ANY crustacean will absorb or loose water in the pot due to osmodic pressure if the salt content isn't right. If the water is saltier than the meat the meat will loose water until the salt content is matched. This makes the meat easy to remove from the shell, but tough. If the water is less salty than the meat will absorb water making the meat very tender, but a real PITA to get out of the shell.
The ideal method to avoid the undesireable effects is to match the salinity of the cooking water t the water the critters were living in. This ensures a critter with tender meat that peels easily. Of course the easy way is to simply cook them in the water you took them out of. Another method is to use an instrument common to salt water aquarium folks to test the water salininty at the capture site, and then match it at the same temperature in the pot before adding the spices to make the "tea" and bringing the pot to a boil.
A normal South Louisiana spice blend (assuming water salt content has already been matched) for an 80 quart pot is:
4 or more large whole garlic, sliced in half horizontally to expose the "meat"
1 pound ground cayanne pepper *
Handfull of bay leaves
Lime leaves if available
3 or 4 grapefruit or other citrus of similar volume
4 large onions, quartered
*I prefer to use 1/4 pound of cayanne for the color, and a cup of crushed habanero to finish raising the heat up to a suitable flavor.
Bring this mess to a boil for about 15 minutes to make the "tea", then remove all the "hardstuff" left in the basket. The Hardstuff can be munched on during the rest of the cooking process.
The final boil procedure is to add a few more whole garlic to the basket, a dozen or so onions aobut 2" in diameter and a bag or two of creamer new potatoes (red ones under 1.5" maximum dimension). Place the basket back in the pot and return the pot to a boil, holding a medium boil for 10 minutes, then add a dozen few ears of peeled sweet corn on the cob broken into thirds. Allow the corn to cook for about 10 minutes, then add the seafood. Normal seafood quantities for this pot size is about:
1 hamper (about a bushel) of live crabs or
1 40 pound sack live crawfish or
30-40 pounds fresh head-on shrimp or
any combination of the above.
Allow the pot to come back to a roiling boil, stirring the pot with a canoe paddle occasionally. As soon as it boils, it's done. If you want more spice to soak into the meat ice the pot with 20 pounds of crushed ice to stop the cooking and allow the seafood to "soak in the pot" for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and spread the mess out on the middle of the table to cool and be eaten, or serve it up on beer flats. This recipe feeds about 25-30 "normal" people, or 10 Cajuns.
Basic rules for a Cajun boil include:
1. If your lips ain't burning by the end of the meal, the cook skimped on the seasoning and needs to swim the bayou wth the water lizards!
2. If you don't need a shower by the end of the meal you obviously didn't like it!
3. Figure out how much beer and other beverages you'll need for the meal, then tripple the order!
4. Use the boiled spiced garlic on the corn like butter!
5. Never have a boil indoors unless refinishing EVERYTHING is planned!
FT
