Crawfish Boil
Ingredients
- 4 lb live crawfish, purged and rinsed
- 2 lb baby potatoes, halved
- 4 ears fresh corn, cut into thirds
- 1 lb smoked andouille sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered
- 8 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp mustard seed
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 6 qt water
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 lemons, halved
Instructions
- Fill a 12-quart stockpot with 6 quarts water and bring to a rolling boil at 212°F. Add 2 tbsp kosher salt, Old Bay seasoning, cayenne pepper, mustard seed, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes to bloom the spices.
- Add halved baby potatoes and bring back to a full boil. Cook for 8 minutes until potatoes are just starting to soften but still firm.
- Add smoked andouille sausage pieces and cook for 4 minutes to warm through and infuse the broth with smoke and spice.
- Add quartered onion and crushed garlic, cooking for 2 minutes. Squeeze lemon halves directly into the pot and drop them in.
- Add corn pieces and return to a vigorous boil. Cook for 3 minutes until corn is bright and tender-crisp.
- Add crawfish in batches, stirring gently to submerge. Once all crawfish are in, cover and return to a boil. Cook for exactly 6-8 minutes—crawfish should be bright red and meat should pull cleanly from the shell. Do not overcook or meat becomes mushy.
- Turn off heat and stir in 3 tbsp unsalted butter until melted. Let rest for 2 minutes.
- Drain in a large colander set over a sheet pan to catch any liquid. Transfer crawfish, vegetables, and sausage to a large serving platter lined with newspaper or butcher paper. Season with additional Old Bay and sea salt to taste. Serve immediately with small bowls of melted butter for dipping.
Inspired by Jay Ducote’s winning crawfish boil. This is a plausible recreation, not the chef’s original recipe.