Hot Cajun-Style Crab Boil

By Jacques Pepin

Total Time
1¼ hours
Rating
5(44)
Notes
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A trip to Avery Island, La., the home of Tabasco sauce, inspired this Jacques Pépin recipe from 1994. A few years earlier, Paul McIlhenny, the fourth generation of his family to produce the hot sauce, served Mr. Pépin and his wife a bountiful crab boil. ” People helped themselves,” Mr. Pépin wrote, adding, “We washed the banquet down with plenty of cold beer.” Here, he substitutes blue crab for crawfish, and kielbasa for the hot Cajun sausage. But whatever you use, keep Mr. Pépin’s recommendation and have a beer alongside.

Featured in: THE PURPOSEFUL COOK; A Cajun Feast From the Land of Tabasco

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 2bags (3 ounces each) commercial crab-boil seasoning, or equivalent amount of your own spice mixture (see article)
  • Salt, to taste
  • 2pounds medium onions (about 8), peeled
  • 3pounds small potatoes (about 24), washed but not peeled
  • 24live medium blue crabs
  • 2pounds kielbasa, cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 35 to 40cloves garlic (3 heads), unpeeled
  • 12ears sweet corn, hulled
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

1075 calories; 48 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 123 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams dietary fiber; 24 grams sugars; 51 grams protein; 2024 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place 2 gallons of water and the crab-boil seasoning in a large stockpot, cover and bring to a boil. (Note: This can be done a few hours ahead, set aside and brought back to a boil at serving time to intensify the stock flavor.) Add salt to taste.

  2. Step 2

    Add the onions and potatoes to the boiling stock, cover and bring the stock back to a boil. Boil gently for 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, rinse the crabs well in a sink filled with cold water. Using metal tongs, lift the crabs from the sink, and after discarding any dead or smelly crabs, add them to the stockpot with the sausage and garlic. Bring the mixture back to a boil, and boil gently for 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Add the corn, and bring the mixture back to a boil. Then, turn off the heat, and let the pot sit (up to 1 hour) until serving time.

  5. Step 5

    At serving time, drain off the stock, and arrange crab boil ingredients separately on a large platter. Serve with the hot mayonnaise (see following recipe), if desired.

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5 out of 5
44 user ratings
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