I probably have some nerve trying to take credit for Jay Ratell’s shrimp boil recipe. (He says he got it from Drusilla Seafood.) But I think I’ve made enough changes over the years to beat a copyright rap.

Ingredients

50 pounds of head-on shrimp, 20 pounds of headless shrimp, or 2 sacks of crawfish (I usually go with the headless shrimp. It makes clean-up less traumatic.)
10 pounds small red potatoes
10 pounds small onions
2 pounds of mushrooms
2 dozen cloves of garlic
10 pounds Manda’s sausage (or any PORK sausage or andouille)
A whole bunch of corn (The original owner of this recipe said “one dozen ears. That has NEVER been enough. I always add at least two dozen mini-ears. DO NOT spend extra for the expensive ones.)
12 lemons
2 bags of ice
8 one-pound boxes of seasoning (I like Zatarain’s; others prefer Louisiana brand. Either is fine); AND
13 ounces of liquid crab boil (Again, like Zatarain’s. Why both? I don’t know.)

Some people put artichokes, celery and sweet potatoes these in their crab boils. I don’t particularly care for them, so I don’t But don’t feel like a freak if you want to include them. I once put an entire raw chicken in the pot when I put in the potatoes, and it was awesome.

People ask me if you can use the “super crab boil” that is supposed to contain everything. Maybe you can. I don’t.

Instructions

First Batch

Get a big pot. 70 gallons at least. The smaller ones that they sell with turkey fryers just aren’t big enough to handle the job. Fill 1/3 pot with water. Put potatoes and onions in pot. Add two pounds of seasoning and 4 ounces of liquid crab boil. Bring to boil and let boil for 10-15 minutes. (The best way to stir the pot is with a wooden paddle, if you’ve got one.)

Take the basket out and add two and a half pounds of seasoning and four more ounces of crab boil. Add corn, mushrooms and sausage–then one sack of crawfish or half of the shrimp. Bring water to boil again, let it
boil for two minutes (crawfish) or one minute (shrimp), then turn off heat.

Squeeze six lemons on top of the crawfish/shrimp and put a bag of ice on top of that. (Just the ice; not the bag) Leave to soak for 5-15 minutes, then start tasting. if the audience you’re cooking for aren’t really that into spicy food, five minutes should be fine. I usually let it sit for ten.

Second Batch

Use the same water, regardless of how orange it is.

Follow steps for potatoes and onions as done in first batch. Then after they are cooked. before you put in everything else, add three more boxes and five more ounces of liquid crab boil to the existing water. Put potatoes and corn back in, followed by the corn, mushrooms and either one bag of crawfish or 25 pounds of shrimp.

Bring water to a boil, boil crawfish for two minutes (or shrimp for one), then turn burner off. Squeeze six more lemons on top of the crawfish or shrimp and put a bag of ice on top. Leave to soak for 10-15 minutes, then start tasting as before.