BOILED CRAWFISH

Prep Time: 2 Hours
Yields: 12 Servings

Comment:
The crawfish boil is the premier social event in the springtime here in Louisiana. Friends and family gather for an afternoon under the shade of an oak tree to enjoy a delicacy unequaled in the Southland.

Ingredients:
50 pounds cleaned crawfish
30 quarts water
12 medium onions, quartered
6 heads garlic, split in half, exposing pods
1 dozen lemons, quartered
1 quart vegetable oil
4 pounds salt
¼ pound cayenne pepper
8 ounces celery salt
4 ounces McCormick Old Bay Seasoning
4 (3-ounce) bags Zatarain's crab boil
1 (4-ounce) bottle Zatarain’s liquid crab boil
3 (12-ounce) bottles beer
24 medium red potatoes
6 whole artichokes
3 pounds smoked sausage
12 ears of corn
3 (5-pound) bags ice

Method:
Live crawfish may be purchased already washed from your seafood supplier. However, a second rinsing in cold water would not hurt. The purging of crawfish, that is, washing the crawfish in cold salted water, has been found to be useless other than to place the animal under unnecessary stress. So forget the purging--rinsing in cold water will suffice. In a 60-quart stockpot, bring 30 quarts water to a rolling boil. Add onions, garlic, lemons, vegetable oil, salt, cayenne, celery salt, Old Bay Seasoning, crab boils and beer. Allow mixture to boil for 30 minutes. This boiling of the seasonings will ensure a good flavor. Add potatoes, artichokes and sausage and cook 10–12 minutes. Add corn and cook 10 additional minutes. Add crawfish and bring to a rolling boil. Stir gently for 1 minute then turn off heat. Cover and allow crawfish to soak in hot liquid for 12–15 minutes, testing occasionally for seasoning and doneness. Add ice to the hot water and allow crawfish to soak in water until the seasonings reach your personal taste. Crawfish should be served hot with potatoes, artichokes, corn and pitchers of ice-cold beer. NOTE: If boiling 20 pounds or less, cut the ingredient amounts in half, including the water.