Frequently Asked Questions about

Live Crawfish

When is the “live” crawfish season in Louisiana?
The live Louisiana crawfish season is routinely January through June, give or take a few weeks depending on availability and conditions of the crop.

How many pounds of crawfish do you recommend I serve per person?
Well that depends entirely on how many Cajuns are coming over! Normally we recommend you order 3 pounds of crawfish per person (especially if you plan to serve corn, potatoes and some hot French bread with your boiled crawfish). But if you have a few Cajuns coming over for the boil, you might want to go with at least 5 pounds of crawfish per Cajun. Don’t worry if you have a few too many at the end of the night, everyone knows the best crawfish etouffee is made with left over boiled crawfish tails!

What do you mean by “select” live crawfish?
Select refers to the graded size of the live crawfish. We only offer premium, select, live crawfish which amounts to 12 to 15 crawfish per pound, an impressive size for any crawfish boil whether you are hosting one in Louisiana or not.

Do you include any “extras” in your live crawfish shipments?
Yes we do. In all of our live crawfish shipments we include a special crawfish boil blend, some Louisiana shake-on all purpose seasoning (to be used after the crawfish have been boiled), a few bibs for those beginners and some traditional Mardi Gras beads (because everything in Louisiana goes a little better with beads). Corn, potatoes and a good loaf of hot garlic-buttered French bread is up to you! Oh, and the cold beer is up to you too!

Live crawfish season ends soon. Hurry and order your live crawfish today!

Do you guarantee a live delivery on crawfish?
Yes. We have partnered up with the most experienced and largest family-working crawfish farm in the state of Louisiana to provide a proven live and fresh delivery of crawfish to your door or your money back! This family pioneered the shipping of “live” crawfish. They are the most experienced and largest shippers of crawfish in the world!

What should I do if I have any problems with my delivery?
Due to the highly perishable nature of live crawfish, if you have any problems with shipment, we insist that you contact us within 24 hours of delivery so we can take care of any problems you may have. You can contact us toll-free at 888-837-2801. If a problem should occur during the weekend we will contact you first thing Monday morning.

Do you have any shipping restrictions?
We only ship live crawfish to the contiguous United States. We cannot ship to Alaska, Hawaii, any of the US territories or internationally at this time.

What method of shipping do you use for live crawfish?
Louisiana Living is primarily a UPS shipper, but for live crawfish we use FedEx standard overnight shipping exclusively. All of our crawfish prices include shipping and handling prices. If you place your order before 10 a.m. (Central Standard Time), you will receive your live crawfish by 4:30 pm the very next day.

Should I boil my live crawfish the same day I receive them?
Our recommendation is that you should. However, if you can keep your crawfish alive until the next day they will be fine to boil and consume then as well. Just beware of handling suggestions to keep your crawfish alive until the next day. You must keep them cool. DO NOT soak them in water, live crawfish will drown and die if you soak them in water. Our recommendation is to keep them in the sack they came in and store them in a shaded, cool area with loose ice on them until you are ready to boil them. Make sure that they are stored in such a way so that when the ice melts the water can safely run off, you do not want to leave your live crawfish in standing water while they are in the sack, they will drown.

How do you package the live crawfish for shipment?
The live crawfish are placed and shipped in a custom, leak-proof, reusable, Styrofoam shipping container with frozen gel packs to keep the crawfish alive and cool during transit. This container is a proven and effective way to ship live crawfish to any destination in the contiguous US. Please beware that you may have “some” crawfish that expire during transit but no more than normal if you were here in Louisiana picking up a sack from your favorite trapper or local farmer.

Do you offer any “wild”, “deep water” or “river” crawfish?
Deep water and river crawfish are also referred to as “wild” crawfish. And when local river stages are high enough, beautiful crawfish can be harvested in many natural areas throughout Louisiana. A large portion of Louisiana’s wild crawfish come from the Atchafalaya Basin where hundreds of trappers make their daily living trapping crawfish in this vast waterway. At times our provider will occasionally augment their farm raised crawfish with some wild crawfish, especially if demand warrants it, but for the most part we ship primarily premium, select, farm raised crawfish.

Do you offer a live crawfish price by the pound in the event that I need an amount that is much larger than you offer? Does this price include a volume discount?
Yes. If you are hosting an event that requires more than 120 pounds of live crawfish, you should take the time to contact us directly by calling 888-837-2801 to obtain a quote on your order. The quote we give you will include a savings off of our published prices. We can work with you or your organization to get the size order you need on the day you need it complete with overnight shipping, seafood boil and seasonings. All you will need is the water and the pot!

How large is the Louisiana farm-raised crawfish industry?
The unpredictability of harvesting crawfish in the wild was a big factor in the development of the Louisiana crawfish farming industry. By the mid-1960’s there were about 10,000 acres devoted to crawfish farming here in Louisiana. As of 2008 that number had swelled to about 184,000 acres which yields roughly 112 million pounds of crawfish annually. Farm raised crawfish has proven to be a great product since farmers can control water levels in their ponds and a consistent food source for growing crawfish.

One rule!
I just would like mention that we had only one rule in my house growing up in South Louisiana when it came to crawfish boils. My father would never allow “pickin’ big ones” at the table. You ate what was in front of you. If you ever got caught pickin’ big ones (the large crawfish) during a crawfish boil you can be assured that you were never getting invited back. We want you to really enjoy this unique Louisiana tradition of the crawfish boil but don’t get caught pickin’ - that ain’t cool.

How do you boil crawfish?

1. After receiving live crawfish, wash them thoroughly with running water in a tub or ice chest, removing any that are crushed or expired during transit.
2. Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the crawfish. Add powdered seafood boil to the water (one pound of powdered seafood boil to 15 lbs of crawfish). Bring water to a rolling boil.
3. Place crawfish in water, cover and return to boil. Boil approximately 2 more minutes. Turn off fire and let crawfish soak for 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove the crawfish from the water and place them ice chest or shipping container. Place a 2” layer of crawfish then sprinkle an even layer of Creole seasoning or salt (if desired). Continue layering until all crawfish are in the chest.
5. Place the lid tightly on the chest and let the crawfish steam approximately 15 minutes.
6. Prepare vegetables while crawfish are soaking. The standard favorites are corn-on-the-cob and potatoes. After removing the crawfish, boil the vegetables in the same water. Start the potatoes first and add the others right before the potatoes are fork-tender.
7. Uncover and enjoy!