BOILED CRAWFISH on the STOVETOP

In Louisiana, Crawfish Boils are typically large, outdoor gatherings. Batches are big and designed to feed a lot of people. Big bags of live crawfish. Big pots of spicy water heated over big gas burners. Big ice chests some to hold the fresh crawfish and the rest for cooked crawfish.

But, did you know you can cook smaller batches in your kitchen on the stove?

Crawfish Stove Top Recipe

Serving Sizes: Typically 3 to 5 pounds of crawfish per person.

INGREDIENTS:
• 3 – 5 lbs. live, cleaned Shaver’s Crawfish
• Shaver’s Crawfish, Crab & Shrimp Boil
• Fresh garlic cloves, if desired
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2 red potatoes, quartered
• 1 yellow onion, peeled & quartered
• 4 corn on the cob halves

Step 1
Clean your crawfish.*

Step 2
Place a lift out basket into a 5 gallon stockpot. Fill with 3 gallons water. Add Shaver’s Crawfish, Crab & Shrimp Boil and lemon. Cover and heat over high temp until boiling.
The basket makes it easier to drain once the crawfish are cooked. If you do not have a basket, just dip them out with a strainer or large slotted spoon.

Step 3
Add garlic, potatoes and onion. Boil approximately 15 minutes or until tender.

Step 4
Add cleaned, live crawfish and corn to the pot. Cover and continue to boil for 5 minutes.

Step 5
Remove the pot from the heat. Let the pot sit covered for at least 5 minutes and up to 30 minutes. The crawfish will become spicier the longer they sit in the pot.

Step 6
Drain the crawfish. Pour crawfish into a large serving bowl to eat immediately. Or, place cooked crawfish in an insulated and covered container to stay hot. Small ice chests work well.

TIPS:
• To serve more than one person, consider using two stockpots. Make sure each one has Shaver’s Crawfish, Crab & Shrimp Boil, lemon and garlic, if desired. Use one stockpot for a larger batch of crawfish. Use the other stockpot for potatoes, onion and corn. Remember to cook potatoes and onion for the recommended time, then add in corn for the remaining of time.
• Andouille sausage, cut in 2 inch lengths, is a common added ingredient in crawfish boils.
• For a spicier mix, add additional cayenne pepper to taste.

Live crawfish should be kept in the bag they are sold in until they are cooked. They should be in the air and kept at room temperature if they will be cooked fairly soon. To keep longer, crawfish should be rinsed down and placed in a container with ice. Drain as needed to keep them from being submerged in water.
Before cleaning and cooking, allow the crawfish to return to room temperature.

* CLEANING LIVE CRAWFISH
Place crawfish in a large, drainable container. The container needs to be large enough to mix them around and deep enough to keep them from crawling out.

SALT PURGE
Pour salt over the crawfish. Table salt is fine as this is not a seasoning agent. Stir the crawfish and salt again to salt the batch evenly. The crawfish will become very agitated.
Cover the crawfish with fresh water until they are submerged. Stir for approximately 3 minutes to help clean the crawfish. Drain the water completely.
Rinse the crawfish by filling the container with fresh water and stirring again. Remove any floating crawfish that may be dead. Repeat draining and rinsing until you are satisfied with the cleanliness.
Drain the water and cook your crawfish.

NO SALT PURGE
Fill container with fresh water to submerge the crawfish. Let the crawfish sit for approximately 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Drain the water.
Repeat at least twice to continue cleaning and rinsing. Remove any floating crawfish that may be dead.
Drain the water and cook your crawfish.