When I first started food blogging 4 years ago (wow, has it been that long already!?) many of us bloggers looked to slick, glossy magazines like Gourmet, Bon Appetit and Food and Wine for recipe inspiration and to get lost in the glamorous and exotic food stories. These days, there are so many top-notch sites that I’ve cancelled all of my subscriptions except for a precious few, and instead immerse myself in my favorite blogs (yes, it’s a looooong list!), new websites (have you seen Gilt Taste?!) and online food magazines (check out Sweet Paul!)
The newest online food mag is maché, co-created by Ananda Spadt and Heather Winkel of Quite Like It Design and bloggers Adam & Joanne of Inspired Taste! This Crawfish Boil is an excerpt from the magazine, with links to free downloadable invitations. While you’ll have to wait until the weather cools down to order live crawfish* I hope you’ll enjoy seeing what mache has to offer!
Enjoy! -Jaden
*I buy my crawfish from Louisiana Crawfish Company, as of today 7/22, they are still shipping for another week before they shut down for the summer. They’ll start shipping again in early December. When you order, I would call them and request extra chill bags in the box – I’ve had a shipment where there wasn’t enough chill packs and half of the crawfish didn’t make it. Here’s my advice: Have the crawfish delivered the day BEFORE you need them (and of course store them in a cooler), that way, if the crawfish don’t arrive in good shape, call the company ASAP and have them send you another shipment to arrive the next day. Or have a contingency plan in your back pocket — maybe a Cajun shrimp boil? $89 for 15 pounds of live crawfish – that price includes overnight shipping, so it’s a great deal! Nope, not a paid mention, I just love that family-run business! And I love crawfish!
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maché is an online magazine that covets life’s true essentials: delicious food and making memories with friends and family. Published bi-monthly, issues are brimming with original recipes, fabulous events, swoon-worthy fashion and DIY downloads (all of which can be seen in this backyard crawfish boil featured in the first issue!). maché delivers anytime, anywhere, at machemag.com. Take a look at the first issue or subscribe for free at machemag.com/subscribe.
Spicy sides, messy hands and laughter make a crawfish boil the perfect outdoor gathering.
Give your guests a taste of the fun to come by sending these free downloadable invitations. Ask each person to bring their favorite Cajun dish from this suggested menu: St. Charles cocktail, peach iced tea, crawfish, cajun corn, mixed fruit and bread pudding. Visit maché‘s free downloads page for a printable guide to eating crawfish as well!
Once you get guests out of their comfort zones, sit back and enjoy the laughter.
To see the rest of this party (including a recipe for the St. Charles cocktail!) and more, visit www.machemag.com.
Crawfish boil photos by Matt Miller.
maché magazine – Summer 2011 Issue
If you’re looking to buy live crawfish – head over to Cajun Crawfish – I’ve purchased my live crawfish from them years ago and they were such a big hit! They’ll take good care of you. ~Jaden
Crawfish Boil
Ingredients
- 40 pounds crawfish
- 20 pounds potatoes
- 20 ears of Corn
- 2 whole garlic bulbs
- 6 lemons, halved
- 1/4 cup Sriracha
- 1 bag Louisiana Crawfish Company Crawfish Boil Cajun Seasoning
Instructions
- Using a 10-gallon pot, fill with water 3/4 full, add crawfish boil seasoning and bring to boil.
- Add 5 lbs of potatoes, 5 ears of corn, garlic, lemons and 2 tbs Sriracha sauce.
- Cook 1 minute per pound of potatoes. Control heat to prevent boil over.
- Add 10 lbs of crawfish and boil for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Let crawfish soak, covered, for 15-20 minutes.
- At this point, if you are using a basket, remove the basket and let the liquid drain off, back into the boil pot.
- Dump the contents of the basket onto the serving table and sprinkle with 2 tbs of Cajun seasoning.
- Repeat the process, starting with adding potatoes and corn. Each batch will get progressively spicier, so be careful.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Never had a crawfish boil before. We have crawfish from the Aegean here in Greece, that are similar to shrimp, but with claws:) Your recipe sounds like a great different approach to taste them! Yummy!
Thanx for the wonderful idea!
I first found Steamy Kitchen in search for a cajun pasta recipe to go with my frozen shucked crawdads leftover from our family’s annual backyard boil.
Our annual crawdad boil turned seafood boil (dungeness crab and shrimp as well) has grown over the years that we have streamlined operations with the creation of an actual crawdad boil calculator (determines volumes of the various ingredients) as well as customized tables that include a center hole for carcass disposal which drop into a garbage can directly beneath (this also minimizes bees being attracted to the party). Popularity of our annual shindig grew so much that we started auctioning off a table at our kids’ school auction and private smaller backyard boils that have fetched over $500 for the kids’ school! Here are some pics of our backyard boil: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1507823340024.66040.1367539942&type=3&l=cea59d4a7d
Save your leftovers and toss them in Jaden’s cajun pasta recipe–it is so delicious!
That looks so close to what my family steams up at get-togethers: http://southerncookinglight.com/2011/07/11/low-country-shrimp-boil
I agree, right on Ash!!! Also we never used plates either.. Spread newspapers across the table
Looks awesome! Being a native New Englander, we’ve always done lobster but I’ve been dying to try a crawfish boil. I’ll have to order online next season like you did.
Just this weekend we enjoyed a shrimp boil on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan! There is nothing that screams summer like boilin’ up some seafood!
Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.
Sheila
The life-long New Orleans resident in me is forcing me to mention that it is not traditional to sprinkle seasoning over the crawfish before serving. The boil should do it all, extra seasoning is not necessary.
I love crawfish too, I just have to remember which way is the southern way to say it crayfish or crawfish(I have to be proper about it). Nothing says summer fun more than a crawfish or crab boil, or (in Michigan it’s fish boils). I remember a couple of years ago I think, when you got all those crawfish and your boys were playing with them! Yes, good times!
Looks awesome! What I wouldn’t give for a kitchen or space big enough to do a big ol’ boil like that!
Cookbooks and magazines are like crack for me. I can never get enough! I will definitely check it out!
I love a heaping, endless pile of crawfish with lots of garlic and spices. Sounds amazing!
This is really neat! Awesome idea!