When summer kicks in, one of the most popular recipes that families are fond of serving is crawfish boil. However, some people are still unfamiliar with this type of crustacean that lives in freshwater habitats. Regardless of whether you are already fond of eating crawfish or this is your first time cooking and eating it, you will most likely benefit from this guide. Below is the perfect crawfish recipe that will help you in cooking and eating crawfish the right way.
Crawfish Boil
Tools and Accessories
In cooking crawfish boils properly, you have to prepare some tools and accessories alongside your ingredients. In this case, you need a stockpot together with a boil basket and a Hook’d On Pot crawfish basket hook. The former needs to be large enough to hold all the ingredients that you have prepared. On the other hand, the latter proves to be one of the best accessories to carry and draining the dish you have prepared.
Ingredients
To make the perfect crawfish boil, it is recommended for you to use live crawfish. However, you can always opt to use frozen ones. You also need some smoked sausage and red potatoes for this recipe and corn, garlic, lemon, and various seasonings. More often than not, crawfish boil recipes vary because of the herbs used. Nevertheless, one of the most popular crawfish boil flavors is the cajun and creole that involves cajun, lemon, and pepper seasoning. Don’t forget to prepare a specific crawfish boil seasoning that suits your taste and liquid crab boil seasoning as well. You can even add some bay leaves and celery, and of course, salt and pepper to taste.
Procedure
The first thing you need to do is clean the live crawfish or defrost your frozen supply. The next thing you need to do is fill your stockpot with water that is 1/3 of its capacity. Add to this your garlic, bay leaves, celery, lemon, and other seasonings, as well as the potatoes. Bring this to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for about half an hour. After this, stir in the onions and sausage before simmering for another 20 minutes. From there, slowly add in the crawfish and return to a boil.
As soon as your dish boils, reduce the heat again and continue simmering for another 5 minutes or until you see that the shell of the crawfish is already bright red. You can even get one to test if its head can already be easily removed. If it does, then the crawfish is ready. You then have to remove the boiling basket and make sure that you drain well. As much as possible, serve your dish in a large and visually pleasing bowl to add to the appeal of the already sumptuous dish.
Tips for Eating Crawfish the Right Way
When your dish is ready, the only thing left to do is eat it. In this case, make sure that you eat crawfish properly for you to be able to enjoy it pleasurably. What you can then do is inspect the crawfish to see where the head meets the tail. From there, push the tail into the head. Twist it gently to separate it.
On the tail’s shell, find the first ring and peel it off for you to be able to remove the meat. Pinch the end of the tail and prepare to bite into the meat. You can also try sucking out the juices from the crawfish head; for some people, the best part of the crawfish is its head because the yellow liver is not only creamy but also delicious. Some say that this tastes like uni or a sea urchin.
There is also the option for you to devour on the claws, but this is only possible if they are big enough. In this case, you can use your teeth to gently bite the shell of the claws to crack it open. Just have a plate nearby for you to be able to discard the shell of the crawfish effortlessly. You should also prepare lots of paper towels near you. When it comes to removing the smell of crawfish in your hand, simply rub your hands with lemon.
If you are keen on trying to cook and eat crawfish boil, simply follow the recipe above. For sure, you and your family will enjoy cooking and eating this festive summer dish together, particularly because you have done it the right way. Feel free to experiment with certain twists on the recipe to cater to your specific taste. Enjoy!