Crawfish boils are more than a meal; they are social events

I love a crawfish boil, because it is more of a social event than just a recipe.

Friends gathered around a newspaper-covered picnic table, spicy crawfish, corn, boiled potatoes, sausage and lots of cold beer.

Here a few suggestions to make your crawfish boil stand out.

Do not use a commercial crawfish boil. The idea of quick-cooking seafood in a seasoned stock is French, and is called court bouillon (coo-be-on).

The broth can be nothing more than water, wine and fresh herbs, but feel free to add lemons, hot peppers or any seasoning you like — lemongrass, cinnamon sticks, black pepper corns — but use them sparingly.

Here’s one last suggestion. Make a dipping sauce out of mayonnaise and hot sauce. Consider using Valentina Hot Sauce, or even Tiger Sauce. Add a little lemon if you like, and it will be even better.