BOILED CRAWFISH

Prep Time: 2 Hours
Yields: 12 Servings

Comment:
The crawfish boil is the premier social event in the springtime in Louisiana. Friends and family gather for an afternoon under the shade of an oak tree to enjoy a delicacy unparalleled in the South.

Ingredients:
50 pounds cleaned crawfish
30 quarts cold water
12 medium onions, quartered
6 heads garlic, split in half, exposing pods
4 whole artichokes
2 pounds smoked sausage, sliced
12 lemons, quartered
1 quart vegetable oil
4 pounds salt
¼ pound cayenne pepper
4 (3-ounce) bags crab boil
3 (12-ounce) bottles beer
24 medium red potatoes
12 ears of corn

Method:
Live crawfish may be purchased already washed from your seafood supplier. However, a second rinsing in cold water would not hurt. Purging crawfish, that is, washing them in cold salted water, has been found to be useless. In a 60-quart stockpot, bring water to a rolling boil. Add onions, garlic, artichokes, sausage, lemons, oil, salt, pepper, crab boil and beer. Boil 30 minutes to ensure good flavor in liquid. Add red potatoes and cook 8–10 minutes then add corn. Boil 3–5 minutes. Place crawfish in water. Once water returns to a boil, cook crawfish 5–7 minutes. Turn off heat and allow crawfish to sit in hot water approximately 30 minutes. Test crawfish at 10-minute intervals during soaking until flavor is to your liking. Crawfish should be served hot with potatoes, corn and pitchers of ice cold beer.