It's not just Crawfish, it's Crawfish 2010

This past weekend we were in New Orleans for my nieces' wedding. My wife Sheryl's brother-in-law, Everett, seized the opportunity to boil crawfish in my honor. As a follow-up to my New Orleans Crawfish Boil: A Houston Tradition? blog post, I thought I would blog about it again.

1. After work on Friday, Everett came home with his truck loaded with everything that would be needed. Conjuring up thoughts of Santa's sleigh, it was like Christmas in May.
   

2. The 40 pounds of crawfish are kept cool, so they rest in a dormant state. This keeps them fresh.
   

3. Crawfish boiling and eating is an outdoor activity - right in one's own backyard.
   

4. Everett got a new pot for the occasion. This one was a bargain because it had a small dent. No worries - it cooks just fine.
   

5. All of the fixin's are gathered on the table.
   

6. The first step is to wash the crawfish. This removes the dirt on them from their natural habitat.
   

7. The bottle on the right is Crawfish Boil that is a mixture based on cayenne pepper. The bottle on the left is a re-used Crawfish Boil container that contains Everett's own special blend of garlic and other spices.
   

8. The second step is to boil water.
   

9. The Crawfish Boil is added slowly to make sure it dissolves. As they say on the Will It Blend? site, be careful not to breathe in that Crawfish Boil smoke.
   

10. The seasoning is allowed to mix well.
    

11. To help the process, the pot is stirred.
    

12. The special blend is then added. For the Crawfish Boil and the special extra, the bottles are completely emptied.
    

13. More stirring follows.
    

14. One crawfish made a break for it, but his escape was thwarted by my watchful eye. He was delicious.
    

15. The onions are cooked for about 5 minutes. The potatoes are then added and cooked for about 7 minutes. These are then removed to a temporary container.
    

16. The live crawfish are added to the cooking basket.
    

17. The potatoes and onions are transferred from the temporary container on top of the crawfish. The sausage (Everett let me cut the sausage.) is also placed on top. The basket is gently lowered into the well-seasoned boiling water.
    

18. Some shrimp are added while we are at it.
    

19. Mushrooms are added.
    

20. Carrots are added.
    

21. Corn is added.
    

22. All of the ingredients are mixed. The mixture boils for about 12 minutes. Ice is then added to bring the water temperature down, so the crawfish will stop cooking. The pot is allowed to sit for about 30 minutes to enhance the flavor.
    

23. The result is a bunch of mini-lobsters that are better than any real lobster you will ever eat. You peel the tails and eat them just like you would a lobster - except there's no need to dip anything in butter.
    

Thanks, Everett! Flavorful alchemy is alive in the lab.