Last Updated on April 2, 2024 by Share My Kitchen
There are dozens upon dozens of ideas for crawfish boil additions. Once you got your best crawfish boiler, there is no turning back! You have to try one of these delicious add-ins
There are a few unusual add-ins: pig’s feet and squirrel. However, the most popular add-ins are still the classics: corn, potatoes, onions, and garlic; brussels sprouts, pineapple, mushrooms, and sausage.
Some of the surprising additions include whole rabbit and ramen noodles.
Before You Throw In Extra Food Into The Crawfish Boil
- * Adding meats, like sausage or bologna, adds fat to the water. Therefore, consider adding them after the crawfish are removed.
- * You should also consider when to boil or poach the food you are adding. You may need to quickly remove delicate produce like green beans, asparagus, and mushrooms to avoid overcooking them.
A great tip for all the things that need to be timed, such as asparagus, mushrooms and brussels sprouts: wash them in delicate bags to wash your laundry. Once you are done, rinse them off, or run them through the dishwasher.
Recommended Additions to Your Crawfish Boil:
Meat
Chicken (whole or pieces):
You may try using whole chickens, and make chicken salad after. Also, you can try chicken wings, then flash fry them or run them in a hot oven to crisp up.
Fish:
You may choose from red fish, black drum, sheepshead. Clean, remove the gut, then place it whole in cheesecloth, or a mesh bag.
Brisket: After it has been removed from the boil, it should be seared on all sides.
Beets:
Get the boiled beets, and cut them into cubes. Then, drizzle some oil and Kosher Salt on them. Roast them in a 450°F oven on a baking sheet. It’s tasty.
Boudin:
You may add frozen Boudin when cutting the crawfish off. It assists the water to cool off.
Corned beef: Add it during the soak.
Eggs (boiled and peeled): It is recommended poaching eggs in spicy boiling water.
Oysters (unshelled):
Oysters pop open when they are ready. Place the unshelled oysters in a bag with porous material and tied with string. You may loop the string around the handle of the pot to make it easy to remove the bivalves from the pot.
Sausages:
Beef or pork are highly recommended. These are unbelievably tender at first, and retain their sweet barbecue sauce flavor throughout the boiling process. They are also bite-sized, so you don’t need to cut or break them up. You can just add them into the pot, and enjoy the final result of boiling.
Ham:
You may use whole or in thick steaks
Lobster:
This can be an expensive ingredient. However, you can try doing it like this: prepare the boiling pot the same way you would prepare crawfish. Add the crawfish boil seasoning, bring the water to a boil, then add the lobsters. It takes about 10 minutes to boil. You may also cook them until the lobster’s antennae is broken off. It’s not very scientific, but it works. Then, add ice to the water, and let them sit for 30 minutes, or until you can no longer wait. On the other hand, you can clarify butter, and add a few teaspoons of liquid crab boil to the butter. You can just dip the lobster into seasoned butter. It really enhances the lobster’s flavor. The lobster is never spicy enough when cooked and left soaked in the seasoned water.
Soft shell crabs: It is recommended that you put them in during the soaking portion of the boil, once the fire is off
Vegetables & Fruits To Throw Into Crawfish Boil
-
- Artichokes: They are added at the beginning of cooking since they take a while to cook.
- Asparagus: Place in a mesh bag, and add after the fire has been switched off as they are delicate and cook quickly.
- Bell Peppers: You may boil small multicolored bell peppers. The boil juice explodes when you bite into them. However, this is a little dangerous, so please be cautious.
- Brussels Sprouts: You can have them straight from the boiling pot. However, you can roast them after boiling for a great flavor.
- Cauliflower: This is a good choice because it soaks up spices, and it heats up quickly.
- Canned Vegetables: First, take the paper from the can. Make holes in the can, and then add it to the boil. You may use chickpeas, then roast in the oven with chili powder. It is very delicious. However, proceed with caution as it raises some health concerns due to aluminum cans being put in the boil.
- Carrots: The small, bite-sized ones are quick to cook.
- Edamame: Place them in a mesh bag, and then drop them during the boiling for approximately 10 minutes.
- Garlic: You need to boil it until soft. Then, take out the garlic out of the pods. You may squeeze garlic in some mayo and lemon juice, or dip the artichoke leaves. You can also make garlic butter with soft garlic, butter, and fresh parsley. This recipe makes an amazing garlic bread.
- Green beans: It is recommended to use frozen, fresh or canned.
- Corn: You may use baby corn or on the cob. This vegetable is added during the crawfish’s soaking.
- Mushrooms: They must be added at the very end to avoid making it too spicy. Moreover, it is recommended that you wait to add mushrooms at the end of the soak. Otherwise, they will absorb too much of your seasoning, and become too soft. It is suggested to try several types, but the larger the better.
- Okra: You may keep these in a bag. Check them frequently, and take them out before they become “slimy.”
- Peanuts: You may use a can of boiled peanuts. Just punch holes into the top of this can.
- Potatoes: They are delicious straight from the pot. These can also be made into potato salads or hash browns. Additionally, you can mash the potatoes, and add garlic from the boil.
- Cabbage (whole)
- Broccoli
- Celery
- Bok choy
- Hearts of Palm
- Pearl onions
- Pickles
- Radishes
- Rutabaga
- Yuca
Fruits
-
- Apples
- Grapefruit
- Green olives
- Lemons: This is used for seasoning. Also, don’t forget an important ingredient: lemon oil. You only need a little, so one bottle can last many boils.
- Oranges (whole and for seasoning): These can be squeezed into the boil to make a great flavor. You may also leave them whole, and then remove the skins and eat them.
- Pineapple: This is a popular fruit, but people are divided about how to prepare it. Is it better to cut the pineapple into spears, or peel them and drop it whole? Both ways work well, but the spears absorb more spice. You may also cut it into pieces, but keep it attached to its outer layer. On the other hand, you can remove the top, and cut the entire thing into quarters. Then soak.
- Plantains
- Pistachios
Others
- Ramen noodles
- Tortellini and Ravioli: Simply soak them for 15 minutes, then put them in a mesh bag to make it easy to lift out.
- Tamales: It is recommended to place them in a colander, and then let them soak in the hot water. You can also wrap them with aluminum foil and poke holes into it. Then, put them in when the crawfish is done. They are spicy and delicious.