Food and Recipes Seasonings Spices Dao Family Crawfish Boil Be the first to rate & review! Houston-born writer Dan Q. Dao travels home almost every spring for his family's annual crawfish boil. But this isn't your ordinary boil—it's a Vietnamese-Cajun crawfish boil. He describes it as: "dozens of parents, uncles, aunties, cousins, and friends clearing 70 pounds of crawfish—and a couple coolers of beer—in the afternoon sun." The Dao family, like many Vietnamese-American families, combines Vietnamese and Cajun ingredients and cooking techniques to make intensely flavored food that celebrates the best of both cultures. In this case, live crawfish are boiled in a spice blend (the family prefers Zatarain's Extra Spicy Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil), then cooled down and thrown into an ice chest or container filled with a chunky sauce, usually made with lots of butter, diced garlic cloves, orange wedges, and peppers. The result is crawfish that are full of flavor through and through. The oranges add bright citrusy notes that are completely unexpected yet natural pairing with garlic, cayenne pepper and other spices. Dao says it's not clear whom to credit for the "invention" of Vietnamese-Cajun crawfish, or official recipe should be. "Viet-Cajun crawfish is a moving target," he says. "But there's no denying the fact that Houston's many crawfish restaurants—now a crowded field of contenders—have evolved the dish into its next iteration, building off that original seasoning technique with tasty innovations in both ingredients and forms." By Dan Q. Dao Dan Q. Dao Dan is an award-winning Vietnamese-American culture writer between Houston and NYC whose work appears in Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, Southern Living, and other magazines. He previously held editor roles at Saveur and Time Out New York. In 2018, Dan was named Young Drinks Writer of the Year by The Spirits Business. And in 2019, he was on the IWSC and WSET's Future 50 list—compiling rising stars in the beverage industry. Dan is also the founder of District One, a digital agency for cultural brands, and creative director at Madame Vo, an acclaimed Vietnamese hospitality group. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on March 14, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Cedric Angeles Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 45 mins Yield: 8 pounds Ingredients 1 1/2 cups kosher salt 2 (3-oz.) pkg. crawfish boil seasoning (such as Zatarain's Extra Spicy Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil in Bag) 8 pounds live crawfish Dao Family Crawfish Sauce Directions Fill a very large stockpot about one-third full of water. Stir in salt and crawfish boil seasoning. Bring mixture to a boil over high. Add crawfish; cover and cook until crawfish are done (they will turn red and float to the surface), 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer cooked crawfish to a cooler using tongs. Pour Dao Family Crawfish Sauce into cooler. Mix well using tongs, and let stand 5 minutes. Serve. Rate it Print