Crawfish Boil 2008

One thing we missed about Texas was the awesome crawfish boils we used to go to at least once a year. Seafood (and other creepy crawlies) are one thing you can find in TX, but not anywhere this far inland. So this year, I decided that I wanted to host a crawfish boil here in Colorado. I found a company that shipped crawfish overnight (live) and decided to give it a try. Many people thought I was cazy, and most didnt know what a "crawfish boil" was, but there were others that were really excited. I fed my energy off of those people. :)

All-in-all, I had about 35 people that said they would come to the crawfish boil. This included co-workers of Jen and me, some new friends, and some old friends from TX. I ordered 60 lbs of the mud bugs, which is a good amount for 30-35 people (since most of it is exoskeleton and whatnot).

Overall, it was a great time. I spent 95% of the time cooking (unfortunately, I didnt get to sit and talk with everyone, but I plan on changing that next year), and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was a beautiful day, too! The first batch of crawfish was rather bland, but the next 4-5 batches got progressively tastier! Due to cancellations (and some people only eating a few crawfish), we were left with about 20 lbs of leftovers. Jen and I got the meat off of them and will enjoy crawfish etouffee a few times!

Here are some pics of the event:

Ernie was kinda interested in them, but enjoyed being outside and eating grass more. Plus, the only ones that we tossed to him were the few (4-5) that arrived dead.

Kim, Evan, and I "purging" the crawfish.

More purging. That one looks fiesty.

A brave Jen holds one of the crawfish. Thankfully it wasnt one of the agressive ones!

Emma doesn't like the sound that is coming from the 2x30lbs sacks of live crawfish.

Human and Crawfish enjoying a beer.

Crawfish race for $1. Some people got creative to get their 'dad to walk in a straight line.

Cooked and on the table!

Raw and in the cooler. They slowed down once I poured some ice on them. 20lbs actually. That cooler got heavy!!!

Curtis pouring some fresh potatoes, onions and corn into the mix. That morning, I cooked all the veggies to save time.

Everyone standing up and eating.

Everyone sitting down and eating.

This is James. He was tasty.