Annual Crawfish Boil

We started this tradtion because we were invited to a friend's annual boil. Crawfish make the best party food: you just keep eating and talking because it takes a bit to peel them and they are a bit on the small side. They are messy, but worth it. Here's the recipe:

Cajun Crawfish Dinner

2 pounds crawfish per person (we did a total of 8 pounds for our family)
1 package of Zatarain's crawfish boil seasoning (available in the spice aisle)
red potatoes
corn on the cob


First of all, crawfish come home with you alive. In order to make they empty their digestive tract and make them eatable, you put them in a big bowl/pot/cooler and cover them with a bunch of salt and a little bit of water and let them sit for awhile. The salt with make them spitup anything inside them. After awhile, rinse all the crawfish. Discard any dead fish (their tails will be straight instead of curve around).
Meanwhile, bring too boil a really, really big pot (industrial sized) of water with the seasoning in it. Add the live fish. Let them boil for about 10 minutes. Then let them soak. The longer you soak them, more of the seasoning soaks in.

You can serve red potatoes and corn on the cob with the crawfish. Just boil the potatoes and corn in the same pot. The whole meal is meant to be eaten with your fingers. You might want a bib, or at least a big napkin, they squirt when you peel them.

To eat: pinch the fish just behind the head and pull the tail section off. You don't want to eat the yellowish stuff. Then peel the tail like you would a shrimp. And Enjoy. This is such a fun and delicious meal. I wish that the season wasn't already over. Check online, I bet there is a sight that you could order through, or ask your butcher. Maybe they can special order for you.