Bring everyone together with this Ultimate Crawfish Boil, loaded with crawfish, corn, potatoes, sausage, and bold Cajun spices—perfect for feeding a crowd.
Ultimate Crawfish Boil
Makes about 12 servings
Ingredients
- 32 pounds live crawfish
- 2 Spice Packets (recipe follows), divided
- 3 cups kosher salt
- 10 lemons, halved
- 10 pounds red potatoes, quartered
- 8 pounds corn on the cob, shucked and halved
- 16 heads garlic, halved crosswise
- 8 pounds andouille sausage, cut into thirds
- Classic Cajun Seasoning (recipe follows)
- Boil Dip (recipe follows)
Instructions
- In a large bucket or cooler, add live crawfish and water to cover. Let stand for 30 minutes, discarding any crawfish that float to top, which indicates crawfish is dead. Rinse crawfish thoroughly with cold water.
- In a large outdoor 60-gallon pot with a crawfish basket, add 1 Spice Packet, salt, and lemons, squeezing the juices. Fill pot halfway with water, and bring to a boil over high heat on a heavy-duty outdoor burner*. Add potatoes, corn, and garlic; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Submerge crawfish, andouille, and remaining 1 Spice Packet into pot, making sure crawfish are submerged. Return water to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand until crawfish are tender and float to top, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Classic Cajun Seasoning, and serve immediately with Boil Dip.
Notes
*Follow all safety guidelines according to manufacturer’s directions.
Spice Packet
Makes 1
Ingredients
- 10 dried or fresh bay leaves
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- ¼ cup coriander seeds
- ¼ cup dill seeds
- ¼ cup mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In the center of a double layer of cheesecloth, combine all ingredients. Fold over to make a packet, and tie with butcher’s twine.
Classic Cajun Seasoning
Makes about ⅔ cup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground celery seed
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Transfer to a sealed container, and store for up to 6 months.
Boil Dip
Makes about 1¼ cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Creole mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
