Perfecting your crawfish boil recipe can be just as difficult as cooling your boil before the soak. From our signature crawfish boil seasoning recipe to our game-changing crawfish supplies, here at Boil Boss, we’re always looking to innovate and improve the way things are done.
This recipe with crawfish also works great as a seafood boil with shrimp or crab. It’s made with your choice of fresh seafood, smoked sausage, potatoes, and corn, and gets boiled in a stock of onions, garlic, hot sauce, and more for tons of delicious flavor.
You may also want to add other lagniappe foods and side dishes to give your boil “a little something extra” in the Cajun tradition. Gather your ingredients and gear, and let’s get cooking!
Try Our Favorite Crawfish Boil Recipe
Recipe serves 10 - 15 people
NOTE: This boil recipe is based on using an 80 to 120-quart pot and boiling one batch. It’s important to note that if you plan to use a smaller pot, you may need to boil multiple batches.
What do you need for a crawfish boil? Here are the classic ingredients:
CRAWFISH BOIL INGREDIENTS
- Crawfish, 1 Sack (30-40 pounds)
- Foundation Boil Dry Seasoning (or your preferred crawfish boil seasoning recipe), 6 lbs.
- Onions, two 3 lb. bags (cut in half)
- Celery, 3 bunches (including leaves)
- Garlic, 2 bags
- Potatoes, 1 sack
- Frog Bone Cajun Pepper Hot Sauce, 2 bottles
- Lemons, 2-3 bags
- Tangerines, 2 bags
- Smoked Sausage, 1 pack
- Frozen Corn on the Cob, 1 pack
- Mushrooms, 1-2 packs
EQUIPMENT
- Propane Tank
- Burner
- A large boil pot (We recommend High Performance Cookers)
- Boil Boss™ Pot Cooler
- Boil Boss™ Thermo-Paddle
Step-by-Step Crawfish Boil Recipe Instructions
1. Fill the Pot with 12 Gallons of Water
- 18” diameter pot = fill 11”
- 19” diameter pot = 9.75”
- 20” diameter pot = 8.75”
- 21” diameter pot = 8”
- 22” diameter pot = 7.25”
NOTE: One of the most overlooked steps is getting the amount of water right. This will make or break any seafood boil recipe with crawfish, shrimp, crab, or lobster, as the seasoning-to-water ratio determines the overall flavor of your stock.
If it's your first time boiling in this pot, we suggest putting in the crawfish you plan to boil at one time (to make sure the water is high enough), filling it with water in the above calculations, and then make sure the water covers the live crawfish.
If not, add more water until it does cover the crawfish. Then, remove the crawfish to see where the water line is. If it is higher than what you originally put in, you have a good starting point for future boils.
2. Clean Crawfish
Wash your crawfish with water until completely clean and clear. The easiest and most effective way is to use a crawfish washer. Remove any dead crawfish before adding them to your crawfish boil recipe.
3. Ignite Burner
Ignite the burner and set it to medium heat. Do not over-crank the regulators to ensure you don’t freeze your tank over. You’ll need the pressure when you add your crawfish.
4. While Water is Heating, Add:
What do you need for crawfish boil stock? Start here, but feel free to get creative!
- Seafood Boil Seasoning Bag (or your own crawfish boil seasoning recipe blend)
- Celery
- Onions
- Garlic
5. Juice Lemons and Tangerines
Juice the citrus into a large container and reserve for later. After juicing, add 10 to 12 rinds to the boil.
6. Add Potatoes
Once water has reached a boil, add the potatoes and boil until al dente. Stab with a knife to test for tenderness. Sweet potatoes can be cut into smaller chunks.
7. Add The Crawfish, Sausage & Other Lagniappe Ingredients
Once the potatoes are close to being done, add the crawfish, sausage, mushrooms, and any other lagniappe ingredients.
NOTE: Adding additional ingredients to this seafood boil recipe with crawfish will affect the outcome, as some items absorb more liquid/seasoning than others.
8. Cook For 2-3 Minutes
Cook the crawfish for 2-3 minutes, and then turn off the heat. DO NOT overcook! Even the best crawfish boil recipe can turn mushy and rubbery if you’re not careful.
9. Turn Off the Heat and Install the Boil Boss™
Add your frozen corn and start cooling the pot down. Using The Boil Boss is one of the most important steps to prevent overcooking your seafood.
Cut the fire, attach The Boil Boss crawfish pot cooling ring to your hose and pot, and start the cooldown process.
Skip the ice. It dilutes the flavors of your crawfish boil seasoning recipe.
Add your reserved lemon and tangerine juice to the pot.
Stir the pot constantly with the Boil Boss temperature-sensing crawfish paddle until the temperature lowers to 155 degrees. This helps ensure even temperature distribution.
10. Soak ‘Til You Reach Your Desired Spiciness
Soak for as long as it takes to get to your desired spiciness.
Common Mistakes
Here are some of the most common blunders to avoid when perfecting a seafood boil recipe with crawfish, shrimp, crab, or lobster.
- Crowding the Pot: It’s tempting to pack the pot with crawfish or shrimp, especially when you’re expecting a crowd. This will cause the temperature to decrease, leading to improperly cooked seafood. Instead, run multiple boils or work in batches.
- Underseasoning: Don’t be shy with the seasonings, aromatics, and citrus! In order for the ingredients to absorb the rich flavors, there needs to be a high concentration in the stock.
- Adding Seasoning at the End: A good crawfish boil recipe develops flavors throughout the boil, and the seafood needs time to absorb the flavors.
- Slow Cooldowns: You must cool the stock rapidly to halt the cooking process, or you’ll end up with overcooked seafood.
- Skipping the Soak: Again, seafood needs time to absorb the flavors.
- Using a Weak Burner: If your burner can’t bring ample heat for the entire boil, you’ll end up with undercooked ingredients.
- Not Monitoring Temperature: Don’t wing it! Executing a perfect seafood boil recipe with crawfish, shrimp, crab, or all of the above requires precise temperature control.
Like our innovative solutions, this crawfish boil recipe should make the experience less stressful.
What do you need for a crawfish boil setup that consistently produces perfectly cooked seafood? Boil Boss seafood boil equipment! Take the guesswork out of temperature control and monitoring with our game-changing inventions. Try our patented designs to boil like a boss.
Seasoning/Water Calculator
The key to any great boil is nailing the seasoning to water ratio. Use the calculator below for guidance on your specific pot.
As a rule of thumb, we typically use 6 pounds of seasoning per batch in an 80 to 100 qt pot. For every follow-up batch, we add 2 pounds of seasoning.