TGIF, Let the Good Times Roll…

Here's a Saturday Night Feast that's well worth all the effort, "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"…

Craw Fish Boil

Serves 8 hungry folks

So figure eating per person a medium average of 3-1/3 pounds of crawfish (heads on) each. If guests are heavy eaters use 4-1/2 pounds per person and for lite (polite) eaters, 2-1/2 pounds per person to calculate pounds of crawfish required. Each person gets a couple potato, an ear of corn and a link of sausage, at least, you can double that for the heavy eater.

This recipe fills up my 12-qt stockpot, so be prepared…

30 pounds crawfish

15 ounces cayenne pepper

20 cloves garlic, cut cloves in half, do not peel or crush

1 dozen lemons, sliced and quartered

20 bay leaves

1 qt of cheap Beer

6 ounces Louisiana hot sauce or Tabasco Sauce

2 pounds salt

5 bags of Zatarain's or similar crab boil,

If you're blessed with live crawfish soaking in cold fresh water, with a couple of boxes of salt emptied into it as to allow "mud bugs" to be spitting out the mud while you prepare the boil.

Place all ingredients but the crawfish in the biggest pot that you can get your hands on and bring to a good boil for about 15 minutes. As all comes to a boil, put you face over the steam and take 10 deep breaths, as the boiling cayenne, garlic and lemon is good for your soul - being careful to breathe only through you nose.

After water comes to boil again, 20 small potatoes and 10 links of Andouille or Boudin sausages Allow 15 minutes cooking time. Add the crawfish then the corn bring to a boil for 10 more minutes. Strain and serve the crawfish hot with the garlic cloves, potatoes, sausage and corn. Best served with a couple beers per person.

Best eaten outside, line table with newspaper, strategically place a couple roll of paper towels and dump the eats in the center and let the folks have at it, not only is this good eating it is fun eating.

For a great seafood dipping sauce, take some Heinz chili sauce or ketchup, add horseradish and Tabasco to taste, and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (never use that swill out of the bottle for this). Have Louisiana Hot Sauce ready. Although most folks are too busy with the "mudbugs" to dip them.

Eating instructions: Find the biggest crawfish in the pile. Break the tail off of the crawfish, and slurp all the good juice and fat out of the head (optional). Peel off the first section of the crawfish tail shell, pinch the bottom of the tail, and the meat pops right out. Eat. Drink. Repeat. (Some people save time by pinching the tail and removing the tail meat with their teeth and eating it immediately, rather than wasting a few precious seconds getting the meat out with their hands. That's how they do it in Louisiana, so says my wife who's from Baton Rouge.

You can get all the fix'ins at either Wards Or Publix locally, but give them a few days notice on the crawfish (they'll be frozen not fresh). For a wider choice check The Cajun Supermarket, or if you are having a large crowd the Louisiana Cajun Crawfish Co.