Unique or Uncommon Crawfish Boil ‘Fixins': Here’s a List

Here in South Louisiana, we love our crawfish boils.

Steeped in deep Cajun tradition, family crawfish boils are one of the most recognizable and iconic activities in Acadiana.

But what happens when people begin to change up the way the crawfish are boiled? Well, sometimes we get defensive... very defensive.

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A post on the Louisiana subReddit asks people for their unique or uncommon items that people add to their crawfish boil.

In my family, the crawfish boils usually looked like this: crawfish, corn, and potatoes.

That's it.

Later in life, we began to experiment a bit. First, we started adding onions. Then, smoked sausage. Before too long, we were really expanding our horizons with garlic, mushrooms, celery, and carrots.

I am willing to try something now, but some of these suggestions would never fly for the rest of my family, especially #3. I guess we are just traditionalists.

LEMONGRASS

So, I LOVE lemongrass. Spicy Thai lemongrass soup with shrimp is usually a must when we eat at a Thai restaurant. Another restaurant I frequent serves meatballs on lemongrass sticks, which gives them quite a unique flavor.

Crushed lemongrass in my crawfish boil? Ooh boy... I guess I would have to try it. Again, when it comes to some things, I am fairly a traditionalist, but I would try this one!

ARTICHOKE

Described as having a taste similar to potatoes, asparagus, and brussels sprouts, artichokes are pretty easy to boil, as they don't require much attention.

PINEAPPLE

Yes, Pineapple.

I don't want it on my pizza, and I would be VERY hesitant to try it in my crawfish boil. Why? Too sweet!

According to the Reddit post, you don't throw a whole pineapple into the boiling pot. What you do is this: you buy a can of pineapple rings or pineapple chunks, remove the label from the can, and then punch holes in the top and bottom of the can.

Reserve the juice for use in cocktails (is what the OP recommended), and then just toss the can into the crawfish boil. That's it. When you remove the crawfish from the boiling pot and pour them on the table, take a can opener and remove the top of the can of pineapple, and eat.

I would try it once, just to be certain that I don't like it.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Tiny cabbages, I call'em. But I'm sure that they are just as bad coming out of a crawfish boil as they are any other way they are cooked. (LOL, ROFL, etc.)

ASPARAGUS

I am not a huge fan of asparagus, but I'll eat them if they are wrapped in bacon and cooked on a grill. And I'll be willing to try them out of a crawfish boil.

MUSHROOMS

Mushrooms are now a regular ingredient in our boils. Often called a "flavor sponge", the mushrooms do just that: they soak up the delicious seasonings and flavors from everything else, similar to tofu (wait: is tofu on the list??).

BOK CHOI

I love it in stir fry and in soups, so I'd give it a go in a boil!

BOUDIN

WHOA! Wait just a minute!

The deliciousness of boudin kissed by the taste-tempting concoction that is a crawfish boil?  SIGN ME UP!

I understand that you need to leave the skin on the boudin, and only put it in the pot for the soak once the "active" boiling is finished. DO NOT CUT THE BOUDIN! Leave each link whole!

RAVIOLI

Do they mean, like, Chef Boyardee ravioli? Or real, homemade, Italian ravioli?

Either way, I'd give it a go. I am guessing that this is another that you put in during the soak, after the active boil is over.

SWEET POTATOES

We did sweet potatoes on our last crawfish boil. We found bags of the tiny sweet potatoes at Nunu's and tossed them in with the other vegetables and they were great.

BROCCOLI

Just last week at our crawfish boil, my sister broke off a head of broccoli from her garden and we threw it into the pot during the soak. Everyone loved it, even those who aren't usually fans of broccoli!

MEATBALLS

To be specific, frozen meatballs.

I haven't tried this one yet, but I would be willing to do so.

The Redditor who suggested them says that they take the bag of the meatballs out of the freezer as they are preparing to boil to give them a chance to thaw.

Since the meatballs are already fully cooked, you just throw them in at the end of the boil and push them under the surface of the water. This allows them to soak up some seasoning!

Do you have anything to add to the list? Send us a message on the KTDY App.

By the way, there are some things that you should NOT put in your crawfish boil. (SPOILER ALERT: Some of the things on the DON'T PUT THIS IN YOUR CRAWFISH BOIL list are on the TRY THIS IN YOUR CRAWFISH BOIL list!)