How to Calculate the Right Amount of Crawfish for Your Guests

When planning a meal that includes crawfish, it's crucial to understand how much you need to bring home from the market. The general rule of thumb is to allocate about 3 to 5 pounds of live crawfish per person for a full meal, depending on appetite and the presence of other dishes. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how much crawfish you need to feed a group of 7 people.

Calculating the Minimum and Maximum Amounts

For 7 people, you would need:

Minimum: 3 pounds x 7 people 21 pounds Maximum: 5 pounds x 7 people 35 pounds

Planning to purchase between 21 to 35 pounds of crawfish will ensure you have enough to feed everyone adequately. If crawfish is the primary dish, it is advisable to lean towards the higher end of this range, especially for those with larger appetites.

Preparing and Serving Crawfish

Crawfish are not very filling, whether eaten whole or by tail. When boiling whole crawfish in the Cajun style, it is recommended to have approximately 2.5 pounds per person minimally, as everyone will need to peel and eat them. If you are preparing unthawed, frozen, shucked tails, you will need around 1 pound per person, though you can stretch your budget by serving additional side dishes like boiled small red potatoes, half or third-cut cobs of corn, and about one small link of smoked sausage per person. In this case, you would need less whole crawfish per person.

Impact of Appetites, Other Dishes, and Budget

The amount needed for crawfish will vary based on the appetites of your guests, what other dishes you are serving, and your budget:

A Pound or Slightly More: A good dinner for one person with reasonable side dishes. This might run around $18–22 per pound at a market. Half a Pound: A half-pound of crawfish can be paired with more filling options like spaghetti or a small steak for a surfturf dinner. This still provides enough crawfish meat, roughly 3/4 pound of crawfish meat per person.

For a group of 7 people, some adults and some kids, with no clear indication of age or appetite, it’s advised to purchase at least 1 to 1.5 pounds of raw crab legs per person, which yields about 1/2 pound of crab meat per pound of raw legs. Therefore, you would need to purchase from 7 pounds to 12 pounds of raw crab legs, which gives an average of 1/2 to 3/4 pounds of crab meat per person. For those with larger appetites, you might want to increase this to 2 pounds of raw legs per person, or have additional side dishes available.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure your guests have a delightful and satisfying crawfish meal, no matter the occasion!