Are you sure that it's 'mud'? I've been told by some native Louisianians(?) that they use a small kiddie pool to put them in for a couple days to let them cleanse their systems out. I think they change the water is couple times or keep a slow running hose in the pool to flush the 'mud' water out. You don't want them too crowded either.

Hopefully Ravencajun or maybe Marilyn_c will come along and give you some better answers.

Would you be able to find, among friends and folks in agencies where you participate, if you advertise your desire, to find two, three, four (or half a dozen) others who might be interested in using a few pounds of 'em from the 15 lb. bag that you can't use all of, now?

ole joyful

It takes at least a couple pounds per person for a meal if you include the requisite corn on the cob , andouille sausage, and boiled potatoes to go along with it.

Two of my favorite boil places near me are Jubilee Joe's and Cajun Seafood

First time to have a boil was at a KT get together, here, at Lana's home. Great KT crowd, and sad to say most no longer here. One place near me serves it in a box top.

Until just now, I thought crawfish and shrimp were the same thing.

Some people make etouffee with shrimp, but it lacks the color and taste of that made with crawfish.

It depends on what you use for seasoning. I actually prefer shrimp etouffee. Boiled crawfish are nice a few times a year, but give me boiled shrimp any day!

I add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of Bayou Seafood Blend to my etouffee.

https://www.redstickspice.com/collections/seafood-blends/products/bayou-seafood-blend

I've seen that recipe but never tried it.

Daisy chain, where do you live? :-)

Here

Oh well, I guess unless I move to Lousiana ??....... Shrimp is easy to find here, crawfish is not. I like both, but I do sometimes crave the stronger taste of crawfish. Yes, the one time I bought some live, they were caked in mud.

We call them crayfish. I do don't know anyone the eats them here. They are used for fish bait. Kids like to collect them from creeks, play with them and then put them back.

How timely! We went out to dinner and I had boiled crawfish. My favorite food. The crawfish are washed multiple times after they were caught to clean them up. Some suppliers purge them also with a little salt in the bath water. It makes them clean out their digestive tract but usually there will still be a bit of the black line. It sounds like you are considering getting a sack and want to try to keep them. Only way to keep them for a few days is put them in cold storage. In a refrigerator or on ice. Buried in ice. Your best bet is to either split the sack with someone or boil them all in batches. Peel them and store the tail meat. Frozen the meat will last well for several months as long as they don't get freezer burn. I would imagine any dish you want to make with crawfish would use the cooked tails.

I will be making etouffee next week and I have a bag of frozen cooked tails in the freezer. That's how they are sold. There's no dish I know of that would use a raw crawfish. You can freeze the tails in the shells but it will not be as good. Plus you will need to peel them to use.

If you are forced to buy a 15 lb sack I would recommend pouring them into a large ice chest and fill it with water, drain and wash a few times. Last time add some salt to the water and let them soak for 30 minutes or more. Take out enough to cook according to your pot size and boil them in batches. You need to add a lot of salt and seasoning for it to penetrate the shell and get into the meat. If you need to hold part for a day or two they need to be iced. You can peel each batch and freeze them. If you need instructions for boiling let me know. I personally don't do the heads I only eat tails. I don't like the taste of the yellow fat. I hope this helps.

Thanks Raven. I know how to cook them, I jusr don't want to cook 15 pounds, lol. I buy frozen for ettoffee and a dip I like. I really just want enough fresh for me. My husband doesn't really like them and I don't want to peel and freeze.

Lone Jack, yes it is mud. I ordered a bag a few years ago and cleaned like Raven described above. I like 3 pounds with corn, potatoes, and sausage.

Here, I have to order by Tuesday for pickup Friday and hope that the weather works out to cook outside. Oh well, I guess I was hoping for a magic system to keep alive for quite a long time!