Oh the next season to celebrate!!!! By Jimmy Graves

Oh the next season to celebrate!!!


Well with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years behind us........ It is time to get ready for one of the best time of the year. Crawfish season. That means it is time to eat pounds and pounds of crawfish. I like eating them off newspaper instead of plates making cleanup so much easier. Sitting elbow to elbow with friends and sometimes strangers. A crawfish boil is not easy or cheap to pull off, but with these valuable tips, you can throw the ultimate outdoor bash. Here are your five tips to blow away your friends and start a new tradition....


1. Find a good source for your seafood. My friends and I like to buy live crawfish the night before and purge them.  They estimate about one pound of crawfish per person,(If you have ever eaten them you know it really is about 4 pounds per person) and as far as I know, there are never any leftovers. Crawfish season peaks in March and April and lasts through June, so keep that in mind when scheduling a boil. Boyd's has them already.
2. Designate a boil-master. My friend Frank Cunningham  is in charge of mixing up a big pot of boiling broth and cooking batches of crawfish throughout the day. Here's his recipe:
Well, let's see, I throw about 25 pounds of crawfish into a big pot seasoned with a ton of Zatarans,  with a few gurgles of their liquid crab boil as well, then a bunch of corn on the cob cut small, mushrooms, whole heads of garlic, potatoes, onions, and a few lemons. You boil the potatoes and corn first for abit  then the other vegetables, then the crawfish for only about 6-8 minutes. Then let them sit in that goop for 30-40 minutes so they can suck up that sauce. 

3. Give a quick lesson on how to eat. Everyone loves the moment when the steaming crawfish and vegetables are dumped onto the newspaper-topped table, ready to be devoured. But for the newbie , it's helpful to have a brief tutorial on how to really eat  crawfish. Eat its tail and suck out its head juices before everyone digs in.
4. Encourage guests to eat everything. The broth is so good, every ingredient that touches it turns to gold, so the potatoes, corn, onions and even whole cloves of garlic can and should be eaten. Little piles of Old Bay sprinkled on the table encourage dipping and eating of everything on the table. Tell them to loosen up and get messy.
5. If needed, recoup some of your costs by asking for donations in exchange for a souvenir: There has been questions  about whether or not you should throw a party if you can't afford to pay for everything. Some of my f friends choose to order commemorative crawfish boil cups, which they give out at the party in exchange for a $5 donation. This has proven to be wildly successful and allows the planners to go all-out, buying extras like ribs  or smoked brisket. The bottom line: guests are happy to chip in a bit to make the bash its best. If you can afford to provide it all, then go for it! But lack of funds shouldn't stop you from having a truly amazing crawfish boil.
If you are not wanting to do this at your house there are a bunch of local spots you can just pick them up at and this is just to name a few....
Mean Mofo’s Mudbugs​
Boyd's One Stop
The Reef Seafood House
​Pook's Crawfish Hole
Also do not forget to come out and really enjoy a crawfish party like no other!! Bigass Crawfish Bash Foundation
By Chef Jimmy Graves