Yields 12 Servings
~40 pounds Live crawfish 1 stalk Celery
8 bags Zataran's Crab Boil 4 Tblsp Garlic Powder
1.75 boxes Salt 1 dozen Lemons
4 large Onions 16 oz Cayenne Pepper
6 cloves Garlic 1 dozen Ears of Corn
1 box of Crab boil 2 lbs. small red potatoes
Other things to add for any non-crawfish-eating Yankees:
Sausage, Hotdogs, Mushrooms....
Walk all the crawfish, making sure they are alive. Discard any dead ones. Rinse with water at least twice, possibly more, until wash water becomes fairly clear.
Fill pot less than half full with water and add the seasoning and vegetables. Save about 5 of the lemons for later. Stir the contents thoroughly then cover the pot.
Light the burner and adjust the regulator to get a strong fire. When the brew comes to a boil, continue for 5 minutes longer. Next, put the purged and cleaned crawfish in the boiling water, killing the boil. Watch for the water to come to a boil again. When it does, time the boil for 4 minutes. After the 4 minutes turn off the fire and start timing the soaking period.
Soak for 15 minutes and start tasting as the seasoning soaks in. You may need to soak for 30 to 45 minutes depending on the firmness of the meat. Taste various sizes during this time and remove the crawfish from the pot before they get too soft. Squeeze the remaining 5 lemons over the crawfish as they are spread out or stored.
You can use the brew for more than one boil if, after the first boil, you add 4 more bags of crab boil, about a half box of salt, and little cayenne.
Yields 2 Servings
"Hopedale Sunrise" Copyright © 1985,
Eric M. Sanders
2 lbs. Shrimp 2 tsp. Garlic Powder 1 large Onion 2 Tblsp Cayenne Pepper 1 large Celery 5 Tblsp Salt 1 large Lemon 2 bags Zataran Crab Boil
Fill pot about 1/3 full with water. Put everything BUT the shrimp in a large pot and place on a high fire. Stir thoroughly and cover the pot.
Once the liquid begins to bubble and roll (boil) place the shrimp in the pot. This will kill the boil. Once it begins to boil again, cook for 3 minutes. Once the 3 minutes are up remove the pot from the fire.
Soak for 10 minutes with the cover still on. Remove the cover and soak for 5 more minutes. The soaking period is the time to start inspecting and sampling your work. The meat of the shrimp should have broken away from the shells. Start tasting (not too many, though) both large and small sized shrimp to see if they are tender enough. Once they are tender but not mushy, pour them into a strainer and spread them out on a table. It is important to spread them out, otherwise they may continue cooking and get too soft. You may want to squeeze some lemon over them for some additional flavor.
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