Spicy Crawfish Recipe

but make it hotpot. a recipe i can’t stop thinking about.

I don't know what it is about crawfish, but every time I eat it I'm reminded that some of the best meals have absolutely nothing to do with the food.

The first crawfish boil that really stuck with me happened during COVID. Our neighbors decided they weren't going to let a birthday pass without celebrating, so they hauled tables into the garage, pointed a few giant fans our way because... Texas, and dumped mountains of crawfish onto the table.

There wasn't anything fancy about it. We peeled crawfish for hours, drank an embarrassing amount of sparkling water, talked about life, and somehow forgot, even if just for a little while, how strange the world felt.

I don't remember exactly how many pounds of crawfish we went through, but I do remember leaving that garage thinking, I want to do this more often.

Fast forward to last year, and I'm sitting at a hot pot restaurant when a plate of mala crawfish lands on the table.

Wait...

Why have I never thought about serving crawfish with hot pot?

It made so much sense.

You've already got everyone gathered around one table, cooking together, reaching across for food, talking for hours. Adding crawfish into the mix somehow made the whole meal feel even more communal.

Ever since then, it's become one of those things I can't stop thinking about.

This year crawfish season has been a little hit or miss, so honestly, I'll take my wins wherever I can get them. The second I spotted cooked crawfish at H Mart, I grabbed a bag without even thinking twice because I already knew where they were headed. Home with me.

Mala Butter Crawfish

Ingredients

• 2 pounds cooked crawfish

• 2 tablespoon beef tallow

• 2 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns

• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

• 4-5 dried red chilies (more if you can handle the heat)

• 1 whole star anise

• 1 black cardamom pod

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

• ½ cup broth

• 1 teaspoon MSG

• Salt, to taste

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

1. Heat the beef tallow over medium heat.

2. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns, black peppercorns, dried chilies, star anise, and black cardamom until fragrant and blend it together using a spice grinder.

3. Add the broth and let everything simmer for 2–3 minutes.

4. Stir in seasoning blend.

5. Toss in the cooked crawfish until every piece is coated and warmed through.

6. Finish with sesame oil and serve immediately.

How I Serve It

I put the crawfish right in the middle of the hot pot table with bowls of steamed sticky rice and let everyone help themselves.

Some people eat it between bites of hot pot.

Some pile it over rice.

Some steal extra sauce with a spoon.

There are no rules.

Just make sure you have plenty of napkins... and maybe an extra bowl of rice. You'll need it.