attention John Bozzelle

hey can you post your recipie for your crawfish boil ................please

New Year Eve's ...here we come ....... yo Dan you coming down

Can you buy crawfish boil there Nick? Where are you getting live crawfish from? Do you have a giant pot and burner? It is pretty much boiling water with the crawfish boil mix added in. You purge the crawfish in a cooler with salt before hand then chuck the little buggers in the boiling water like lobster. You have to add some corn on the cob and potatoes as well cuz that sweet fire gets boiled in. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

You got crawfish up there at this time of year? We have them down here, but they're about $2.50/lb live or $3.25/lb boiled...

You'll need some Zatarain's crab/crawfish boil. We use the 4.5 lb clear container of the orange powder. If you can get that it's the best. Let me know what you can get for seasoning and how many pounds of crawfish you're going to boil (stovetop or large pot). Zatarain's also makes a Pro Boil in a black 4.5lb jar. It's got a little mor ekick to it.

Other than that just throw in whatever you want for extras... Here's what we've done for the Bash... Recipe is for one pot of crawfish (approx 30lbs, give or take a few). This past year we boiled about 100lbs (4 pots) total. There is also a recipe on the label of the Zatarain's jar if you have that for boil.

30lbs of crawfish - Clean them real good in an ice chest to get the mud out of them. Some people like to purge them with salt, but we just do straight water. This will float the dead ones too.. If they've been on ice or cold storage for awhile before you buy them let them warm up in the water good to see who's dead or alive.

(1) 4.5 lb container of Zatarain's - label reads Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil. Complete nothing to add. Hopefully your store has some. If not let me know we might be able to pull something off...

(1) small bottle of Zatarain's liquid boil - Throw some in to taste. If it's your first time maybe leave this out.. We usually use about 1/3 to 1/2 of this bottle. It'll leave a good kickin' aftertaste. I don't like to taste seafood after I swallow... If it burns you lips or mouth drink more beer!

(4) large lemons or oranges - If you want it sweeter use the oranges.

(2) 1 lb packs or your favorite smoked sausage - cut them into 2" long pieces. They'll soak up the flavor real good.

1 or 2 packs of hot dogs for the kids - If you want, not necessary. They'll soak up the flavor like the sausage so beware.

(2) medium cloves of garlic - If you don't like garlic use one or none.

(3) medium onions - We use yellow.

(1) pack of the small ears of corn - About 6 or so. Just depends on who eats what...

(1) small bag of the small red potatoes - These are the best. They get nice and soft...

You can also throw in some carrots or celery if you want as extra munchins'. At the past Bash I threw in some jumbo green olives with the seeds still in. They tasted good after being boiled. Try anything you think would go good in there and hold up to being boiled and soaked in water for some time...

Alright, now it's time to boil it all up. If you have a large pot and are unsure how much water to use simlply fill it about 1/2 to 2/3 the way up. Our pots have a nice "seasoned ring" on them to measure by. Bring the water to a boil. While it's coming to a boil cut the onions in half, cut the lemons or oranges in half too. Cut up the sausage and any carrots or celery.

Squeeze the lemons or oranges into the water. Squeeze them good and get the pulp out. Throw what's left in the water too. Throw the halved onions in there too. Also dump in the Zatarain's boil. Let it all come to a good rolling boil...

Throw your cleaned crawfish into the basket that came with the pot. Throw your sausage on top along with whatever else your boiling. Drop the basket into the water once it's come to rolling boil. If you measured the water right it won't spill over. If not don't worry, it'll still taste good. Bring back to a rolling boil and boil for 5 minutes, no longer. You can throw the hot dogs in for soaking only to warm them up and give them a little taste if you want them milder for the kids...

Turn off the flame and let 'em start to soak. We usually let a pot soak for at least 20 minutes. As they soak and cool off the crawfish will suck up the juice real good. I'll usually stir the pot to move them around. If you want throw ice in there to cool them down quick or hose the outside of the pot down with the hose. You can tell when they've soaked once they start to sink to the bottom. Don't soak them any longer than about 20 minutes or else the meat may get real soft and be a pain to get out of the tail.

Let me know how they turn out. If you want give me a call 985 249 1402. I'll be up till about 11 my time. If not give me a shout tomorrow. I'm on vacation till the 4th...

Dang that sounds real good John. I have never tried it with oranges, lemons or the sausage. Just the onions, potatoes and corn. Sometimes I will just boil up some potatoes and corn to go with steak it is so good. One thing else Nick, you are going to want to do this outside. That seasoning will give off some killer eye burning fumes if you do it inside.

dont be mad guys but im going to subsitute the crawfish for large shrimp ....

John thanks for sharing your recipe .....the flavor you had at the bash was of the chain ......um um delicious so i will follow it to the 't"

Nick,

Can you get the Zatarain's seasoning up there?

For shrimp, cook them for 1-2 minutes after the water returns to a boil. Then soak for 5-7 minutes. Any longer and they'll get mushy. That 4.5 lb jar of Zatarain's will do about 60lbs of shrimp...

Im going to ck tonight .

Usually what ever seasoning you can get will have a recipe on the side of the box. I always find that when cooked to the manufacturer's specs it's a little bland. That's why we spice it up with some extra liquid crab boil or some cayenne pepper...

yep found eveything locally ...thxs for the help John .... will post some pics of the outcome tommorrow

Can't wait to see the pics. Nothing but cabbage, potatoes, black eyed peas and corned beef here...

man this sounds awesome guys, wish we could get some crawfish in my area. this is some really good eatin.

all i can tell you guys is that it was awesome ......... the shrimp was perfect, everything was tender and the flavor was out of this world !!!! when i do it again i will add some more heat .........

i just wish there were left overs

bruno wrote:all i can tell you guys is that it was awesome ......... the shrimp was perfect, everything was tender and the flavor was out of this world !!!! when i do it again i will add some more heat .........

i just wish there were left overs

Damn, Nick, you're making me hungry!

TIMEOUT!!!!!


You peeled the shrimp before boiling them? That's cheating... I bet it would've been easier to peel them after they were boiled... Besides that shell holds in the juices and flavor until you are ready to eat them...

Enough razzing you though. That looks like some good eating. You gonna join us in boiling crawfish at the next Bash?

It looks like you need more crab boil cuz that corn should be orange from all the seasoning. At least that's how I like it.

lol ------ yes it did need more crab boil ........ and i new i was going get razzed for peeling and devining the shrimp ( well actually my wife was pissed i asked her to clean 5 lbs of shrimp ) but all in all it was a great evening , the atmosphere was great having everyone stand around the table and munch away .....

next time around i want to try it with clams, scallops , and some crab .... its a great way to eat healthy and fresh !!!! thxs guys for the recipie

When you're done with the boil, make sure you freeze any leftover stock for the next batch of gumbo...

great idea

Tell Julia I said no more peeling shrimp. How much crab boil did you use?

jbozzelle wrote:Tell Julia I said no more peeling shrimp. How much crab boil did you use?

i used the whole bag of the zatarians xtra spicy ( its the one in the netted bag you just trow in ) , a table spoon of the oil concentrate and a half of the bag of zatarians crab boil ....i thought it was going to be too spicy with the zat's xtra spicy deal but wasnt even close .......... oh well there is always next weekend

I'll have to send you a pic of what I use here. It's a 4.5 lb clear plastic jar of seasoning. I use that as well as some liquid crab boil or some bags. My pot is about the same size as yours or maybe larger...

yeah we didnt use near enough then ........ i remeber at the bash the sausage/potatoes/mushrooms were rendered down alot more then mine and had way more flavor ......... damn im getting hungry again

IF I am just making vegetables I will use a pot about 1/2 the size of yours and 1/2 a pack of the Zaterans. The corn will be orange there will be so much seasoning. I like it that way because it is not hot like a jelopeno, will go down with good taste then set your mouth on fire, this will be followed up by your forehead sweating profusely to put out the flames. And as Jon said, when you lips and mouth are burning you drink more beer.

jbozzelle wrote:I'll have to send you a pic of what I use here. It's a 4.5 lb clear plastic jar of seasoning. I use that as well as some liquid crab boil or some bags. My pot is about the same size as yours or maybe larger...

Jon did you say 4.5lbs of seasonings ... i used maybe a total of 6 ozs