Crawfish Boil

Find out if your crawfish have been purged. If they haven’t, soak in fresh water for 0 minutes (some people say you need to salt—you don’t).

While you’re waiting, place the water in a large Dutch oven and bring to the boil over medium heat.

Place the onion, lemon, bay leaf, and garlic in a large piece of cheesecloth. Use kitchen twine to tie it up, teabag-style. Add to the boiling water along with the salt. Boil 5 minutes.

Add the crawfish to the pot and boil 5 minutes longer, when all the shells should be bright red. Drain, discarding the cheesecloth bag. Serve immediately, plain or with dippin’ sauces like cocktail sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, or Tabasco.