Top 10 Crawfish Boil Essentials

It’s often said that Louisiana has four seasons: crab, shrimp, oyster and my favorite, crawfish. We are in the midst of crawfish season which means the mudbugs are available, generally a good size, and it will not cost you an arm and a leg to fill your belly. When this perfect storm aligns, get your taste buds ready because it’s time for a crawfish boil!

As a native New Orleanian, I have attended my fair share of crawfish boils in my 43 years of life. Now, I’m not saying that makes me an expert but I thought I would share my Top 10 List of Crawfish Boil Essentials  to take the guess work out of your next boil. But don’t forget to learn how to peel crawfish like a pro before you go!

As a quick disclaimer, this list contains things that I have found over the years to be useful or just plain fun. It obviously is not exhaustive as it does not include the actual crawfish, crawfish pot, crackers, paper towels and other essential ingredients. In building my list, I assume you have the food taken care of and just want to give your crawfish boil a little something extra!

1. Beverage Tub ($60): Any good crawfish boil will tickle (or even slightly burn) your taste buds….make sure to have plenty of cold drinks on hand and easily accessible for your guests.
2. Crawfish Boil Toy Set ($35): Boiling crawfish is really exciting to watch for the little ones but definitely not something they can participate in. Set up your mini-me with a cute crawfish boil toy set so they can be part of the action.
3. Crawfish Table Cover Roll ($40): For easy clean up, cover your table with plastic sheets or newspaper.
4. Crawfish Folding Table ($99): For even easier clean up, make the trash can part of the table and throw the shells right in!
5. Festive Crawfish Apparel ($28): Even though the crawfish can be messy, you still want to look good. Join the fun with some festive crawfish themed apparel.
6. Crawfish Boil Hand Soap ($10): Crawfish are incredibly tasty but they can leave your hands not smelling very fresh. This hand soap is specifically designed to get rid of unwanted smells. Pro tip: Do NOT touch your eyes during a crawfish boil! You will regret it!
7. Mosquito Repellent ($7): At a crawfish boil, you want to eat the bugs, you do not want the bugs to eat you!
8. Fun Crawfish Decor ($45): Liven up the party with some fun crawfish themed party decorations.
9. Crawfish Hair Bow ($20): If your daughters are anything like mine, they need a bow for every occasion!
10. Crawfish Platters ($2): If you’re having a large crawfish boil, I find that having these trays on hand for guests to transport their food to the table makes serving much more manageable. Bonus: you can hose them off in the yard!