Crawfish Bath

For those of you who are going to be boiling live crawfish for Memorial Day please, please, please, purge them first.  Back in Louisiana purging crawfish was a common thing.  Since I have been in Texas I realize that many people just boil the crawfish without giving them a good bath.  When giving them a bath I submerge live crawfish in salt and water for 45 min in a cooler.  Then I drain, rinse and cook.  Purging aids in removing mud and debris from the exterior of the crawfish.  Crawfish are sometimes in muddy water and getting rid of any dirt will allow for a better tasting crawfish.  Another thing worth noting is that any cooked crawfish with a straight tail was dead prior to cooking and should not be consumed. My theory is that you don't know how long the crawfish was dead before it was cooked.  I am definitely a country boy, but I believe in quality food and good sound preparation practices.  Keep it clean and spice it up with a little Mo' Spice.