Crawfish Boil

Name: Crawfish Boil
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 quarts water; 1 medium white onion, peeled and quartered; 1 lemon, quartered; 1 bay leaf; 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 3 pounds fresh live crawfish

New Orleans Central South Mardi Gras Southern Seafood Louisiana Crayfish Shellfish Main Dish Easy

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4 servings Easy

Total: 25 mins Active: 15 mins

20 Ratings

Ingredients (7)

2 quarts water
1 medium white onion, peeled and quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 bay leaf
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 pounds fresh live crawfish

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Nutritional Information

Calories280
Fat3.32g
Saturated fat0.56g
Trans fat
Carbs4.65g
Fiber0.95g
Sugar1.55g
Protein54.92g
Cholesterol387.82mg
Sodium1649.37mg
Nutritional Analysis per serving (4 servings) Powered by

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For this classic Louisiana bayou crawfish boil recipe, crawfish are poached in water with onion, lemon, bay leaf, and garlic.

Game plan: Unless you bought them prepurged, the crawfish will have to be soaked in an ice chest full of fresh water for about 10 minutes before cooking, to clean their exterior and cause them to spit up the swampy muck in their intestines.

For more New Orleans-style inspiration, check out our Mardi Gras recipes.

Adapted from Tammy Algood

Instructions

1Find out if your crawfish have been purged. If they haven’t, soak in fresh water for 10 minutes (some people say you need to salt—you don’t).
2While you’re waiting, place the water in a large Dutch oven and bring to the boil over medium heat.
3Place the onion, lemon, bay leaf, and garlic in a large piece of cheesecloth. Use kitchen twine to tie it up, teabag-style. Add to the boiling water along with the salt. Boil 5 minutes.
4Add the crawfish to the pot and boil 5 minutes longer, when all the shells should be bright red. Drain, discarding the cheesecloth bag. Serve immediately, plain or with dippin’ sauces like cocktail sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, or Tabasco.