Crawfish Boil Recipe

Crawfish Boil - mouthwatering crawfish recipes just like how it's done in New Orleans. Made with live crawfish, Louisiana and Cajun seasonings, corn, red potato and smoked sausage, so delicious!

Crawfish boil with corn, smoked sausage and red potatoes, ready to serve.

Crawfish Boil Recipe

Crawfish boil is one of the most popular crawfish recipes in summer month. It is an iconic Lousiana Cajun delicacy just like seafood boil and shrimp boil.

When they are in season, friends and family gather around to feast on a big pot of crawfish (or crayfish) boiled in a spice mix broth during spring and summer months.

Louisiana Crawfish boil New Orleans on a serving platter.

In this crawfish recipe, I will teach you how to make New Orleans crawfish boil with step-by-step photos.

Ingredients for the best crawfish boil recipe: live crawfish (crayfish) corn, smoked sausage and red potatoes.

What’s in a Crawfish Boil?

The ingredients are:

Live crawfish (preferred) or frozen crawfish.
Smoked sausage.
Red potatoes.
Corn.
Garlic.
Lemon.
Seasonings.

Crawfish boil seasoning: Louisiana Fish Fry Products Crawfish Shrimp and Crab Boil seasoning and cajun seasoning.

Crawfish Boil Seasoning

For spicy Cajun and Creole flavors, you will need the following ingredients:

Louisiana Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil spice mix. You can buy it on Amazon.
Bottled Cajun Seasoning.
Bottled Lemon and Pepper Seasoning.

Close up picture of crawfish in Cajun crawfish boil.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Crawfish?

Crawfish is a type of freshwater crustacean or shellfish. It’s also called crayfish and crawdad. They look like tiny little lobsters, with hard red shells after cooking, with two tiny claws. They can be found wild or farm-raised.

Their natural habitats are muddy swamps, paddy fields or places with a pool of fresh water. They are well loved by many foodies and especially popular in low country such as Louisiana, Texas and the south.

Live crawfish (crayfish or crawdad) in a container.

In recent years, crawfish has become increasingly popular in California and Texas, made popular by Vietnamese-Cajun crawfish or crab boil restaurants like The Boiling Crab.

How to Boil Crawfish?

To boil crayfish, you will need a pot that is deep with enough water to cover the shellfish. You will need 8-10 cups water to boil them. I used a Dutch oven to make this recipe; you can use any deep and tall soup pot to boil crawfish.

Crawfish boil in crawfish boil pot, ready to serve.

How Long Do You Boil Them?

For live crawfish, it taeks 3-4 minutes in hot boiling water, with the lid covering the pot. You can also check the visual cues: they are done as soon as the shells turn red color.

For frozen crawfish, thaw them at room temperature before boiling. Boil for 1 minute since they are already cooked.

How to eat crawfish? Remove the shell of crawfish to eat the tail.

How Do You Eat Crawfish?

Here are the simple steps to peel and eat crawfish:

First, pull off the head of a crawfish.
Next, peel the shell off the tail, starting at the end furthest away from its tail. Peel on the side of the shell to expose the meat.
Pull the tail out of the shell and enjoy.
The best part of crawfish is in its head; the yellow liver is creamy and delicious, and tastes like uni (sea urchin).
You may eat the claws, if they are big enough. Just crack the shell of the claws by gently biting with your teeth. Remove the shell to expose the meat.

Crawfish boil party, serving crawfish boil on newspapers.

Regardless of the crawfish recipes, the best way to serve is to lay out the crawfish on parchment paper or newspapers. Dig in with your hands and enjoy the deliciousness!

How Many Calories per Serving?

This crawfish recipe is only 317 calories per serving.

Ingredients

3 lbs. crawfish
8 -10 cups water
6 oz. Louisiana Crawfish Shrimp & Crab Boil
2 tablespoons McCormick Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon McCormick Lemon Pepper seasoning
1 head garlic (unpeeled but separated)
3 ears corn (cut into 2-inch pieces)
12 oz. small red potatoes, halved
14 oz. smoked sausage, cut into chunky pieces (Hillshire Farms)
1 lemon (sliced into rounds)

Instructions

Fill a large pot with water. Bring the water to a boil. Add the Louisiana Crawfish Shrimp and Crab Boil, Cajun seasoning and Lemon Pepper seasoning. Stir well to a rolling boil.
Add the garlic, corn, potatoes, sausage and lemon slices. Cover the pot with its lid and cook for 10 minutes.
Taste the crawfish boil water. If it's too salty, add more water. If it's too bland, add more seasonings to taste. Transfer the crawfish into the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes, with the lid covered.
Turn off the heat and let the crawfish soak for 10 minutes. The longer the crawfish soaks, the spicier they will be. Remove all the ingredients using a strainer and serve immediately. Discard the crawfish boil water.