# Boiled Crawfish



## HOO'S NEXT

Hey Folks,
I'm gunna boil up some bugs for my sons first birthday next month, and wanted to get some 2 cool input. I have boiled crawfish numerous times, so not looking for a how to; but more of a twist or trick that 2 coolers use to make their bugs better. I will be boiling 50-60 pounds of bugs with all the taters, corn, shrooms, sausage and shallots i can fit in da pot. I generally have a hard time getting enough spice and flavor into the bugs. I let them soak a while after killing the heat and usually use the Zatarans boil. I know there has to be a **** arse or 2 on here with more than one trick up their sleeve on kicking out a perfect batch of bugs. Tanks for the help:brew:

Eric


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## fastpitch

Add Sunny Delight to your boil.


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## wooman

throw a bunch of ice in while they are soaking


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## chrism31

swap fire is the best seasoning. after you turn the fire off put a bag off ice on top of the crawfish it push them down in the pot and helps get more spice in them.


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## alien750

I like to add the Zatarans liquid crab boil to give it some more heat without all the salt.


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## boat_money

chrism31 said:


> swap fire is the best seasoning.


swamp fire or dust is really good. next is slap yo mamma. also add a stick of butter.


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## Jeff SATX

a couple big cans of slap ya mama, a can of cayenne, about 6 lemons cut in half, a cup of vinegar. of course you can add whatever else you want but this way is simple and get's the job done. i don't soak with ice, i just add the bugs when it boils, bring back to a boil for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat and let it soak for 15-20 minutes. 

when i was younger i was told (when it comes to boils) "when you think it's spicy enough, double it" it's funny how true it is.


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## WilliamH

We run limes, lemons and oranges through a food processor and make a citrus mash. We add this mash to the boil. 

Gives the meat a nice hint of citrus.


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## Texican89

Swamp fire. Oh and sprinkle granulated garlic on the afterwards. X2 on the ice makes them sink and suck up juice!


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## Blue.dog

I have a large ice chest loaded with ice and
At least one large jar of zaterans (power form)
Sprinkled all over the ice. Take you mud bugs 
Directly from the boiling pot to this ice chest. 
For your amount, use 3 jars. 
The ice cold water makes the crawfish suck 
Up the seasoning. 
It works. 
There is nothing worse than boiled crawfish 
Sprinkled with cayenne pepper to give it a hot 
Flavor.


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## HOO'S NEXT

Thanks for all the ideas folks. I have not done the ice trick before, I will have to try that will have to give the swamp fire a try as well. Can I get that at the store or do I need to order it off the net? Thanks again.

Eric


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## Texican89

HOO'S NEXT said:


> Thanks for all the ideas folks. I have not done the ice trick before, I will have to try that will have to give the swamp fire a try as well. Can I get that at the store or do I need to order it off the net? Thanks again.
> 
> Eric


Repkas sells it. I used to cook crawfish there that is where I learned the ice trick just dont over do it. Sprinkle a thin layer of it over crawfish in pot stir in slowly and you'll notice the bugs start sinking. Oh directions to Repkas at www.repkas.com pm for more tips.


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## jaycf7

I like to add a can or 2 or corn, take the label off the can and punch holes in it then drain....throw it in the pot after youre done with the bugs and you have caned corn that has all the GOOD FLAVOR you want!!


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## Lancer00

One things I tried last year and work great is throwing some frozen green beans and baby carrots in with the veggies. Those green beans will knock your socks off


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## nokatch

Use Mr. Crawfish seasoning mix. THE BEST I've used yet. It's made locally in Manvel and is sold in some HEB stores (Sienna Plantation HEB is where I get mine). You can also call the guy and buy directly from him. I believe it's cheaper that way so you can check the website and call directly... I've just been too lazy to try.


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## sotexhookset

Definately put some vinegar inprior to boiling the bugs. Makes them "pop" much easier when shelling and eatin. Ice on top afterwards is also sound advice.


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## CoastalOutfitters

i have boiled thousands of lbs of bugs

1 don't waste your time seasoning the water with all kinds of bs......Zat. liquid crab boil or powder , some garlic pods , sticks of butter and a good shot of bottled lemon juice or some kind of oj is plenty,


2 wash and purge the bugs, even if they say they are already purged , do not dump the salt water in your yard


3 bring the water to a roaring boil , add the bugs, let it come back to a boil and timer them from there 2-3 mins is plenty

4 mix a bottle of half white vinegar and half bottled lemon juice, 
dump the drained hot bugs in a cooler and squirt this all over them as you dust with swamp dust or swamp fire, do not use Tony c's it is too salty, let this sit for 15 mins or more, they will be pleny seasoned

5 cook the potatoes and corn in a sep. batch, store them in a sep. cooler , that way they don't mush all over the bugs


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## fishnsurf

my suggestions

1.definitely purge and rinse
2.when adding spice to water and you think you put enough, add more
3.fill 2 liter coke bottles with water and freeze. place this in the water when soaking the bugs so it doesn't dilute the seasoning.


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## mbj358

I do not like all the seasoning on the outside of the bugs. Too messy to eat. I will eat them that way but prefer no seasoning on the outside. I like to let them soak for 15- 20 mins after boiling for 3 mins and all the flavor is inside. I use Louisiana Crawfish Boil. Just follow the directions on the bag and they will be great. I also add garlic, lemmons,onions, butter and vinegar some times. Cabbage, carrots, sausage, pork chops,and asparagus is really good to boil in the water also. The cabbage will really soak up the seasoning. I have not tried brocolli yet but will soon. Just my.02.


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## goodwood

There are a lot of things you can do to make your bugs great. One things I like to do instead of letting them soak in the boil pot, is to add the boil to a cooler and dump the bugs in there and let them soak. That way they absorb the juices and you can work on your next batch. From there you can add more seasoning.


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## Derek

*coonarse here*

Take it from a legit coonarse about 5 artichokes whole in the water while boiling will release an enzyme called potosin that will suck the seasoning into the crawfish


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## Chesapeake's Dad

I think how you serve them is just as important as how you cook them. I like to serve them in those shallow aluminum trays....4-5" sides. I fill the tray up with crawfish and then fill it about half way with the boil. This way you get a nice healthy shot of juice/flavor when you suck the head.

Also, adding cloves to the boil adds a real nice flavor.


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## rynochop

Derek said:


> Take it from a legit coonarse about 5 artichokes whole in the water while boiling will release an enzyme called potosin that will suck the seasoning into the crawfish


Interesting.

Lotta good ideas here, but man, at 2.99 a pound last i saw, i'll buy some really good steaks. ha


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## Derek

*prices*

No way bro 2.10 a lb on seafood road and in kemh at capt henrys and after april 1 st i have been guaranteed 1.75 lb


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## saltwater4life

2.10/lb for what size? I got 2 sacks reserved for sunday at Boyds in Texas city at 2.39/lb for *SELECT*. I cant stand tiny arse crawfish, this is by far the best price for the size that i have found around other than actually driving to Louisiana. Boyds also has med/lrg for 1.69/lb

S4L


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## goodwood

got a 40lb sack from roses last sunday for 2.29 a lb. only 2 dead outta the whole sack and mostly large. some extra large and mediums mixed in.


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## scuppersancho

goodwood said:


> got a 40lb sack from roses last sunday for 2.29 a lb. only 2 dead outta the whole sack and mostly large. some extra large and mediums mixed in.


 Where's Rose's at?


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## goodwood

roses is a seafood shop in seabrook on the same street as all the other ones on the other side of the kemah boardwalk.


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## MarkDiaz

*Purgin with salt my eye!!!!!!*

Ok, I have to vent. I read this whole thread. Normally I just give the "yeah, ok", and move on. I've spent many years boiling seafood for a living in a wholesale seafood market. I have since moved on to bigger and better things. When it comes to boiling seafood, I know what I am doing. Crawfish especially. 

Prepping the bugs. Purging, I don't care how much salt you put in your trashcan, ice chest, or what ever container you choose to use. The only way to really PURGE the bugs "get the ****tter vein clean", is to elevate the bugs off the ground in a aerated tank with water running through it for over a 24hr period. Salt doesn't make them throw up like us, it'll just kill them in the long run. To be truly purged, it takes a long time and the crawfish farmer is out to make money. Time vs. Profit. Same thing with the restaurants not peeling reel potatoes. Leave the skins on, it's where the vitamins are. BULLCRIT! Peel the MFN potatoes. I don't like tasting sandy gritty skin on my wedges or mashed taters. It's a cost saving thang. Since you probably can't find purged crawfish, I suggest you buy a small Wal-Mart swimming pool, wash them, stir them, and run the hose on your bugs till the water is clear. This will get all the dirt off their shells and keep it out of your boiling pot. It will also get the grass, turtles, snakes, snails and all the other stuff that I have found in the sack out of yo pot. This takes effort but your seasoned water taste so much better. Worth the effort. Most people are so drunk it don't matter, but It matters to me.... Those dammmmmed skins.......

Butter, Oil, grease. Just stop!!!! Ever eat a BarBQ crab? it's not BarBQ, it's fried in grease. The meat sticks to the shell, same with the other shellfish. Just stop. Your heat will control how your meat comes out. This comes with experience. 

I usually cook for the timid, so I cook theirs first, then cook mine last. Season your water, cook a pound, sample, get it to where you really like it, then cook the rest. This is another one of those time taking steps. If you really want to impress, take the time to sample your water. ask what it needs, Salt, spice, lemon. I start way before me people show up, and have the water warmed up. Early guest get to test the sample bugs and give me there input. I like it hot were my nose is running, forehead is sweating. 

Ok, you have your water where you like it. Bring water to a ragin boil (don't over flow, rookies normally do this, kill the fire), place your bugs in your strainer pot, place in boiling water, as soon as water come to boil, turn off fire, cover for 6 minutes. The longer you leave, the harder the meat to come out. Dusting in ice chest and closing the lid will still continue the cooking process. Dust and leave uncovered. Tell your people to eat up, and cook as you need them. It's not all about the soak, it's about what they are soaking in. The key is the sample. 

Lemons, Onions, zatarans boil, salt, garlic, swap fire, liquid crab boil, cayenne will get your water where you need it. 

This is average, 1 Lb of shrimp yield .65 Lb meat, 1 Lb of crawfish yield .35 Lb of meat. Cheaper to boil shrimp at the beginning of the season. I hope this helps. Don't waste your money on 25lb sacks of salt. Ragin MexiCoon in Texas....


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## MissingSTexas

MarkDiaz said:


> Ok, I have to vent. I read this whole thread. Normally I just give the "yeah, ok", and move on. I've spent many years boiling seafood for a living in a wholesale seafood market. I have since moved on to bigger and better things. When it comes to boiling seafood, I know what I am doing. Crawfish especially.
> 
> Prepping the bugs. Purging, I don't care how much salt you put in your trashcan, ice chest, or what ever container you choose to use. The only way to really PURGE the bugs "get the ****tter vein clean", is to elevate the bugs off the ground in a aerated tank with water running through it for over a 24hr period. Salt doesn't make them throw up like us, it'll just kill them in the long run. To be truly purged, it takes a long time and the crawfish farmer is out to make money. Time vs. Profit. Same thing with the restaurants not peeling reel potatoes. Leave the skins on, it's where the vitamins are. BULLCRIT! Peel the MFN potatoes. I don't like tasting sandy gritty skin on my wedges or mashed taters. It's a cost saving thang. Since you probably can't find purged crawfish, I suggest you buy a small Wal-Mart swimming pool, wash them, stir them, and run the hose on your bugs till the water is clear. This will get all the dirt off their shells and keep it out of your boiling pot. It will also get the grass, turtles, snakes, snails and all the other stuff that I have found in the sack out of yo pot. This takes effort but your seasoned water taste so much better. Worth the effort. Most people are so drunk it don't matter, but It matters to me.... Those dammmmmed skins.......
> 
> Butter, Oil, grease. Just stop!!!! Ever eat a BarBQ crab? it's not BarBQ, it's fried in grease. The meat sticks to the shell, same with the other shellfish. Just stop. Your heat will control how your meat comes out. This comes with experience.
> 
> I usually cook for the timid, so I cook theirs first, then cook mine last. Season your water, cook a pound, sample, get it to where you really like it, then cook the rest. This is another one of those time taking steps. If you really want to impress, take the time to sample your water. ask what it needs, Salt, spice, lemon. I start way before me people show up, and have the water warmed up. Early guest get to test the sample bugs and give me there input. I like it hot were my nose is running, forehead is sweating.
> 
> Ok, you have your water where you like it. Bring water to a ragin boil (don't over flow, rookies normally do this, kill the fire), place your bugs in your strainer pot, place in boiling water, as soon as water come to boil, turn off fire, cover for 6 minutes. The longer you leave, the harder the meat to come out. Dusting in ice chest and closing the lid will still continue the cooking process. Dust and leave uncovered. Tell your people to eat up, and cook as you need them. It's not all about the soak, it's about what they are soaking in. The key is the sample.
> 
> Lemons, Onions, zatarans boil, salt, garlic, swap fire, liquid crab boil, cayenne will get your water where you need it.
> 
> This is average, 1 Lb of shrimp yield .65 Lb meat, 1 Lb of crawfish yield .35 Lb of meat. Cheaper to boil shrimp at the beginning of the season. I hope this helps. Don't waste your money on 25lb sacks of salt. Ragin MexiCoon in Texas....


x2- My dad was always the salt method guy until I went to LSU and read article after article from the ag center explaining that all the salt does is kill the crawfish and does no good as far as removing poop. All of the crawfish places locally (that I will eat at anyway) have huge tanks that circulate fresh water and air and they don't add salt to anything but during the boil.


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## james hines

Rose's was $1.99 lb. today,they are all good size,said they would most likely go up a little for the weekend


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## RRbohemian

I learned a lot reading this thread. Thanks! Now, I'm in the mood to boil up some crawfish.


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## surfisher

*crawfish*

angelsm:texasflaghere are a few pics from yesterday. crawfish at L&L [email protected] had to wait in line but it was all good.


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## HOO'S NEXT

Still great info coming guys, thanks a lot. Wow this thread has made it a lot further than I thought it would when I originated it. I will be putting the unknown to me suggestions to use in a couple weeks, I can't wait. With all the knowledge on this thread, it has the making of the ultimate mud bug how to. Thanks again.

Eric


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## misbhavn

Picked up a 27 lb. sack at HEB on El Camino Real Saturday for $1.89/lb. It was a mix of large and medium, but they were mostly large...some extra large.


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## pighitt

*Boiling Crawfish*

I like to season my water and boil. Add crawfish for 2-3 min. Remove bugs and dump into ice for about 3+ min. Then return to boiling water to finish off. You can let them sit for a while in water but the ice bath/ hot tub is the key.


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## robie

Crawfish Boil 101


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