ctrl+alt+del
500+ Posts
I've heard that adding ice to it will make it spicier. Can anyone attest to that and if it's true, how and when do you add it? Thanks!
c+a+d
c+a+d
? about boiling crawfish
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Seanerbock
< 25 Posts
No need for ice. Just spray them down really well in an ice chest, add a bunch of salt and let them soak for 15 minutes (lots of theories about what this does, some sound like BS but most cajuns seem to do it). Then boil them in **** load of Zatarain's crab boil with a couple onions and lemons. Add corn on the cob and red potatoes towards the end, and you're good to go!
NickDanger
2,500+ Posts
It makes them clear their, ahem, digestive tract. It's called purging and you might want to do it until the water stays clear. Mudbug season almost done so hurry up.
ctrl+alt+del
500+ Posts
Okay, I just found an answer. When the crawfish are done boiling, dump a couple bags of ice into the pot (seems quite messy) the sudden chill will make the crawfish quickly absorb the spice making them not only spicier, but also making the heads juicier. I'll have to give it a try and report back.
Orange Salad Ranch
250+ Posts
Hadn't heard that before. Only thing with ice was to use it when purging as it shocks their system and they spit out more crap. Interesting.
A thing we do to make them spicier after cooking is put them in an empty ice chest and cover them with a bunch more Zatarain's. Let them steam in the ice chests as they soak up more flavor. This is also a great way to keep a **** load of them hot for a really long time.
A thing we do to make them spicier after cooking is put them in an empty ice chest and cover them with a bunch more Zatarain's. Let them steam in the ice chests as they soak up more flavor. This is also a great way to keep a **** load of them hot for a really long time.
Seanerbock
< 25 Posts
make sure you only boil live ones -- the dead ones (even if they just died) will likely taste rancid -- the bacteria in crawfish skyrockets within an hour or so of death.
Also, I second the ice chest, second round of seasoning thing.
I have several boils per year. Here's what I do:
1. I buy crawfish from commercial outfits that claim they have been purged. I then rinse them in an ice chest (not with salt) several times to allow them to purge anything else. This also extends the season as they get farm raised either all the time or in the off-season. Also, farm raised can be freaking huge -- with claws almost big enough to get the claw meat.
2. Boil mix is whatever seasoning mix you prefer plus 2-4 large yellow onions, 4 halves of lemon, many, many cloves of garlic, a bottle of beer, a stick of butter, salt, and pepper.
3. I boil them with corn, potatoes and sausage.
4. I boil the potatoes for 7 minutes, then I add the corn. 5 minutes later I add the sausage. 3-4 minutes later I add the crawfish. 4-5 minutes later I add the shrimp. 3 minutes later I dump it all into an ice chest and I mix with another stick of butter and added seasoning. Shake several times until the butter is melted.
5. Open the ice chest and dump the boil on the table.
6. Serve with drawn butter, ice cold beer under a large live oak tree and plenty of blues, Texas Country, or other similar style music and enjoy.
That will guarantee you have people lining up for your boil!!!
I started small with 6 people 4-5 years ago and I'm now up to about 25-30 people who come to my boils pretty regularly. If I invite the neighbors, it would easily clear 40-45.
Also, I second the ice chest, second round of seasoning thing.
I have several boils per year. Here's what I do:
1. I buy crawfish from commercial outfits that claim they have been purged. I then rinse them in an ice chest (not with salt) several times to allow them to purge anything else. This also extends the season as they get farm raised either all the time or in the off-season. Also, farm raised can be freaking huge -- with claws almost big enough to get the claw meat.
2. Boil mix is whatever seasoning mix you prefer plus 2-4 large yellow onions, 4 halves of lemon, many, many cloves of garlic, a bottle of beer, a stick of butter, salt, and pepper.
3. I boil them with corn, potatoes and sausage.
4. I boil the potatoes for 7 minutes, then I add the corn. 5 minutes later I add the sausage. 3-4 minutes later I add the crawfish. 4-5 minutes later I add the shrimp. 3 minutes later I dump it all into an ice chest and I mix with another stick of butter and added seasoning. Shake several times until the butter is melted.
5. Open the ice chest and dump the boil on the table.
6. Serve with drawn butter, ice cold beer under a large live oak tree and plenty of blues, Texas Country, or other similar style music and enjoy.
That will guarantee you have people lining up for your boil!!!
I started small with 6 people 4-5 years ago and I'm now up to about 25-30 people who come to my boils pretty regularly. If I invite the neighbors, it would easily clear 40-45.
scottsins
1,000+ Posts
reboot:
the icing you're taling about is basically a derivative of "soaking". many people neglect this step, and it's a shame. if you don't want to ic e them, soak the traditional way.
basically, when you get near the end of the boiling time, turn the heat completely OFF. then let them sit and soak for about 15-20 minutes. this will give you the effect that you're taling about. I did a boil for my night before the wedding party. my best man is a chef, and his boss is from louisiana, and he also worked at Nate's in Addison (the BEST bugs around). he was on his cell with his buiddies getting the detailed step by step right way to do it, and the soaking part was definitely done.
they will kick the **** out of restaurant crawfish, since almost all of them forego the soaking process due to time limitations.
also, boil the mix, along with onions, lemons, etc for a while to get that water damn spicy. don't just boil the water and then add the seasoning right before the bugs. won't work as good at all.
Finally:
DO NOT SHAKE A BUNCH OF ZATARAINS ON THE BUGS WHEN THEY'RE DONE! THIS IS ********* BLASPHEMY FOR COOKING CRAWFISH!. Restaurants do it as a ******** shortcut for actually imparting the flavor in to the crawfish during cooking.
However, if they're just not burning hot like y'all want them, then adding the seasoning is a good idea, like tropheus with butter, etc.
hope this helps. let us all know how they turn out.
the icing you're taling about is basically a derivative of "soaking". many people neglect this step, and it's a shame. if you don't want to ic e them, soak the traditional way.
basically, when you get near the end of the boiling time, turn the heat completely OFF. then let them sit and soak for about 15-20 minutes. this will give you the effect that you're taling about. I did a boil for my night before the wedding party. my best man is a chef, and his boss is from louisiana, and he also worked at Nate's in Addison (the BEST bugs around). he was on his cell with his buiddies getting the detailed step by step right way to do it, and the soaking part was definitely done.
they will kick the **** out of restaurant crawfish, since almost all of them forego the soaking process due to time limitations.
also, boil the mix, along with onions, lemons, etc for a while to get that water damn spicy. don't just boil the water and then add the seasoning right before the bugs. won't work as good at all.
Finally:
DO NOT SHAKE A BUNCH OF ZATARAINS ON THE BUGS WHEN THEY'RE DONE! THIS IS ********* BLASPHEMY FOR COOKING CRAWFISH!. Restaurants do it as a ******** shortcut for actually imparting the flavor in to the crawfish during cooking.
However, if they're just not burning hot like y'all want them, then adding the seasoning is a good idea, like tropheus with butter, etc.
hope this helps. let us all know how they turn out.
scottsins
1,000+ Posts
you can't really soak them if you have shrimp in there. shrinp cook in just a few minutes. they'd probably get done just from the soak. if you do them w/o shrimp though, soak , not with the heat down, but with it totally off.
I'd bet that dumping the entire pot (messy/tricky) with water, bugs and everything into a big container would kick ***, since the heat from the pot itself would no longer be a factor.
I'd bet that dumping the entire pot (messy/tricky) with water, bugs and everything into a big container would kick ***, since the heat from the pot itself would no longer be a factor.
yep -- that whole soaking thing is what I got out of my last boil. Now that I think back on it -- I may adjust my timing so to be able to soak the crawfish for some extra time -- but with potatoes and corn already in the boil, that's kind of tricky too. Shrimp can obviously be added at the end so long as the water is still pretty hot (to zap any funny business with the shrimp).
Orange Salad Ranch
250+ Posts
scottins - I learned the extra post-boil spice sprinkle thing from a very back woods Louisiana Cajun. I'll trust what he says.
West Coast Horn
25+ Posts
Somehow referring to something I eat as "bugs" just doesn't do it for me.
ctrl+alt+del
500+ Posts
Every crawfish boil I have been to has had melted butter. Not necessarily "drawn" butter, but they had butter. I for one prefer it when eating crawfish.
ctrl+alt+del
500+ Posts
I like it. I can see if it's not traditional, though. I can just my *** rolling up to an LSU tailgating party, getting some bugs, asking where the butter is, and having them laugh me out of the place.
BolivianBulldog
25+ Posts
Butter? Did they serve the crawfish with a knife and fork?That sounds like putting ketchup on $30 steak.
I've also never seen ice used. If you want it hotter add a container of cayenne. A large majority of the spice you taste has come from the spices on your fingers from touching the outside of the crawfish (even if you soak them, which should be around 15 minutes). So don't feel afraid of adding some Tony's or other spice to them once they are on the table if they aren't hot enough for you. My dad has horrific gastrointestinal problems, so we have to pansy out a batch for him now.
For my 72 quart pots, I add an entire thing of dry boil, half a thing of liquid boil, a big bottle of tobasco, and about half a thing of cayenne. Mine are for big boys, so you may want to adjust accordingly.
Butter.......soon they will be serving martinis at boils.
I've also never seen ice used. If you want it hotter add a container of cayenne. A large majority of the spice you taste has come from the spices on your fingers from touching the outside of the crawfish (even if you soak them, which should be around 15 minutes). So don't feel afraid of adding some Tony's or other spice to them once they are on the table if they aren't hot enough for you. My dad has horrific gastrointestinal problems, so we have to pansy out a batch for him now.
For my 72 quart pots, I add an entire thing of dry boil, half a thing of liquid boil, a big bottle of tobasco, and about half a thing of cayenne. Mine are for big boys, so you may want to adjust accordingly.
Butter.......soon they will be serving martinis at boils.
Brisketexan
1,000+ Posts
I almost got into a physical altercation with a nimrod who insisted on not seasoning the boil water at all, then pouring an assload of what was essentially 90% cayenne on the outside of the bugs, putting them in a cooler, and insisting that would "steam" the flavor into them.
I pointed out that his knowledge of physics was dick -- would you salt the outside of a watermelon, then expect a salted slice when you cut it open?
I have a solid coonass pedigree, as did my buddy who was there with me. We told the guy he could keep his crappy, bland, overspiced bugs.
The boil water should be seasoned -- SALT (don't know why people skip this -- it's important), boil mix (any commerical mix is fine), and lemons, onions, and garlic to taste. Let the water boil for a while before you put the bugs in. Once they are boiled, let them sit in the water for 10-15 minutes, soaking.
They wil absorb, through the water, plenty of taste and seasoning. If you MUST have them spicier, put a thing of Tony's on the table -- you can shake some out on the newspaper and dip the peeled tails in it if you must.
Geez. I have no idea how boiling crawfish got to be so ****** up, with so many ridiculous ideas. I have been to probably 100+ boils in my life, in Houston, the Golden Triangle, Lafayette, Houma, Thibodeaux, etc. -- NONE of them sprinkled cayenne all over the cooked bugs (which were damn well cooked in salted and seasoned water) and put them in a cooler. It is not a complicated thing -- seasoned water, cook, remove from heat to soak, serve and eat.
Dammit.
I pointed out that his knowledge of physics was dick -- would you salt the outside of a watermelon, then expect a salted slice when you cut it open?
I have a solid coonass pedigree, as did my buddy who was there with me. We told the guy he could keep his crappy, bland, overspiced bugs.
The boil water should be seasoned -- SALT (don't know why people skip this -- it's important), boil mix (any commerical mix is fine), and lemons, onions, and garlic to taste. Let the water boil for a while before you put the bugs in. Once they are boiled, let them sit in the water for 10-15 minutes, soaking.
They wil absorb, through the water, plenty of taste and seasoning. If you MUST have them spicier, put a thing of Tony's on the table -- you can shake some out on the newspaper and dip the peeled tails in it if you must.
Geez. I have no idea how boiling crawfish got to be so ****** up, with so many ridiculous ideas. I have been to probably 100+ boils in my life, in Houston, the Golden Triangle, Lafayette, Houma, Thibodeaux, etc. -- NONE of them sprinkled cayenne all over the cooked bugs (which were damn well cooked in salted and seasoned water) and put them in a cooler. It is not a complicated thing -- seasoned water, cook, remove from heat to soak, serve and eat.
Dammit.
for those that don't know, drawn butter = butter that doesn't solidify when at room temp.
from my perspective, butter is for potatoes, corn and sausage -- **** sausage tastes good with butter all over it.
not so much for shrimp.
even less for crawfish.
when feeding the masses, butter is a good thing to have.
oh, and as for this:
from my perspective, butter is for potatoes, corn and sausage -- **** sausage tastes good with butter all over it.
not so much for shrimp.
even less for crawfish.
when feeding the masses, butter is a good thing to have.
oh, and as for this:
NickDanger
2,500+ Posts
I think crawfish season varies, but I can tell you that I promised a crawdad boil for 4th of July one yar and had to buy lobsters since no mudbugs were to be found anywhere.
Speaking of lobsters, butter is about the only thing I'd put on lobster and crayfish are like miniature lobsters so it surely doesn't offend my sensibilities to serve clarified butter with crawfish.
Speaking of lobsters, butter is about the only thing I'd put on lobster and crayfish are like miniature lobsters so it surely doesn't offend my sensibilities to serve clarified butter with crawfish.
longhornbell
100+ Posts
If you live in Austin, best place to get crawfish is Austin Seafood on Airport. Also, Swamp Fire is the only I use to season my bugs. I also add some jalapeno sausage (Earl
Campbell or Holmes) which also adds some spice.
Campbell or Holmes) which also adds some spice.
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