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Vietnamese Houstonian Crawfish
From Cook Like a Local, by Chris Shepherd and Kaitlyn Goalen
Crawfish boils are a time-honored tradition along the Gulf Coast. The crustaceans are cooked in a vat of heavily seasoned water (typically) along with corn on the cob, potatoes, and sausage, and then enjoyed with a group. Hands are [the] only utensils needed. But in Houston, the best place to go get crawfish is in the Vietnamese neighborhood in Chinatown. – Chris Shepherd
⅓ to ½ cup kosher salt
1 garlic head, cut in half crosswise to expose the cloves, plus ½ cup chopped (24 cloves)
2 large onions, roughly chopped
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 lemons, halved
1 (2-inch) stalk lemongrass
1 pound unsalted butter, melted
5 pounds live crawfish
¼ cup Creole seasoning
1 Tablespoon cayenne or to taste
In a very large pot (ideally with a strainer basket set inside it), bring three gallons of water with kosher salt to boil. Add the garlic head halves, onions, carrots, celery, lemons and lemongrass. Let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Pull out the strainer basket and discard the solids. Return the strainer to the pot.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped garlic and cook until the garlic softens and smells fragrant. Reduce the heat and keep warm.
Bring the water back to a simmer and add the crawfish. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes – the crawfish will turn bright red. Remove the crawfish from the pot using the strainer basket, letting all the excess water drip off; then put the crawfish into a very large bowl. Add the garlic butter, Creole seasoning, and 2 tablespoons of water from the pot. Toss the crawfish well to coat. Sprinkle with cayenne and toss again. Serve immediately with lots of napkins. Serves 8.
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