Hosting a crawfish boil is the social event of the season around here. Having the perfect recipe makes it even better!
Jump to RecipeSomething new to us when we moved to the Houston area was a crawfish boil. There’s a lot of Cajun and New Orleans influence in this area after Hurricane Katrina, and this is one of the many traditions that followed.
If you want to host a crawfish boil, it’s a full social event. This was evident to us the first time we were invited to one and by the fact that the smallest amount of crawfish we could purchase as a bag of 19 pounds!
You can put almost anything you want in your crawfish boil, and this recipe will also work with shrimp, crab, lobster, and other seafood. We choose to add andouille sausage or cajun sausage, lemons, onion, baby red potatoes, and small pieces of corn.

Crawfish Boil Step by Step
Ingredients
- 4 lemons
- 24 oz andouille sausage
- 1 onion
- 6 oz seafood boil seasonings
- 3 lbs baby red potatoes
- 12 corn on the cob, mini
- 19 lbs crawfish, live


Preparation
Slice the lemons in half, cut the sausage into 1-inch pieces, and quarter the onion.

Pour enough water to fill the boiler just over half full, place the seasoning bags in the water, and bring to a rolling boil.

Add the potatoes, corn, onion, and lemon to the pot, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Place the sausage in the water and cook another 3 minutes.
Last add the crawfish and cook for about 5 more minutes, until cooked through.

Strain the water and move to a serving platter.

Serve warm.

Crawfish Boil Leftovers
Storage: Before storing leftover crawfish, we peeled them to get the meat out first. Then store the meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Reheating: You can eat the crawfish cold or reheat in a small pan over medium heat until just warmed.
Best Sides for Crawfish Boil
- Fresh bread
- Coleslaw
- Potato Salad
- Roasted Vegetables
- Salad
- Mac and Cheese
- Cornbread
- Deviled Eggs
- Baked Beans

Recipe
Originally Published On: April 3, 2023

Crawfish Boil
Ingredients
- 4 lemons
- 24 oz andouille sausage
- 1 onion
- 6 oz seafood boil seasonings
- 3 lbs baby red potatoes
- 12 corn on the cob (mini)
- 19 lbs crawfish (live)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Slice the lemons in half, cut the sausage into 1-inch pieces, and quarter the onion
- Pour enough water to fill the boiler just over half full, place the seasoning bags in the water, and bring to a rolling boil
- Add the potatoes, corn, onion, and lemon to the pot, cover, and cook for 10 minutes
- Place the sausage in the water and cook another 3 minutes
- Last add the crawfish and cook for about 5 more minutes, until cooked through
- Strain the water and move to a serving platter
- Serve warm
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

More Cajun & Mardi Gras Recipes
- Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta from Chili’s
- Crawfish Boil Recipe
- Fried Vegan Beignets Recipe
- Creole Pork with Cheesy Polenta
- Shrimp Boil Foil Wrap
- King Cake with Cream Cheese and Pecan Filling
- Shrimp and Okra Bowl
I’ve never had one of these, but I have had crawfish fried when my family and I visited New Orland’s many years ago. So I’m assuming it’s not all that different. Thanks so much for sharing! I’ll be trying it out very soon!
This crawfish boil recipe is simply delicious! I am certainly going to make the dish again during our yearly shore vacation – the whole gang is going to love this!
Yum! This crawfish boil recipe looks absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to try it out at my next backyard get-together!
I wonder how a crawfish boil would come out if one did not use sausage. We did try it with the sausage and the family loved it.
It’s been a while since I enjoyed a good crawfish boil. Thanks for this reminder, I must make this recipe soon. Perfect with a good beer.
Wow, this Crawfish Boil Recipe is mouth-watering! The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow, and the pictures make my stomach growl.
This crawfish boil is quite a feast! I can invite my family and friends to dig into this messy, yummy meal.
I used to catch crawfish with my dad as a kid. This looks so good!
I’ve never tried this before but seems easy to make it. Maybe we can try something new cooking this one. Thank you for sharing!
I love crawfish. Never had much luck making it. But my boyfriend is great at cooking seafood, so I will share it with him.
Crawfish boils are awesome! Great food and a great way to spend time with friends!