Crawfish Boil - Step by Step Guide

Crawfish season in Texas runs roughly from late winter through late spring, and if you've never hosted a boil yourself, this is your sign. It sounds more intimidating than it is. With the right setup and a solid recipe, it comes together in under two hours and serves as a full day of fun for your friends and family!

WHAT YOU NEED TO START

The single most important piece of equipment is a good outdoor boiling setup. We use a 60-quart propane boiling kit — a pot, a basket, a burner, and a regulator all in one. At 60 quarts, you can comfortably boil 30–40 pounds of crawfish plus all your add-ins without crowding the pot. Check out the one we have here!

Set it up outside on a flat, stable surface away from the house. You'll have boiling water, high heat, and steam — the backyard is the right venue. Rainy day? The garage with opened doors is a great option.

You will also need the following:

1. Large cooler with draining to clean the crawfish

2. Long skimming spoon to stir the boil

3. Heat resistant gloves to remove the hot basket from the pot

DECORATIONS

Amazon will be your one stop shop for decorations and host essentials. Tablecloths, plates, crawfish shaped balloons?! It's all there. Check out my curated Amazon list to check out everything I used!

RECIPE

Ingredients

• Live Crawfish (2-3 lbs per person)

• Louisiana Fish Fry Products Crawfish, Shrimp, and Crab Boil Seasoning Bag

• Louisiana Fish Fry Products Concentrated Crawfish, Shrimp, and Crab Liquid Seasoning

• 2 Sticks of Butter

• Small Potatoes (1-2 per person)

• Sausage (1-2 lbs per person)

• 3 packs of white mushrooms

• Head On Frozen Shrimp (1-2 lbs per person)

• Frozen Half Corn (1-2 per person)

• 5 Lemons (cut in half)

• 5 Oranges (cut in half)

• 5 Heads of Garlic (cut off the top)

• 5 Large Onions (cut in half)

Instructions

1. Purge crawfish: rinse in a cooler with cold water, drain, repeat 2–3 times until water runs clear.

2. Fill pot ¾ with water. Bring to a rolling boil over propane burner.

3. Add seasoning and butter. There is no better way to put this - it should be aggressively seasoned lol.

4. Add potatoes, lemons, oranges, onions, and garlic. Boil 10 minutes.

5. Add sausage. Boil 5 more minutes.

6. Add crawfish. Boil 3 minutes — just until they turn bright red

7. Kill the heat. Add frozen corn and frozen shrimp directly to the pot

8. Let everything soak 20–30 minutes. The soak is where the flavor happens

9. Drain and dump directly onto a paper-covered table. Serve and enjoy immediately!

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Crawfish

• Order the crawfish in advance. I ordered a month ahead at my local HEB.

• Clean the crawfish well!! They are called "mudbugs" for a reason.

• Don't overcook the crawfish — three minutes is genuinely all they need once the water is at a full boil. Overcooked crawfish are rubbery and sad. The soak does the rest of the work!

Seasoning

• Go crazy. Let it fly. ADD MORE. When people say "how do you get it so flavorful," the answer is always: more seasoning than you think.

• Make it easy on yourself and get the pre-mixed bags. It will say on the back how much you need based on the amount of water.

Timing your Party

• Your guests want to be there for the boil! Its fun to stand around the pot, drink some beer and throw in some mushrooms!

• Prep everything prior to your guests arrive! Lay out all the add-ins, clean the crawfish, have the paper laid out, etc. Turn on the heat about 10 minutes before your guests arrive. Depending on how cold the water is starting in your pot, its a lot of water and takes a lot long than you think to come to a boil.

• From boiling point to dumping on the table - it will take about 45 minutes. Just enough time for your guests to settle in and be on their second drink!