By the time football season is in full swing, the crab season is doing the same. Many people prefer not to eat boiled crabs because there is too much work involved for so little meat. I enjoy the sweetness of the crab meat. For the LSU-Florida game, I decided to pick up a bushel of crabs and boil them at the house. It is pretty difficult to bring out a boiling pot and keep the crabs alive all day while tailgating. You can boil the crabs beforehand (or purchase some that are already boiled), put them in an ice chest, and they will hold for quite a while.

Check out the recipe and pictures below. Everybody in Louisiana boils their seafood differently. Let us know how you boil by leaving a comment.

This is a two pot recipe. If you only have one pot, you can boil and soak the crabs in the seasoned stock. Most people prefer to do this anyway. I find that seafood boiled using this procedure absorbs the seasoning better and soaks for less time.

First you will need to fill the boiling pot with about 10 gallons of water. Light the burner and bring the water (stock) to a boil.

Add the following to the water:

1 - 63 oz container of Zatarain’s Extra Spicy crab boil seasoning

8 oz Zatarain’s liquid crab boil

4 lemons, halved and squeezed into stock

4 oranges, halved and squeezed into stock

2 whole garlic, halved

1 stalk of celery, bottom and leaves removed

2 large yellow onions, halved with skin removed

Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

It will come out looking something like this:

Next, add the following to the boiling seasoned stock:

5 lbs of small new potatoes

4 large yellow onions, halved with skin removed

12 pieces of frozen corn on the cob (you can substitute fresh corn but it will need to cook longer)

5 lbs of Richard’s Krazy Kajun sausage, cut into bite sized pieces

2 large cartons of whole mushrooms

Optional: 1 bundle of asparagus (added with 2 minutes left to cook)

Boil for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Remove and place into clean ice chest.

Remove seasoned stock pot from burner and place two large bags of ice into stock. Be sure to place into the stock with the ice still in the bag. If you dump the ice directly into the stock, it may alter the proportions of the seasoning. I have also seen people substitute ice bags with old milk jugs filled with water and placed into the freezer overnight. You may also mist the side of the pot with a hose. The goal is to get the stock cooled down before you actually boil the crabs.

Next, put the second pot on the burner and fill with 10 gallons of water. Bring to a boil. Place crabs into wire basket and drop into boiling water. Once the water returns to a boil, cook crabs for 11 minutes. This is the standard cook time for crabs. It may vary depending on the size of the crabs. Once cooked, take the crabs out of the boiling pot and place into the cooled seasoned stock. Boiled seafood will not pick up any seasoning while actively cooking. Once the cooling process stops, the seasoning begins to soak the crab meat. Soak crabs for 25-35 minutes, depending on how spicy you like them. You can test the spiciness by taking a crab out and tasting it. If it is not spicy enough, let it soak longer. When they are done, dump the crabs on a table with newspaper and dump the fixings from the ice chest on top. If you plan on using a one pot method, you can cook the fixings for less time, then add the crabs in with it. When everything is finished cooking, place the ice bags into the pot to stop the cooking.

Serve crabs with plenty of beer and the following dip:

2 parts ketchup

1 part mayo

1 cap full of liquid crab boil

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp cajun seasoning

Mix well and chill for 30 minutes

Here are some good places to get live and boiled seafood around Baton Rouge:

Tony’s Seafood - (225) 355-2127

Folse Seafood - (225) 644-0065

Wayne Stabiler City Cafe - (225) 769-8170