Steamed vs. boiled crawfish is a hot topic among Louisianans who love a good Cajun seafood feast—and the same goes for shrimp. While it all comes down to personal preference, after years of hosting and attending seafood boils, we’re firmly in the boil camp. Here’s why!
Steamed vs. boiled shrimp and crawfish—let’s start the showdown!
First, let’s talk about seasoning. As you weigh the pros and cons of both cooking methods, you’ll find that seasoning is a huge factor. There are two common approaches: soaking and dusting.
The reason why seasoning methods are related to cooking methods is simple—you can’t soak when you steam. If you’re choosing between steamed crawfish vs boiled, and you don’t enjoy the flavor of dusting, your decision is clear.
Let’s dive deeper.
Now that you’re familiar with soaking and dusting, let’s talk about flavor differences. There’s a reason why top-level chefs season while cooking, not after the food is done. When herbs and spices are heated, their volatile organic compounds go through significant changes, causing their flavors to bloom and become richer and more complex.
For example, let’s say you’re making a tomato sauce for a pasta dinner. You wouldn’t just cook your tomatoes and then add garlic and basil at the end, right? You want those aromatics to develop low and slow. The same principle applies to seafood boils.
Both cooking methods can produce perfectly tender, juicy seafood. Similarly, both can lead to overcooked or undercooked seafood. However, with the right equipment, monitoring the temperature of a seafood boil is much easier than monitoring the temperature of steamed seafood.
Our temperature-sensing seafood boil paddle eliminates the guesswork. It lets you easily track your progress, showing you exactly when your seafood is at ideal cooking and soaking heat levels.
As far as the texture difference between steamed crawfish vs boiled goes, you’re far less likely to end up with overcooked seafood if you boil your seafood and monitor it with our solution. Don’t rely solely on visual cues!
We explained how the flavors of your seafood boil seasoning bloom during the boiling process. Let’s go a step further. You want those seasonings to penetrate your seafood, deeply infusing it with those mouthwatering flavors.
Now, some steamers and dusters will say that dusting hot seafood with dry seasoning causes the spices and herbs to melt into the seafood. With all due respect, this seems more like a wish than a fact. There’s simply not enough time or heat for the seasoning to properly penetrate both the shells and the flesh of the seafood.
While it might not be practical to compare steamed vs. boiled shrimp or crawfish at the same time, a side-by-side taste test conclusively reveals the difference. Boiling in a seasoned stock provides enough time and heat for the seasonings to fully and evenly infuse the seafood with bold flavors. And, it’s just a fact that liquid is better at penetrating than dry seasoning.
There’s no denying that we’re biased when it comes to steamed crawfish vs boiled crawfish! However, we firmly believe that we have concrete, science-backed evidence to make our case.
Boiling seafood in a seasoned liquid produces bigger flavors and better, more consistent textures. It’s not just about the technique either—the other ingredients matter, too! With steaming and dusting, you end with either bland or overseasoned potatoes, corn, and other add-ins.
Plus, when you boil, you end up with a delicious stock that’s perfect for dipping baguettes, making soup, or keeping your seafood boil leftovers from drying out in the fridge.
Here are some ways to use that stock:
Gumbo: Use the stock as a base for a rich and hearty gumbo. It adds a deep, spicy kick that pairs perfectly with seafood, chicken, or sausage.
Jambalaya: Replace water or chicken stock with crawfish boil stock to cook your rice for jambalaya. The spices will infuse the dish with authentic Cajun flavor.
Crawfish Etouffée: Make a roux and use the stock to build a flavorful sauce for crawfish etouffée. It’s a perfect way to use any leftover crawfish, too!
Rice or Grits: Cook your rice or grits with the stock instead of water for a side dish with a spicy, seafood-rich taste.
If you’re like us and prefer boiling, you’re in the right place. We proudly offer patented crawfish cooking supplies that eliminate the stress and hassle of seafood boils while simultaneously improving the taste and texture of the meal. From our propane jet burner to our crawfish cooler, our groundbreaking products are game-changers. Once you start using them, you’ll never go back.
In closing, the age-old debate of steamed crawfish vs boiled crawfish can easily be settled by tradition. It’s called a Louisiana seafood boil—not a Louisiana seafood steam! In our opinion, the classic is a classic for a reason. Discover innovative solutions for your seafood boils at Boil Boss.
Down here in Louisiana, a good Cajun seafood boil is a way of life. Most folks know crawfish are the star of the show, but shrimp? They're another crowd-pleaser that'll bring that bold Southern flavor to the table. Whether it's crawfish, shrimp, or a mix of both, you're gonna end up with a pot full of good eats—but there's a little trick to getting it right.
Seafood boils are (quite literally) steeped in Cajun tradition. Here in Louisiana, people have been getting together to boil crawfish, shrimp, and other seafood since the 1700s. Good food with good company—what better way to pass a good time? The classic crawfish boil is a classic for a reason. That said, sometimes you may want to change it up to keep things interesting.
Struggling with slow, inefficient crawfish, shrimp, or crab boil burners? Traditional designs waste time and propane, making it tough to get perfectly cooked seafood every time. But with the Boil Boss Triple Jet Burner, those days are over. We created the patent-pending Boil Boss Triple Jet Burner to take the stress out of cooking and help deliver the results you want from your boil.