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Post by Clotilde on Jul 6, 2017 21:30:13 GMT -5
I just want to know if anyone has ever done a boil? I'm thinking about getting some equipment to do one and wanted some advice.
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Post by Lynne on Jul 7, 2017 8:25:20 GMT -5
I bet Munda has!
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Post by mundacormeum on Jul 7, 2017 9:49:07 GMT -5
Good call, Lynne! I've been to many, many boils....crabs, crawfish, and shrimp; not clams. Oysters we do raw or charbroiled. Crabs are my favorite, especially the claws. I've never been the cook, though. And, being Cajun, we like them flavorful and spicy.....but, not too spicy. If it's so spicy it ruins the flavor, it's too much. I think one of the keys is not over cooking. Otherwise, the meat will be mushy. Basically, you bring the seasoned water to a good rolling boil, dump the seafood in, let it boil for a short while (minutes, I believe), then turn it off and let it soak. The "extras" are important, too.....we like to boil sausage, corn, lemons, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms, too Artichokes are a new craze, but I've yet to try them. You have to have a good dipping sauce, too. I'm a purist, and like my boiled seafood plain, but most like a dip. It's mayo, mustard, and ketchup, all mixed well, plus various seasonings and hot sauce. I'm not sure that's really what you were looking for with regard to advice, but that's what I have to offer
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Post by Clotilde on Jul 7, 2017 12:33:07 GMT -5
Good call, Lynne! I've been to many, many boils....crabs, crawfish, and shrimp; not clams. Oysters we do raw or charbroiled. Crabs are my favorite, especially the claws. I've never been the cook, though. And, being Cajun, we like them flavorful and spicy.....but, not too spicy. If it's so spicy it ruins the flavor, it's too much. I think one of the keys is not over cooking. Otherwise, the meat will be mushy. Basically, you bring the seasoned water to a good rolling boil, dump the seafood in, let it boil for a short while (minutes, I believe), then turn it off and let it soak. The "extras" are important, too.....we like to boil sausage, corn, lemons, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms, too Artichokes are a new craze, but I've yet to try them. You have to have a good dipping sauce, too. I'm a purist, and like my boiled seafood plain, but most like a dip. It's mayo, mustard, and ketchup, all mixed well, plus various seasonings and hot sauce. I'm not sure that's really what you were looking for with regard to advice, but that's what I have to offer p I want to purchase a setup but not sure if I should buy a 30 quart pot set, or buy a burner and a bigger pot separately. I did see someone say they kept it warm in a cooler when they worked in batches.
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Post by mundacormeum on Jul 7, 2017 13:39:39 GMT -5
Yes, we use ice chests for keeping the food warm. Although, I find crabs are better the next day, cold (personal preference).
Size wise for the pot, it depends how often you want to boil and how much you'll be cooking. We (husband and his parents/brother....we have the burner, they have pot) always use an outdoor burner and pot with a basket. It's huge, but I don't know how many quarts it holds....it's too big for the stove for sure. Unless you are cooking for just a few people, outside is best.
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Post by Clotilde on Jul 7, 2017 15:20:27 GMT -5
Yes, we use ice chests for keeping the food warm. Although, I find crabs are better the next day, cold (personal preference). Size wise for the pot, it depends how often you want to boil and how much you'll be cooking. We (husband and his parents/brother....we have the burner, they have pot) always use an outdoor burner and pot with a basket. It's huge, but I don't know how many quarts it holds....it's too big for the stove for sure. Unless you are cooking for just a few people, outside is best. How many people do you generally feed? I'm trying to determine if I want a 30qt or a bigger one.
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Post by mundacormeum on Jul 7, 2017 16:02:01 GMT -5
When we do a boil, there's ususally atleast 10-12 adults, plus kids. Most of my kids like seafood, but they don't eat as much as the adults....maybe half of what we eat. My three year old can almost eat his weight in shrimp, though 😂 We also don't usually do ALL of the different seafoods. We might do just crawfish; or, shrimp and crabs. This is a good estimate as to how much per person:
For crawfish, roughly 3 lbs. per person; shrimp: 1-1 1/2 lbs; crabs: 6-12 crabs per person, depending on size; oysters about a dozen per person (I would assume the same for clams).
It's a really fun meal to do, but it's a lot of work - both cooking and eating; messy, too. Its easier and more enjoyable as a joint effort with a group of people. We tend to err on the side of plenty, because leftovers are a treat to take home and cook other meals with - either later in the week, or to freeze for another time.
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Post by mariac on Jul 7, 2017 16:48:35 GMT -5
Now I'm hungry
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Post by Clotilde on Jul 7, 2017 20:59:08 GMT -5
When we do a boil, there's ususally atleast 10-12 adults, plus kids. Most of my kids like seafood, but they don't eat as much as the adults....maybe half of what we eat. My three year old can almost eat his weight in shrimp, though 😂 We also don't usually do ALL of the different seafoods. We might do just crawfish; or, shrimp and crabs. This is a good estimate as to how much per person: For crawfish, roughly 3 lbs. per person; shrimp: 1-1 1/2 lbs; crabs: 6-12 crabs per person, depending on size; oysters about a dozen per person (I would assume the same for clams). It's a really fun meal to do, but it's a lot of work - both cooking and eating; messy, too. Its easier and more enjoyable as a joint effort with a group of people. We tend to err on the side of plenty, because leftovers are a treat to take home and cook other meals with - either later in the week, or to freeze for another time. This is very helpful. Someone else just told me a 30 quart feeds 12, so now I know what I must do!
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