Where to Get 'Em (and how many pounds?)
The crawfish season begins in February and lasts until June, with mid-April to early May being the peak time, when prices are the cheapest. Just remember, cheaper isn't always better! Quality is also very important when buying these little critters. Either take my advice, or do your own research, but either way, don't just buy the cheapest ones you can find.
There's quite a few options for buying live crawfish. Many suppliers out of Louisiana will ship them to you via Fed Ex, and you can pick them up at your local airport, or pay extra and have them delivered to your door. A simple google search for "live crawfish" will turn up a number of these kind of suppliers, and though I haven't ordered this way myself, upon doing my research I never came across anything negative.
Some local grocery stores will either have them in stock, or order them for you depending on how much you need. In the Austin area, I have heard great things about Austin Quality Seafood, Sambet's, and Austin Seafood Supply. Fiesta traditionally sells them the cheapest, but general consensus amongst reviewers is that they are small and half are dead. There are also a few individuals that make runs to Louisiana weekly and bring the bounty back to the Central Texas area. One guy that does this operates under the business name Single Barrel Crawfish. His reviews were good, his prices were amongst the best I came across, and he sells at the Barton Creek Farmer's Market. He has a Facebook page with a phone number and was a really pleasant person. However, I got mine from HEB so that I didn't have to drive to Austin, and I was very satisfied! They were medium to large, and out of 100 lbs, 98% were alive.
When you call around for prices, know that market price changes every week. Make sure the quote you are getting is for the week you plan on buying them. If you plan to have your party on a weekend, order them by Tuesday or Wednesday. Make sure you ask the supplier about size (the larger the better...no one likes small crawfish; it's not worth the work!) and about their return policy. Some places will guarantee your money back for dead weight...just be sure to set the dead ones aside if there's a substantial amount of them.
So how much do you order? For heavy crawfish eaters, aka coon asses, estimate about 4 lbs per person. If you are trying to stretch your dollar, it's safe to assume 2 lbs/person. Depends on your crowd, really.
Purging...Not Just for Bulimics!
Keep your crawfish on ice once you have them. They should be kept between 35 and 50 degrees. If you have a smaller amount, this can be done in a large ice chest or two. With our 100lbs, we had to use our tub, with a tarp draped over it to keep the cool air in. And we also had to close the bathroom door to prevent them from escaping!
Crawfish are also referred to as MUD BUGS...meaning, they are not clean! They need to be "purged". This basically means rinsing them in tap water. The tap water causes them to "get rid" of the impurities inside of them; neglecting this process greatly affects the taste...in a bad way. I've never tasted an unpurged crawfish, but apparently I don't ever want to.
To purge, you can use an ice chest that drains, or a plastic kiddie pool. We poked holes in one side of the pool to make draining easier. When you're ready to boil a batch of the bugs, put them in the pool, and cover them with tap water. The water will get muddy. Let them sit for 5 minutes, then drain. Repeat this process until the water runs clear. DO THIS IN AN AREA THAT YOU DON'T MIND GETTING MUDDY. Far enough from where people are hanging out so that your guests don't step through mud.
I had some help with the purging process, as you can see...
Now, some die hard crawfish boilers swear that by dumping a pound of salt in the water, it makes the bugs cleaner. Others say that it just causes them to die (by the way, don't cook a dead crawfish! throw them out.) For our first few batches, we purged them in regular tap water until the water turned clear, and then threw in salt to see if it made a difference. It didn't. So we skipped the salt, and you know what? We had some damn good crawfish! So I would say, don't use salt.
What Goes into the Pot
The traditional crawfish boil not only has crawfish, but corn, potatoes, mushrooms, sausage, you name it, in the pot as well. Anything that you throw in will be delicious, and it will double the amount of food, so if you have a rather large party, it's a perfect way to stretch the food.
There are many seafood boil seasonings on the market, and I haven't heard anything negative about any of them, so go with what you can find. We used Slap Ya Mama Seafood Boil and it was awesome. Bring your water to a boil, add the seasoning, and let it boil for about 20 minutes.
Potatoes, sausage, and mushrooms went in first, and we let them boil for about 10 minutes. Then the crawfish and corn went in. Cover, let boil for 3-5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes. Supposedly, when the crawfish sink, you know it's ready.
By this point, most of the crawfish were sunken. Time to eat!!!
Crawfish Boil Etiquette
Throw some butcher paper or newspapers onto a picnic table, and dump the good stuff onto the table. Provide plenty of paper towels, and trashcans.
Start off small with a group of 10-15 people. It's a great way to spend a late spring evening...with good food, great friends, and cold beer. Good luck, and feel free to ask if you have any questions!
