues to open the cooler and pull out a couple for races. This can only lead to trouble, especially if they’re fast and like to hide (the crawfish, not your colleagues).
9. If the tail on a cooked crawfish isn’t curved, do not eat it. A straight tale means that the crawfish was dead before it was boiled, and it’s going to be mushy and taste rotten. It’s best to try and pick out most of the dead ones before you do your boil, but be careful as the live ones can get restless as you’re picking through the batch (see tip No. 1).
10. These crustaceans are known by many names—crawdads, crayfish, crawfish, swamp lobsters or mud bugs—but no matter what they’re called, they taste just as delicious. (Though our Louisiana friends may give you the stink-eye if you refer to them as anything but crawfish.)
What are some of your tips for boiling crawfish?
Boiled crawfish
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 6 lemons, cut in half
- 1/2 cup mustard seeds
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup whole cloves
- 1/4 cup whole allspice
- 1/4 cup coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons cayenne
- 10 bay leaves
- 20 pounds of live crawfish
- 1 stalk celery
- 10 red potatoes
- 10 ears of corn cut in half
- 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into one-inch pieces
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut in half
- 12 cloves garlic. peeled (one head)
- 20 pounds live crawfish
Instructions
- In a tall 12-quart pot with a boil basket, add the butter, lemons, mustard seeds, salt, cloves, allspice, coriander, cayenne, bay leaves, potatoes, corn, sausage, onions, and garlic. Fill the pot with water two-thirds up the sides. Turn heat on high. When the water gets warm (but before it’s boiling), taste the water and make any spice adjustments, such as adding more salt or cayenne.
- Meanwhile, as the water is heating, purge the crawfish if they haven’t been purged yet. (Purging is getting rid of all the mud and other swamp gunk). To do this in an apartment, put a stopper in your kitchen sink, unload the crawfish into the sink, and fill it with water. Let them soak for 2 minutes and then drain the sink. The water will be brown and kind of funky, but after you repeat this action 2 more times the water should be more or less clear.
- Once the pot is boiling, throw in the crawfish and boil for 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. (You can do this in batches, just add more water and spices as necessary. The corn and potatoes can come out of the pot after the first batch is boiled.)
- Place bowl of crawfish on table covered with newspaper or butcher paper, snap, peel, and enjoy.
Crawfish boil here in NY? I’m so jealous.
I had my wedding in Houston the first week in March, and it being crawfish season was one of the reasons for setting our date. 🙂
Anonymous is correct – if you salt the crawfish before you purge them (while still in eh ice chest) it kinda sanatizes them, but also they are purged of any poop inside of them and are much cleaner. I have been to a boil in Texas, the hosts were not aware of purging, needless to say – they were the dirtiest crawfish I have ever eaten.
Crawdads…it’s like nails down a chalkboard = )
Holy cow, like everyone else, I’m gobsmacked!
It’s been almost ten years since I’ve had a crawfish boil. No, I mean since I’ve been to a crawfish boil – I’ve never even thought of doing it myself, but stink and mess aside, it sounds like a blast!
Hmm, I wonder if they’ll ship live crawfish to Scotland? 😉
Dee–Oh, no! I didn’t know that (and that’s probably why that last one was so hard to catch and get into the pot!)
Brave Sir Robin–Mike sent me a link to the episode, and he was so young and thin, not to mention slightly serious–no hint of the “Bam” personality. I much prefer that Emeril to the one he is today.
Julie–Well, it is a way to liven up a Friday afternoon!
Janna–I know, boils were such a regular thing growing up, I’m always surprised that people have never been to one.
Jaelin–Welcome to NY! And that’s the million-dollar question, where to get good Tex-Mex/Mexican in NY. I’ve found a few places for Mex-Mex, such as Real Azteca in the Bronx and Taqueria Coatzingo and El Sol de Azteca in Jackson Heights, Queens. And then in the warm months there are the Mexican food stands (think tacos, gorditas, sopes, huraches, etc) at the Red Hook Ball Fields, and various taco stands throughout the five boroughs. But, there’s nothing here that feels like the Tex-Mex experience you can get at home.
AT–It was crazy, but a total blast. And that is sad, you weren’t in NY that long–how could you forget!
Chris–I know people that do add salt, but I’ve never done it. I rinse them several times or until the water comes clean and they taste good to me. I’ll try it with salt, however, the next time and see if they taste even better.
Olivia–I’m a big fan of shrimp boils, too. We used to get those huge Gulf shrimp and throw them into the pot, heads and all. And the stores here sell Zatarain’s rice mixes, but I can’t find the boil spices.
Talida–I love it! And yes, this is the best time of year to go to Texas.
Rajun Cajun–Yeah, that’s what my Cajun friends say as well when I say crawdad!
Melissa–Can you imagine customs checking the shipment? That would be worth the price alone!
Rajun Cajun–
I’ve always wanted to go to a crawfish boil, never even tasted them. My brother and sister live on the east coast and did a crab boil one time and it just sounded fabulous.