By Anne Payne

The Orange Leader

It is getting REALLY close for the mudbugs we call crawfish to come back in season, so get ready to grab 5, 10, 15, 20, or more pounds and have a crawfish boil.  Place newspapers all over outside tables with plenty of paper napkins or paper towels since this meal gets rather messy.

Equipment:

1 very large stock pot with lid

Outside cook top, if possible, but I make mine on stove

Spider scoop spoon

Ingredients:

Lots of water

Butter, about 3 sticks

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Zatarrain’s Seasoning or liquid OR Slap ‘Yo Mama Seasoning

Live Crawfish (lbs. you need) (Figure 1-2 lbs. per guest)

Bag(s) red potatoes, small ones

Large bag(s) small corns-on-cob, frozen

Bottles of Heinz Chili Sauce, catsup, hot sauce, and tartar sauce available for guests

Cooked white rice, if desired

Next, fill a HUGE pot with water, small red potatoes, small corns-on-the-cob, butter, and lots of seasonings.  Boil potatoes and corn first w/seasonings & cover pot with lid.  Desired spices should be added according to crowd’s taste. While cooking, make rice, if using, according to directions and based on number of guests.

Add crawfish last thing, since they take very short time to cook. Drain pot and place food on large trays or directly on newspaper-lined tables.  Have plenty of chili sauce, catsup, hot sauce, and tartar sauce on hand.  Now, peel those mud bugs and eat! That ‘s a Crawfish Boil!

FYI:  In Oklahoma, we only used mud bugs for fish bait.  Hmm.  Interesting.