LOUISIANA STYLE SEAFOOD BOIL RECIPE
- By Ben Arnot
A unique Aussie twist on a classic Southern delicacy!
A Crawfish Boil is a staple of Louisiana’s Cajun culture and one that every tourist who visits simply must do. And if you visit the city of New Orleans you’ll find that there’s no shortage of restaurants who offer sumptuous seafood meals. I was so impressed by the Cajun cuisine that I had to make two trips, just to take it all in!
But look a little deeper and you’ll see that the Crawfish Boil isn’t just a catchy gimmick used to capture the attention of tourists. You’ll find Crawfish Boils happening on Sunday afternoons in backyards all across the State. In fact, I think it would be fair to say that a Crawfish Boil is to Louisianans what BBQ is to Texans.
So you won’t be surprised when I tell you that I had to have a crack at this when I got home. I found that it wasn’t as easy to do here in the land of Oz, so I had to improvise a little, giving the Louisianan tradition an Aussie twist.
And thus, our Louisiana Style Seafood Boil Recipe was born! The results were outstanding though and we got to spend a great afternoon in the backyard with the family, enjoying the firepit, each other’s company, and we got to have a delicious slice of Cajun cuisine. Life. Is. Good!
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 – 45 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4.5 litres of water
0.5 litres of water in reserve
1 cup Lane’s New Bay seasoning
1 head of garlic, peeled
1 large red onion, quartered and peeled
3 medium white potatoes, cubed
1 stick of Cabana sausage, chunked
1 orange, quartered
2 handfuls button mushrooms
½ dozen frozen mini corn cobs
12 green King Prawns
1 handful squid rings
Equipment:
Firepit
9 quart camp oven
Camp oven tripod
Lid Lifter
Hot Gloves
Wooden Spoon
Slotted spoon or sieve
Large tray
Method:
Build campfire and burn down to hot coal base
Lightly oil camp oven including inside of lid
Put 4.5 litres of water in camp oven
Put camp oven on tripod to bring to boil
Chop vegetables
When water is boiling, add Lane’s, onion, garlic and squeezed orange quarters
Stir to ensure New Bay seasoning is mixed well
Return to heat for 10 minutes
Add potato, frozen corn and sausage
Return to heat for 15 minutes
Add mushroom, prawns and squid
Return to heat, checking every 10 minutes until potato is soft
Use slotted spoon or sieve to remove the food from the camp oven and put it on your large tray
Serving Suggestions:
It’s time to go old school. You can just eat it with your hands straight off the tray. Or, if you want to get really traditional, spread some newspaper or butchers paper out on your dining table and tip the tray of food out onto it. But the most important part is to have a laugh and spend some quality time with family and friends.
Recipe and photos by Ben Arnot: https://smokinghotconfessions.com/louisiana-style-seafood-boil-recipe/
