Lenten crawfish boils are the best thing about living in Louisiana. They are unparalleled social occasions, where everyone joins in on hours of cooking, drinking and eating.

It is tradition that Fridays in Lent be reserved for a boil — and I would suggest doing the same.

Boiling crawfish is an art and a boil is no low-maintenance, easy-bake oven meal. It requires dedication and preparation. But don’t worry — it’s well worth it and, at least in Cajun country, it is a coming of age event for any self-respecting person. 

So, here’s my recipe (every Cajun has their own) and the equipment you’ll need: a crawfish pot with top, strainer and stand, propane tank and adaptor that fits the stand, a long spoon or paddle, at least two large coolers, plenty of paper towels and an eating area that can be hosed off.

Before cooking your crawfish, you need to buy seasoning. I would recommend buying both Zatarain’s liquid (small bottle) and dry (large container) seafood seasonings. Also important is beer (Abita, preferably) and anything that you want to cook with the crawfish. The more traditional items include potatoes, corn, lemons, sausage, garlic and onions.

When you have everything together, be sure to rinse your crawfish well. Hose them down while they are in the sack and then pour them in the cooler. Fill the cooler with water and let it sit for a minute or two before draining it and repeat the process.

While you are working on this, fill the pot about 1/3 full of water and get a good fire going underneath it. Season the water to your taste. I would recommend a few teaspoons of the liquid seasoning (it’s very strong) to start, then, add the powder to suit your taste.

While the water is coming to a boil prepare your vegetables. Large potatoes, lemon, and sausage should be cut in half. Corn, garlic, small potatoes and onions go in whole.

When your water comes to a boil,  add your vegetables, starting with the potatoes (they take a few minutes longer to cook). Different people like their vegetables cooked to different degrees so, every now and then, pull a potato out to see if it is ready. When it is ready, so is everything else. Pull out the entire strainer and dump everything in the other cooler.

Now it is time for the crawfish. With crawfish, timing is very exact and very important. Once the water again reaches a boil (you may need to add more water and seasoning), dump about a half-sack of crawfish in the water. As soon as the water reaches a rolling boil, wait exactly seven minutes before pulling out the crawfish and dumping them in the cooler. Shut the cooler tightly, as they will steam in the cooler for about 10 minutes or so.

At this point, many people like to taste the crawfish and mix in more seasoning if needed. It will soak into the meat during steaming. When they come out of their shells easily, they are ready to eat! As the Cajuns say, “Dieu nous a donné l’écrevisse” — God gave us crawfish.

Alex Fournet can be reached at   [email protected]