Roadside Boil · Spicy Crawfish
Crawfish Boil
Photo: Robbie Mendelson / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Louisiana produces roughly 90% of the crawfish eaten in the United States, most of it farmed in flooded rice fields during the rotation between rice crops.
Whole crawfish are boiled in huge outdoor pots with corn, potatoes, and sausage in a fiercely spiced, cayenne-heavy broth, then dumped straight onto newspaper-covered tables. Roadside stands and gas-station kitchens sell them by the pound in the spring boil season.
Why it's made this way: The crustacean thrives in Louisiana's bayou wetlands and flooded rice fields, making the boil a rural Cajun and Creole tradition specific to the state.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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