Recipe courtesy of Chris Montero, Napoleon, New Orleans
This Louisiana Crab Boil features jumbo crabs simmered with lemons, garlic, spices, and Zatarain’s seasonings for a classic Louisiana seafood feast.
Louisiana Crab Boil
Makes about 4 servings
Ingredients
- 12 quarts cool water
- 4 large onions, coarsely chopped
- 4 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 10 lemons, halved
- 5 heads garlic, tops cut off just enough to expose flesh of pods
- 2 cups kosher salt
- ½ cup Zatarain’s Concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil
- 1 (3-ounce) package Zatarain’s Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil
- 10 small dried bay leaves
- ⅓ cup black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 12 live jumbo crabs
Instructions
- In a 5-gallon boiling pot, place 12 quarts cool water, onion, celery, lemons, garlic, salt, liquid crab boil, dry crab boil, bay leaves, peppercorns, and cayenne. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Using tongs, carefully add crabs to pot, one at a time. Return liquid to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and let crabs steep, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove crabs from pot using a large strainer. Let cool for a few minutes. Serve on platters or trays with cracking tools.
