What I'm Cooking This Weekend . . .

Labor Day Weekend it the best time to kick back, relax and enjoy a great meal with friends and family. When I lived in Virginia, we would spend the weekend making the trek to Washington D. C.'s fisherman wharf to buy blue crabs, for our annual Labor Day Crab Boil. The first year we bought an entire bushel of crabs, not realizing how many that truly was! After HOURS and HOURS of cracking and eating, we finally had to throw in the towel. The following year we bought a half bushel and were able to do it justice! I suggest cooking them outside over a propane tank-and setting up your dining table near by.

Here is the recipe I use-feel free to play around with it and find the spice combination that suits you. The main trick to this dish is to come hungry and be prepared to work for your dinner!

Happy Labor Day!

Chef Jenn

Blue Crab Boil w/ Potatoes, Sausage & Corn

Recipe by Jennifer Hill Booker

Yields about 8 servings

Ingredients:

3-4 dozen fresh blue crabs

1 4.5 pound container Zatarain’s Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil

1, 8 ounce bottle Zatarain’s Concentrated Shrimp and Crab Boil

1, 16 ounce bottle of your favorite hot sauce

3 pounds small red potatoes

3 pounds yellow onions, quartered

6 lemons, quartered

8 fresh ears corn, cut in half

2 pounds smoked Andouille sausage, cut in 2-inch pieces

1, 5 pound bag of ice

80-quart boiling pot with basket

Directions:

Fill boiling pot half way with water. Add the basket, crab boil and hot sauce.

Place lid on the pot and set propane burner on high. Bring water to a rolling boil. Continue boiling for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and add the potatoes, onions, lemon and sausage. Replace the lid and bring water back to a rolling boil.

Remove the lid and add the corn and blue crabs. Replace the lid and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid, shut off the flame and add ice to the pot to stop the crabs from cooking.

Let the crabs soak in their cooking liquid for about 10 minutes, to help them absorb the seasoning.

Pull the basket out of the liquid, let drain, and serve with a liberal sprinkling of Moulin Rouge Sassy Salt, fresh lemon, melted butter and cocktail sauce.