The time has come for one of my favorite cook outdoors meals. It takes a bit of work but one the entire family will enjoy. You will need a very large cooking pot and a gas burner or outdoor cooking fire. The time is right for a Crawfish Boil. Bring plenty of paper towels and a large clean white sheet.
What you need.
About fifteen pounds of live crawfish or commercially caught and frozen
Two large onions – quarter lengthwise
Six to eight ears corn – shucked and halved
Two pounds small red potatoes – unpeeled
Cheese cloth – to put all the seasonings in (make a small bag and securely tie shut
Three tablespoons mustard seed
Four bay leaves
One teaspoon course ground black pepper
One tablespoon allspice
One tablespoon whole cloves
Two tablespoons whole coriander
Water – depends on size of large cooking pot (Eight to twelve quarts)
What to do.
If you have live crawfish clean first in tub of clean water. Bring the large pot of water to a boil. Place all the seasonings in a cheesecloth bag and secure with cotton twine. Place the potatoes and onions in the pot. When water comes back to a boil add the seasonings and corn. Bring back to a boil and lowly add the crawfish. Back to a boil, cover and cook for an additional five or ten minutes. Place a large white clean sheet on a picnic table. Slowly drain the pot well and pour the feast onto the middle of the table and dig in to this feast. This meal will not be forgotten soon. Remember plenty of paper towels.
If you have never eaten crawfish, break the tail off and shell and eat the sweet meat. Some folks think the head taste best and suck the fat and juices from the head.