Originally Posted by G Sedan

what does crawfish taste like? I never had it in my life. is it like shrimp?

Originally Posted by 6MTzer

The best way to eat crayfish is like a Barbarian!

Throw some shrimp, clams and crab claws in with this recipe and it's like heaven.




Crayfish Boil Recipe

Ingredients:

30 pounds live crawfish (one sack)*
2 cups salt for purging
2 (3 ounce) boxes crawfish or crab or shrimp boil seasoning or 2 cups liquid crab boil
20 small onions, peeled
Smoked sausage, cut up into large pieces
Whole mushrooms
5 pounds small red or new potatoes, unpeeled
10 to 15 ears of fresh corn on the cob, shucked and broken in halves
Whole mushrooms

* Crawfish season is from late February to mid-May. If buying crawfish in advance, keep live crawfish at 36-46 degrees for approximately 3 days with wet burlap sacks, towels, etc. on top. Let crawfish return to room temperature before using.

If you have not already done so, drink a cold beer.

Purging the Crawfish: The cardinal rule is to purge and thoroughly wash the crawfish before boiling them. Placing them in a plastic children's pool, large tub, or a large ice chest - rinse them in enough changes of water for the water to run reasonably clear. Then add more water to cover the crawfish and add 2 cups of salt. This forces them to purge themselves of impurities. Stir for 3 minutes, then rinse crawfish. After purging and cleaning, don’t leave the crawfish covered with water, as they need air to stay alive. Keep the crawfish in a cool or shaded area until you’re ready to start cooking. NOTE: Be careful not to let them purge too long. You do not want them to be dead when you add them to the boil.

In a large (18- to 20-gallon) pot over high heat, add enough water to fill a little more than halfway. Add crawfish or crab boil seasoning. Cover pot and bring water to a boil; boil 2 to 3 minutes to allow the spices to mix well.

Using a large wire basket that fits into the pot, add onions, sausage, mushrooms, and potatoes. Maintain a boil and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add crawfish to the wire basket, stirring them a bit; cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes (being careful not to overcook the crawfish). Remove wire basket from pot.

To serve the traditional way, cover a table (preferably outdoors) with thick layers of newspaper. Spill the contents of the basket (onions, potatoes, sausage, mushrooms, and crawfish) along the length of the newspaper-covered table. They are best served hot.

Makes 10 servings.