Big Crawfish, Little World
For those of you who have ever been to New Orleans, you will understand the true love that is Crawfish. These tiny little creatures, soaked in spices and served on a giant platter will warm your heart at any moment of time.
I had the honor of being a part of a crawfish boil when I was visiting my best friend from college, who lives in New Orleans. Him and his roommates purchase 200 pounds of crawfish, to serve their friends and family during the parade on Sunday. This amazing tradition is something I have been able to be apart of each time I go to New Orleans, and is something I wish we could bring back to San Diego, but it is just not the same.
The crawfish are cleaned, and sit (yes, they are still live) until they are ready to be dumped into a huge 20 gallon basket over a large fire. The crawfish were accompanied by corn, potatoes, garlic, brussel sprouts, sausage, grapefruit and mushrooms and soak in Zatarian's crab boil seasoning. All of these yummy ingredients sit and cook, and then cool off in under an hour. A good tip to know, is when you add ice to cool everything off, it helps the spice settle into the ingredients (the more spice the better).
Once all cooked, the water is drained, and the goodies are dumped onto a long table. No silver wear. No plates. You just have to get down and dirty with your hands to peel and eat the yummy goodness. The crawfish are large, but the meat amount is very small. Once you peel the head off, suck the juice out of the head, and then tear the tail, there is very minimal meat - but worth all the effort. There is also cloves of garlic, in which people smush into their potatoes and eat. I went straight for the corn and crawfish, and I have never been happier in my life.
Of course, not everyone has access to large 20-gallon baskets, or the ability to buy 200 pounds of crawfish (or any crawfish at all depending on where you live) so I figured how to make it at my house.
The thing is, it doesn't taste as good, but hey, i got pretty darn close! I went ahead and bought a few corn, a pack of sausage, some baby potatoes and some shrimp. Unfortunately, in San Diego, i could not find any live or uncooked crawfish for the time being, so shrimp worked well.
I placed everything into the largest poti own, boiled water, and added a box of Zatarain's spice. After the water was boiled, I placed all the ingredients in (minus the shrimp), and let cook. With about 15 minutes left for cooking, I added the shrimp to the bowl. I transferred the ingredients into two large bowls, drained the liquid, and chowed down. You can also add a sauce on the side, equal mixture of ketchup and mayo, and I promise you wont regret it.
For dessert, I made an impromptu King's Cake, minus the baby, for the full effect. I baked a few layers of pre-made cinnamon rolls, layered on top of each other, in a bundt cake pan. Once cooked, I added white frosting, and sprinkles for a yummy dessert! Really tried to make myself feel like I was in New Orleans, and I did pretty darn well!
Things you need for Boil:
Crawfish
Potatoes
Corn
Garlic
Zatarian's spice
Brussel Sprouts (optional)
Andouille Sausage
Ketchup
Mayo
Large Pot
