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 Hot, spicy crawfish, potatoes and corn ... boiled to perfection! (Photograph by the author) |
Crawfish Boil Recipe
Some folks call 'em crayfish, crawdads, or mudbugs, but here in Texas they are simply CRAWFISH, whether they are swamp crawfish, spillway crawfish, or pond crawfish.
We've been catching crawfish all our life, and love the tradition of a long, leisurely crawfish boil in spring!
Crawfish is a key ingredient in many of our favorite dishes and meals ... Crawfish Etouffee, Crawfish Bisque, Crawfish Pie, Fried Crawfish, Crawfish Jambalaya, and of course boiled crawfish.
Our Recipe for the Perfect Crawfish Boil
There are hundreds of recipes for boiling live crawfish, and thousands of variations. We've used one "recipe" for years, for decades actually. We fine tune it sometime, but it goes something like this...
Most live crawfish come in plastic mesh sacks of about 30-40-50 pounds. Crawfish in good health and held under good refrigerated conditions can be stored up to four to five days without excessive mortality.
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This recipe is for a smaller sack, about 28 pounds of crawfish – we split the bag into 2 batches, each about 14 pounds. Maximum capacity of our boiling pot (40qts) is about 14-15 pounds. Other pots are larger and can accommodate more crawfish. Each person typically can eat about 3-6 pounds of crawfish (with heads-tails).
IMPORTANT NOTE: When starting, remember it can take up to 45 minutes to get first water boiling. Sit back, relax, enjoy the wait time!
Step 1 – Measure the water level
½ bag crawfish into the boiling basket, add water to judge proper water level in pot (about half-way up) … move crawfish to a tub, or ice chest, for purging.
Step 2 – season water, bring to boil
Season water in pot:
• 1 box salt
• 4 bags of 3-oz Zatarin’s crawfish boil seasoning
• 1 4-oz bottle of Zatarins’ liquid crawfish seasoning
• 4 tablespoons red pepper
• 3 tablespoons black pepper
• 4 lemons
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 white onions
Bring water to a boil (may take up to 45 minutes)
Step 3 – purging the crawfish with saltwater (while also doing Step 2)
½ bag crawfish into tub for purging … rinse twice with fresh water, then add water and 1 box salt. Sit for 10 minutes, empty salt water, and rinse crawfish thoroughly. Some people do not purge with salt, but just do a couple thorough rinses with water.
Step 4 – cooking batch #1
Bring to a boil, add potatoes
Bring to boil, then boil 10 minutes
Add crawfish and corn, bring to boil, and boil 5 minutes
Turn off fire, let crawfish sit for 15 minutes
Move crawfish, potatoes and corn to ice-chests to keep warm
Step 5 – cooking batch #2
Re-season the water …
• 1 box salt
• 4 bags of 3-oz Zatarin’s crawfish boil seasoning
• 1 4-oz bottle of Zatarins’ liquid crawfish seasoning
• 4 tablespoons red pepper
• 3 tablespoons black pepper
• 4 lemons
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 white onions
Bring to a boil, and add crawfish
Bring to boil, then boil 5 minutes
Turn off fire, let crawfish sit for 15 minutes
Move contents to ice-chests to keep warm.
Enjoy your boiled crawfish!
Where to Buy Crawfish in Tyler
A number of seafood markets and outlets offer live crawfish for sale in Tyler and East Texas during the crawfish season in the spring. Several restaurants and supermarkets such as Brookshires offer boiled crawfish by the pound in season.
Where ever you plan to purchase your live crawfish, always call ahead
for information, pricing, availability, and possible reservations. |
In the spring of 2024, and for many years prior, we have purchased our live crawfish from Wade's Place on East Main Street in Chandler. We've met Wade, and he runs a great seafood restaurant also, serving crawfish, shrimp, fish, gumbo, hand-cut rib-eye steaks, burgers, salads and much more. Phone 903.849.2729.
We've also been pleased with the live crawfish we've purchased by the sack from Rodney Murphy's Circle M Crawfish in Big Sandy, on Highway 155 just south of U.S. 80. Rodney has been selling crawfish for over 18 years. The facility is also known as "Rodney's", or "the Crawfish Stand". Rodney also operates a restaurant, and its menu includes crawfish, shrimp, alligator, boudin, along with choice steaks and other items. Live music is often featured Thursday-Saturday evenings with a family friendly atmosphere.
If you can't get to one of these outlets, another option is to order live crawfish on the web from one of the other Texas or Louisiana crawfish dealers listed at the bottom of this page.
Order Live Crawfish Online
And today you can order live crawfish online from a number of crawfish farmers and retailers in Louisiana and Texas, and shipped nationwide overnight.
With the advent of the Internet, and shippers such as FedEx, crawfish lovers everywhere can enjoy fresh crawfish delivered to their door at home, or their nearest airport! Listed at the bottom of this page are several leading crawfish farms and live crawfish distributors.
Staff Photos of Texas Crawfish and Texas Crawfish Boils
A sack of live Texas crawfish ... usually 30-40 pounds |
Getting the ingredients ready: shrimp & crab boil, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt  |
How to hold a crawfish ... carefully behind the head!  |
Filling up the crawfish pot with water ... let's get the boil underway. Start with about 50 pounds of live Crawfish, add salt, corn on the cob, new potatoes, whole onions, lemons, Zatarain's Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil, red pepper, black pepper, garlic cloves ... make the hot sauce, warm up the buttered French bread, add cold beer, and share with good friends!  |
Getting the boiler hot & ready to go! |
Water coming to a boil  |
Putting the live crawfish into the boiler |
The boil is done! Lifting the crawfish from the pot  |
Steaming hot Texas crawfish |
Crawfish all cooked, and ready to eat!  |
Keeping some crawfish in the cooler to keep them warm |
Time to eat and enjoy the freshly boiled Texas crawfish!  |
Other Crawfish Suppliers in the East Texas Area
There are a number of crawfish outlets, seafood markets, crawfish farms and caterers selling live and boiled crawfish in East Texas, from Beaumont to Houston to Dallas, and in between. Some offer local delivery, while others provide delivery only in designated metropolitan areas. And some offer pickup only.
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There are too many vendors to list, but here are a few to start your crawfish search. We highly recommend you check out each supplier carefully, and contact them personally, to determine their current services, pricing, policies, and guarantees before placing orders.
- TexasCrawfish.com - Southeast Texas Crawfish Farm, located in Hamshire, TX, about 20 miles southwest of Beaumont. Pickup only.
- CajunCrawfishCo.com - Cajun Crawfish Company, Lewisville-Dallas area. Catering and local sales in the metro area.
Ordering Live Crawfish Online from Louisiana-Based Crawfish Outlets
A large number of crawfish outlets, farms and suppliers are located in nearby Louisiana, both for local pickup and online ordering. Listed below is a sample of long-standing dealers offering online crawfish ordering:
- Louisiana Crawfish Company: Family owned & operated since 1985 - largest shipper of Louisiana crawfish
- CajunCrawfish.com ... run by Mike & Mark Fruge in Branch, Louisiana, near Lafayette
- Kyle LeBlanc Crawfish Farms, since 1990, in Raceland, Louisiana
- LouisianasBestSeafood.com
Back to the main Tyler Texas Crawfish page