This easy crawfish boil recipe uses fully-cooked frozen crawfish, available at many grocery stores in the US. It’s quick and tasty and lets you bring Louisiana home any night!
A friend wanted to organize a crawfish boil for a group of us at my house a little while ago. I looked into what was involved and found it a bit overwhelming. The idea of ordering live crawfish and then prepping them, for a newbie like me, it was too much. I therefore came up with a much simpler method, which I’ll tell you about below.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
What Are Crawfish, Anyways?
Crawfish are little crustaceans that taste similar to shrimp and lobster. You may have also heard them called crayfish or crawdads, the commonly used name depends on the region you’re in. Most crawfish in the United States come from Louisiana.
Live Crawfish
If you want to do the real authentic crawfish boil, I’ve done the research for you. You can have fresh live crawfish delivered from these companies: The Louisiana Crawfish Company and Kyle LeBlanc Crawfish Farms. And, here’s info on how to prepare live crawfish for the boil.
Using Frozen Crawfish
For the easier version that you can make without having to order anything online, I have the info for you here. This crawfish boil recipe uses fully-cooked frozen crawfish, which are available at many grocery stores in the US. Go and ask at your fish section to find out what their availability is like near you. If you can’t get your hands on the frozen crawfish, you can try ordering the fresh from the links below, or try this easy shrimp boil, since shrimp are much easier to get ahold of.
Ingredient For A Crawfish Boil
There’s no need to do anything ahead of time to prep the fully-cooked frozen crawfish. They just go for a quick dunk in simmering water with the rest of the ingredients.
Like with a classic Shrimp Boil, we’re using potatoes, corn, onions, lemon, andouille sausage, and the flavors of Old Bay Seasoning. In some places, you may see Seafood Boil or Crawfish Boil seasoning, but they tend to be made of similar spices, and Old Bay is what is most traditional. You can also make your own version of Old Bay, which is handy if you forgot to buy it, or if there are flavors in it that you’d rather not have.
How Long Do You Boil Crawfish?
Those few minutes at the end is enough to defrost the frozen crawfish and heats them through. The seasoned liquid you’ve created adds some flavor.
When everything’s ready, drain off the liquid and then either serve from the pot, or tip the pot onto a table lined with newspaper. (If you’ve got the space, eating off the table makes for a fun treat.)
If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on live crawfish, follow a reputable source for information about how to clean and prep the crawfish. Proceed with the crawfish boil recipe with this adjustment: Before adding the crawfish to the pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the crawfish. When water returns to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 10-15 minutes, until the crawfish have turned red and have started to float. Crack one or two open and make sure that the meat is white and that all yellow fat is no longer runny.
Eating Crawfish
There’s one more thing that you need to know to appreciate a crawfish boil. You need to know how to peel and eat a crawfish. Check out this video showing several different ways to do the task. I also found Southern Living’s illustrations of how to eat a crawfish helpful.
More Delicious Seafood Recipes
Easy Crawfish Boil Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This easy crawfish boil recipe uses fully-cooked frozen crawfish, available at many grocery stores in the US. It’s quick and tasty and lets you bring Louisiana home any night!
Ingredients
- 4 lemons
- 12 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 large onions, peeled and quartered
- 1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning*
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 and 1/2 lbs. whole small red potatoes, larger potatoes cut in half
- 14 oz. andouille sausage, cut into 12 pieces
- 6 cobs of corn, shucked and broken in half
- 2 lbs. fully-cooked frozen crawfish**, rinsed
- Hot sauce (for serving)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with 6 quarts of water.
- Cut 2 lemons in half. Squeeze the juice from them into the water and add the squeezed lemon halves to the water as well. Cut the other 2 lemons into wedges and set aside for serving.
- Add the garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, Old Bay, and salt to the water.
- Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes. Cover and cook until they’re just tender when pierced with a fork, 9-10 minutes.
- Add the sausage and corn. Cook covered for 5 minutes.
- Gently add the rinsed frozen crawfish and cook covered until heated through, 2-3 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crawfish, sausage, and vegetables to a large platter.
- To Serve: Cover a table with newspaper. Pile the crawfish, sausage, and vegetables right on top, or leave everything on the platter. Put out the lemon wedges and hot sauce. Squeeze the garlic cloves from the skin as a condiment as well. Make sure there are a lot of napkins on hand before you dig in!
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
*You could also use other seasoning mixes like Tony Chachere’s or Zatarain’s.
**This crawfish recipe calls for fully cooked crawfish which are available at the fish counter in many states. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on live crawfish, follow a reputable source for information about how to clean and prep the crawfish. Proceed with the above recipe with this adjustment: Before adding the crawfish to the pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the crawfish. When water returns to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 10-15 minutes, until the crawfish have turned red and have started to float. Crack one or two open and make sure that the meat is white and that all yellow fat is no longer runny.
This post originally appeared in May 2013 and was revised and republished in August 2023.
Amanda says
The recipe came out perfectly! I followed almost everything exactly except, I peeled the garlic cloves. I used Tony Chachere’s instead of Old Bay. We had it with Frank’s hot sauce. It was absolutely perfect and a delicious and fun way for my family to start off our fireworks weekend. I highly recommend this recipe. Everyone loved it!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Thank you for sharing, Amanda! This makes such a fun and delicious family meal.
Kerri Cline says
We did this last year on New Year’s Day. Super easy and a big hit. We added large tiger shrimp.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Kerri, I’m delighted that you like this recipe. It’s really so much fun. The addition of tiger shrimp sounds delicious!
Bob says
The best recipe for the easiest crawfish boil. Have made it many times. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
That’s fantastic, Bob! Thanks for coming back and commenting.
chanelle says
Do you put crawfish in frozen or rinse them thawed?
Christine Pittman says
Hi Chanelle, They go in frozen and you just cook them until they’re defrosted and heated through. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thanks for the question. I’ve updated the recipe to make this more clear. -Christine
Cheryl says
I’ve never thought of using frozen crawfish like this. How easy!
Christine Pittman says
Cheryl, Let me know if you give it a try. It sure makes a crawfish boil into an easy dinner for anytime!
Suzanne says
So, did you suck the heads???
Christine Pittman says
Lol! I tried one. I don’t think I was doing it right. Next time I’ll watch more How-to videos before dinner.
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
How fun! I actually got to go to a real-live, authentic crawfish boil in the BAYOU when I was in Louisiana last year. Such a neat experience. I love what you’ve created at home though too!
Sommer @ ASpicyPerspective says
Yum! This looks fantastic!
katie says
yum! I’ve never had a crawfish boil before. I have enjoyed crawfish before (not like the peeling/sucking their heads kind of way), but in gumbo and jambalaya. I think I need to dive right into this cajun classic dish! Great job!
Katerina says
My country is surrounded by sea and all seafood is in my weekly table. I love the way you cooked the crawfish!
★★★★★