How Much Crawfish per Person? Cook for a Crowd!
Crawfish is an excellent choice to serve your guests. As a member of the seafood and fish category, it is highly nutritious and beneficial. However, depending on the number of people you are serving, you might find it challenging to decide what the correct quantity you should buy is. So, how much crawfish per person, and how much for a crowd?
The standard crawfish amount per person is three pounds. After your crawfish is done, you will have ½ lbs. of tail meat. A pound of crawfish contains between 20 and 30 regular-size pieces. There can be as many as 40 pieces if they are smaller, and if they are large, a pound would contain 10 to 15 pieces.
As a big fan of seafood and everything fishy, I love having and serving crawfish. In my opinion, crawfish is the way to go for an elegant, understated, yet very impressive get-together. Still, getting the right amount can be more than a bit tricky. In the following paragraphs, I will explain how much crawfish to buy per person and for a crowd how to season and serve it.
What Is the Average Amount of Crawfish a Person Eats?
The standard amount of crawfish per person revolves around ½ lbs. However, this amount isn’t set in stone and is highly dependent on the people in question.
Since crawfish is a type of seafood, you will either love it or hate it. There’s no medium ground there. Therefore, this ½ lbs. amount may go up or go down.
However, crawfish per person doesn’t vary more than a couple of ounces below or under the average.
How Much Crawfish Boil per Person to Buy?
I already mentioned that the amount of crawfish you buy is very different than the one you serve. Since the tail meat is the only edible part of the crawfish, you will need 3 lbs of crawfish per person.
These three pounds of crawfish give you only ½ of tail meat per person. Still, it is worth mentioning that some people eat other parts of the crawfish. For example, some eat the head or the body.
Still, the tail meat is the designated part to eat, and therefore the calculations will go according to this.
How Many Pounds of Crawfish Will Feed a Crowd?
This is a very delicate question. As I already mentioned, not everybody is a fan of crawfish. But, on the other hand, crawfish also has some very big fans.
Given that the standard amount of crawfish per person is three pounds raw, i.e., ½ tail meat, it is easy to calculate how much you’ll need for up to ten people. In this case, you simply multiply the raw quantity by people. However, the problem arises when you plan to serve more than ten guests.
The more guests you have, the more variety in tastes you will also have. The chances are that not all of your guests will have their designated portion, but on the other hand, some may have more than that.
Therefore, it is better to buy fewer crawfish than more in these situations. Keep in mind that boiled crawfish are highly perishable, so you can’t keep the leftovers very long. In the freezer, crawfish can last anywhere from two weeks to a month, and in the fridge, no more than two days.
On the other hand, if you run out too soon, that won’t be a pleasant situation either for you or your guest. So, with this in mind, when you plan to serve a crowd, you must know your guests and be as precise as possible.
| The number of guests | 2 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 50 | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawfish (raw) | 6 pounds | 15 pounds | 18 pounds | 21 pounds | 24 pounds | 27 pounds | 30 pounds | 40 pounds | 50 pounds | 65 pounds | 120 pounds | 250 pounds |
| Crawfish (cooked) | 1 pound | 2.5 pounds | 3 pounds | 3.5 pounds | 4 pounds | 4.5 pounds | 5 pounds | 7.5 pounds | 9 pounds | 12 pounds | 20 pounds | 42 pounds |
The table above is, of course, only a reference. Depending on your guests, feel free to adjust the described quantities as you see fit. A piece of advice, though, no matter how you adjust the table, if you are serving more than ten people, it is always safer to serve less than the precise amount.
What to Serve With Crawfish?
Crawfish goes excellent with boiled vegetables. Traditionally, you serve crawfish with boiled potatoes and corn, whereby the broth is seasoned with lemon and bay leaves.
However, corn and potatoes aren’t the only options, as crawfish offers many other pairing combinations. If you are a fan of spicier and more memorable flavors, you can also add smoked sausage to your crawfish boil.
Another option for your crawfish is to combine it with cauliflower, artichokes, garlic cloves, asparagus, peppers, and mushrooms. All these flavors will combine perfectly and will rub off of each other. As a result, your crawfish will absorb the taste and aroma of the veggies, and the veggies will get a whiff of that discreet yet recognizable seafood flavor.
Halved oranges, lemons, mushrooms, peas, and smoked sausages are great companions to crawfish.
I would recommend you add garlic and lemon to any combination you choose. The pungent smell and taste of the garlic and the sweet, sour, and zesty flavor of the lemon will make your crawfish unforgettable.
How Much Do Crawfish Weigh?
Usually, crawfish weigh from 3.3 lbs to 5.5 lbs (1.5- 2.5 kg). Still, there are several types of crawfish, and these numbers can vary, as there are smaller and larger varieties.
Red crawfish can weigh from 4.4 lbs to 6.6 lbs (2-3 kg.), and Packhorse crawfish can reach up to 33 lbs (15 kg).
How Much Is a Sack of Crawfish?
Depending on the brand, a bag of crawfish usually weighs between 28 and 35 lbs. Typically, a sack of crawfish is intended for about twelve people, depending on what you will be serving your crawfish with.
There are also bigger crawfish bags, intended for over 12 people, which vary from 34 to 36 pounds, but bags as large as 42 pounds.
How Much Crawfish Seasoning to Use?
The standard amount of crawfish seasoning is one pound of seasoning per 15 pounds of crawfish. However, this measurement isn’t always applicable, as it is highly dependent on the types of seasoning.
As tasty as you think your crawfish is, it is nothing without proper seasoning. Since crawfish itself isn’t strong-tasting, though it has that recognizable fishy taste, seasoning is crucial to make it complete.
Typically, crawfish seasoning includes more than five spices, of which at least three are pretty strong. The seasoning often has lemon juice, paprika, and dried garlic combined with other spices. This means that the final seasoning containing these spices will be strong.
Therefore, you must consider the seasoning ingredients and the crawfish sides before deciding on the seasoning quantity. Another huge factor is your and your guests’ taste.
The usual sides that go with crawfish are also more neutral. Therefore you need to be generous with the seasoning and feel free to add more of the more potent spices if that’s your taste.
What Is the Best Seasoning for Crawfish Boil?
Considering that there is more than one way to pair a crawfish, you should select the seasoning accordingly. However, since crawfish is mainly paired with veggies and the occasionally smoked sausage, the seasoning doesn’t vary much. Still, you can add more and go easy on something else based on your taste and preferences.
The seasoning for crawfish usually includes paprika, ginger, lemon juice or citric acid, salt, cooking (preferably olive) oil, and bay leaves. Of course, you can tailor this by adding black pepper, dried onions, coriander, or parsley.
You can make the seasoning by yourself, of course, but you can also buy a ready-to-use seasoning as well. Amazon’s current best seller is Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning. Another Amazon crawfish seasoning mix is Premium Crab and Shrimp Boil Seasoning.
You can also try Zatarian Crab and Shrimp Boil Dry. If you are in the mood for something hot, then Louisiana Fish Fry Cajun Fire Boil is for you. Be careful, though; it’s as hot as it sounds.
The thing you need to be most careful about is the timing. After you boil your crawfish, you need to let them sit for about fifteen minutes and then season them. Seasoning your crawfish right after boiling will result in underseasoned crawfish, as they won’t absorb the spices properly.
How to Make Crawfish Seasoning?
Making crawfish seasoning is very simple. But, I must stress that it is imperative to know precisely what you and your guests like. As crawfish seasoning is quite strong, as it should be, overdoing some ingredients can significantly diminish the seasoning’s effect.
You can use dry or fresh garlic and dry or fresh parsley. The other seasoning ingredients are dry anyway. A word to the wise, watch out for the salt and don’t add too much.
Adding too much salt would make the crawfish too salty and accentuate the other flavors. As a result, your crawfish will be too sour, too spicy, and possibly mildly hot too.
My crawfish seasoning mix includes fresh garlic and parsley, grated ginger, black pepper, salt, olive oil, and lemon juice. The ginger isn’t for anyone, so if you don’t like the taste, I suggest replacing it with paprika or bay leaves.
Put the spices you plan to use in a bowl and mix until they become homogenous. Pop the crawfish boil on a skillet with olive oil and evenly pour the seasoning mix.
Another one of my favorites is white wine. Although it isn’t a seasoning ingredient per se, but more of a cooking technique, I must mention it here. White wine will give the perfect zing to your crawfish boil and help the other seasoning ingredients mash up perfectly.
Nevertheless, white wine is not for everyone, just like ginger, so it isn’t essential. Your crawfish boil will do nicely without it.
How Much Does Crawfish per Pound Cost?
The price of crawfish depends on the season. The crawfish season is from February until the end of May. This is when crawfish is the best and most available. Therefore the price per pound of raw crawfish during this time is between $ 2.99 and $ 3.50.
If the autumn and winter months are unseasonably warm, crawfish are likely from November to May. The price would remain the same. However, the price of the crawfish is slightly higher during the months it is harder to find, which are usually from June to February.
Also, the price of raw crawfish, although variable, is slightly lower than the price of precooked or boiled crawfish, which can range anywhere from $5 to $6 per pound.
