Southern Louisiana Crawfish Boil

Throw an unforgettable crawfish boil party with this highly-rated recipe that promises bold flavors and great fun.

What Exactly Is a Crawfish Boil?

A crawfish boil is both a dish and a lively event where it’s served. A staple in Louisiana and other coastal Southern regions, these boils typically feature crawfish, shrimp, and crab, along with spicy sausage, corn, and potatoes—all simmered together for a flavorful feast.

Ingredients for a Crawfish Boil

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this highly-rated crawfish boil recipe:

· Spices and seasonings: This dish is packed with flavor, thanks to garlic, bay leaves, dry crab boil, liquid shrimp and crab boil seasoning, and salt and pepper.
· Vegetables: Gather red potatoes, oranges, artichokes, green beans, onions, and baby corn.
· Fruits: Fresh oranges and lemons add a burst of citrusy brightness.
· Sausage: Slice your smoked sausages into ½-inch pieces.
· Crawfish: Live crawfish is ideal, but frozen crawfish will work in a pinch.

Tips for Hosting a Crawfish Boil

Below, you'll find the full recipe with step-by-step instructions. But before you dive into cooking, here are a few useful tips to ensure your boil is a success:

1. You don’t need a fancy table setting to host a crawfish boil at home. In fact, the traditional way is to spread the ingredients right onto a table covered with newspapers.
2. This Louisiana crawfish boil recipe serves around 10 people, but it’s simple to scale up by doubling or tripling the recipe. Trust us, you’ll likely need more crawfish than you think!
3. Live crawfish are ideal for this dish. You can usually find them at your local seafood market or fishmonger, and they’re also available online. Be sure to plan ahead and secure your crawfish a few days before the event to avoid last-minute scrambling.

How Long Should You Boil Crawfish?

Crawfish are typically the last ingredients added to a pot filled with seasonings, vegetables, and sausage. To avoid overcooking, boil the crawfish for only about 5 minutes. They’re ready when the shells turn bright red and the tails come out with ease.

Dinogo Community Tips and Praise

"We cook it right on the campfire in a large pot," says Paula Mercier. "I like to add a couple of pounds of fresh shrimp and use frozen Cajun crawfish from the local store."

"We always add a stick of butter to each batch, as it makes peeling so much easier," shares jaysmom. "Those tails just slide right out!"

Editorial insights by Corey Williams

Ingredients

• 2 heads garlic, unpeeled

• 5 bay leaves

• 2 (3 ounce) packages dry crab boil

• 1 tablespoon liquid shrimp and crab boil seasoning

• salt and ground black pepper to taste

• 15 red potatoes, washed

• 3 large oranges, halved

• 3 large lemons, halved

• 2 large whole artichokes

• 2 (16 ounce) packages mushrooms, cleaned

• ½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed

• 2 large onions, sliced

• 30 pieces baby corn

• 2 (16 ounce) packages smoked sausage, cut into ½ inch slices

• 50 pounds live crawfish, rinsed well

Directions

Gather all your ingredients together.

Fill a large pot about one-third full with water. Add garlic, bay leaves, dry and liquid crab boil seasonings, salt, pepper, potatoes, oranges, lemons, and artichokes. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Add mushrooms, green beans, onions, and baby corn, then continue cooking for about 15 more minutes.

Stir in the sausage and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the crawfish and bring the mixture back to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the crawfish shells turn bright red and the tails come out easily, about 5 minutes. To test, peel a crawfish—be careful not to overcook or they’ll become tough.

Remove from the heat and carefully drain all the liquid. Serve the crawfish boil hot, Louisiana-style, spread out on a picnic table covered with newspapers.

Nutrition Information (per serving)