It’s that time of year y’all! Time for the crawfish, crawdads, craydads, craybugs, crawdaddies, or whatever you call them to be the centerpiece of a day long party! People from Louisiana know how to have a good time, and a crawfish boil is one of my favorite ways to celebrate in spring. However if you are the host of a crawfish boil, it can get really messy and really complicated in a hurry, so here are some tips on how to make sure you also have a good time when hosting a crawfish boil.
- Start with good stuff. And by that I mean start with a good source for your seafood. There are a million opinions on how to make the best broth, spices, or sides, but I think anyone would agree that starting with quality crawfish is very important. I buy live, purged crawfish delivered the morning of the boil. They estimate about a pound of crawfish per person, and that seems to be about right. Also, crawfish season runs from about March – June, and don’t bother trying after that, it’s just not as good!
- It’s not all about the crawfish. Don’t forget the sides! They don’t have to be, and really shouldn’t be fancy, just something to complement the crawfish and the weather. Cold drinks like beer and lemonade to cool you off and some vegetables like potatoes to combat the spiciness of the crawfish are a perfect match!
- Over prepare. A crawfish boil is messy business. A big trashcan or two close to your tables, multiple layers of newspapers for the tables, rolls of paper towels on the tables, and your outdoor hose will all help keep the messiness from getting out of hand. But whatever you do don’t wear white.
- Waste nothing. You put a lot of work into this crawfish boil, suck the heads of those crawfish! They’re delicious. Also if you have leftovers don’t throw them away, save them for some jambalaya or gumbo later and keep the Louisiana spirit going!