Do you season on the outside of the crawfish after boiling?

My Louisiana inlaws so HELL no.

My Texas buddies so yes

What does TexAgs say?

For reference, I boil in crab boil liquid and seasoning. Boil for 5 minutes, add ice and soak for 15 minutes.

No , and any place that does can eat sh*t

No. The liquid does any seasoning necessary. If they taste bland, it's because you ****ed up the boil.

Yes. Never understood why people would be against it ( when the water is properly boiled)

Easy solution. Have some on table for those that want it

[This message has been edited by BMX Bandit (edited 4/6/2014 4:48p).]

no. if I wanted granular seasoning coating my hands and shoved under my fingernails, I do it myself.

Worked at a small cajun restraunt my Senior year in HS and cooked a ton of crawfish (both in the restaunt and at catering events).

We shook them with seasoning after we boiled them, so that's how I like them.

no

just like you shouldn't have to put bbq sauce on brisket. You only do that if you screwed up the smoke

Should definitely be frowned upon.

NO.

The secret to good crawfish is the preparation of the water, boiling time and soaking time.

Restaurants sprinkle the outside to save money on the ingredients that go into proper water prep because they are boiling in large quantities.

if you are doing this as your only means of seasoning then absolutely not. Use a 2 pot soaking method. But when I put the cooked crawfish in the ice chest I do sprinkle with dry seasoning

I have never understood seasoning the outside of the shell. You don't eat the shells, so it does nothing for seasoning the crawfish meat.

true, but your fingers taste better that way

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I have never understood seasoning the outside of the shell. You don't eat the shells, so it does nothing for seasoning the crawfish meat.

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When you peel the crawfish, you transfer the seasoning from the shell to the meat via your fingers. At least that is the theory.

Both ways are fine by me

No seasoning on the outside.

quote:

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When you peel the crawfish, you transfer the seasoning from the shell to the meat via your fingers. At least that is the theory.

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Meh... the boil should take care of that.

But it doesn't for some people.

Again, very odd thing to complain about.

Arguing about this is the equivalent to the bbq sauce on brisket argument. If you like it, then it eat. If you don't, then don't. But don't put it on all the crawfish and force everybody else to eat them with seasoning just because that's how you like it. Season your own. Whether the seasoning/bbq sauce compliments the crawfish/brisket is up to each individual. The whole "I'm a bad ass cook and my food doesn't need seasoning or sauce" is a hilarious because in my experience, the people that spew this can't cook worth a damn.

Yes

Half coon ass, dont care if you like it or not.

I grew up in Louisiana...didnt see seasoning on Shell until i moved to Housotn.

And Louisiana Crawfish is a different heat...thats the heat that has all your fingertips and lips burning while nothing is actually on them.

No.

Restaurants (and other weekend warriors) do it to hide the fact they cut corners during the boil, and/or can't boil correctly to begin with.

No, but I'm not going to turn down boiled crawfish that has added seasoning that way.

I went to the KOC crawfish boil in Rosenburg many years ago and they had brought in ringers from LA to cook. These dudes were legit and they brought in their entire operation on some flatbeds, which included multiple huge boilers, pulley systems, etc.

After boiling, they dumped their bugs into coolers, spritzed them with some diluted vinegar mixture (said it helped separate the tail from the shell) and yes, dusted them with dry seasoning before shutting the lid for them to steam. They were the best I've ever had. I will defer to their technique over any of the "experts" weighing in here.

Like so many other things, the way you like it is the "right way" to do it.

The worst that I've had were covered in seasoning, the best were boil only.

My opinion is seasoning on the outside is fine, but it better be an accompaniment to a good boil, not a substitute.

[This message has been edited by Adam Ag 98 (edited 4/10/2014 6:28a).]