How much crawfish for 10 people?
For 10 people, plan on about 35 lb of live crawfish — 1 sack of 35 lb — with 10 ears of corn, 3.3 lb of small potatoes and 2.5 lb of smoked sausage.
How to work it out
- 10 adults × 3.5 lb crawfish = 35 lb
- 35 lb ÷ 35 lb per sack = 1 sack · × 15% tail meat = 5.3 lb
- Corn 10 ears · potatoes 3.3 lb · sausage 2.5 lb
Ten people is a one-sack boil: one pot, one burner, a couple of hours in the backyard. LSU AgCenter’s guidance that one sack serves 10 to 12 fits neatly here.
Adjust for your project
More options: Kids · Corn · Potatoes …
- Sacks of crawfish
- 1 sack · 35 lb sack
- Tail meat that gives (approx.)
- 5.3 lb
- Ears of corn
- 10 ears
- Small potatoes
- 3.3 lb
- Smoked sausage
- 2.5 lb
- Seafood per adult
- 3.5 lb
- Order live crawfish from a supplier who can tell you the sack weight. LSU AgCenter: keep them alive, moist and cold (42 to 45 °F) and cook as soon as possible; before boiling, inspect them and discard dead crawfish, then wash in several changes of cool water. A straight tail after boiling is not a reliable sign the crawfish was dead — LSU found it can happen to live ones in a crowded pot — so sort before cooking, not after.
- Perishable food should not sit out more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F / 32 °C). Keep hot food at 140 °F (60 °C) or above and cold food at 40 °F (4 °C) or below (USDA FSIS).
Seafood and sides by number of guests
| Guests | Seafood to buy | Sacks of crawfish | Ears of corn | Small potatoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 21 lb | 1 sack | 6 ears | 2 lb |
| 10 | 35 lb | 1 sack | 10 ears | 3.3 lb |
| 15 | 53 lb | 2 sacks | 15 ears | 5 lb |
| 20 | 70 lb | 2 sacks | 20 ears | 6.6 lb |
| 30 | 105 lb | 3 sacks | 30 ears | 9.9 lb |
| 50 | 175 lb | 5 sacks | 50 ears | 16.5 lb |
One sack for ten
At 3½ lb of live crawfish each — the middle of LSU AgCenter’s 3-to-4 lb range — ten adults need 35 lb, which is a small sack. If you know your crowd eats crawfish seriously, set the appetite to big eaters and order a 45 lb sack; the leftovers peel into tails for étouffée the next day. The 35 lb gives about 5¼ lb of tail meat at LSU’s 15% yield, or about half a pound each.
| Into the pot for 10 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Live crawfish | 35 lb (one small sack) |
| Corn | 10 ears, halved |
| Small red potatoes | about 3⅓ lb |
| Smoked sausage | about 2½ lb |
| Also | onions, garlic, lemons, seasoning to the package directions |
Running a one-sack boil
- Keep them alive, then sort. LSU AgCenter says to keep crawfish moist and cold (42 to 45 °F), discard any dead ones before boiling, and wash them in several changes of cool water. Rinse them well before they go in.
- Potatoes first, then corn and sausage, crawfish last. Potatoes take longest; crawfish cook quickly and then soak in the seasoned water.
- Pot size: LSU AgCenter uses an 18 to 20 gallon pot with about 10 gallons of water for a 35 to 45 lb sack.
- Shells add up: 35 lb of crawfish leaves about 30 lb of shells. Have bags and a bin ready.
Prefer shrimp? How much shrimp per person for a boil. Ice for drinks on a hot afternoon is in the ice calculator, and napkins — lots of them — in how many napkins for 100 guests.
Different size? Use the full Crawfish & Seafood Boil Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Boil pot with strainer basket (60–80 qt)Premium price
A large aluminum pot with a lift-out basket is what makes a backyard crawfish or seafood boil manageable. Size it to the sack you are cooking.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Outdoor propane burnerMid-range price
A high-pressure outdoor burner brings a big boil pot back up to temperature quickly. Use it outdoors only, on level ground away from the house.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Large coolerPremium price
A big cooler for drinks and ice. A drain plug matters when you are melting 40 lb of ice over an afternoon.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
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Frequently asked questions
How much crawfish for 20 people?
About 70 lb — 2 sacks of 35 lb.
How much crawfish for 10 big eaters?
About 44 lb — 2 sacks of 35 lb, or one 45 lb sack.
How much crawfish for 50 people?
About 175 lb — 5 sacks of 40 lb.
Other common sizes
- How much shrimp per person for a boil — ½ lb of headless, shell-on shrimp per person
Sources
- LSU AgCenter — Enjoying Louisiana Crawfish (Pub. 2353; copy hosted by Texas A&M) (opens in a new tab) — 3–4 lb of live crawfish per person per meal; about 15% tail meat (8–20%); 6–7 lb live per lb of tails; 35–45 lb sacks; one sack serves 10–12; keep live crawfish at 42–45 °F; discard dead crawfish before boiling; a straight tail after boiling does not prove a crawfish was dead; an 18–20 gal pot with about 10 gal of water for a sack.
- NC Sea Grant — Seafood: how much to buy and serve (opens in a new tab) — Per 3½ oz serving: headed shrimp ½ lb; cooked peeled shrimp ¼ lb; live crabs 1–2 lb.
- FoodSafety.gov — Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart (reviewed Dec. 2022; copy hosted by the Virginia Department of Health) (opens in a new tab) — Poultry and stuffing 165 °F (74 °C); pork, beef and raw ham 145 °F (63 °C) with a 3-minute rest; ground meat 160 °F; leftovers 165 °F (74 °C).