Crawfish Boil

As we arrive at the official end of summer, Labor Day weekend allows us the opportunity to luxuriously lay around and soak in these final delicious rays. One of the best ways to say au revoir to the beloved seasons is to make it memorable.  But before you fuss about where to go or what to do, consider staying home. What?! That’s right: I am showing you how to throw an old-school, backyard crawfish boil to wrap up the season in signature summer style. Warning: Things are about to get delicious.


Hosting an authentic Louisiana Crawfish Boil is as much an activity as it is a deliciously exciting meal. Line some picnic tables with paper. Opt for blank white paper, providing crayons so the kids can channel their inner Picasso’s while you prepare the meal. Once the crawfish and corn have been cooked, dump all the crawfish directly onto the table. Provide butter, salt, lemon, hot sauce, and wet wipes–let the hands-on dining begin. Sources tried the following recipe, courtesy of Alton Brown at the Food Network, and it was finger-licking good!
 Place peppercorns, coriander, clove, and allspice into a spice grinder and grind for 10 to 15 seconds.
 Fill a 40-quart pot with 5 gallons of water and add the freshly ground spices, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, thyme, oregano, dry mustard, dill weed, and bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, approximately 40 minutes.

 Rinse the crawfish thoroughly. Place the crawfish in a large container and fill with cool water. Stir to remove dirt from the crawfish. Transfer small batches of crawfish to a colander and rinse under cool running water. Pick out any debris or dead crawfish. Once all crawfish have been rinsed, discard dirty water, and return the crawfish to the container. Repeat this process 6 to 8 times, or until the water is clear.

 Once the seasoned water comes to a boil, add the potatoes, corn, garlic, and sausage. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the crawfish, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Drain well and serve immediately.