Crawfish is finally in season, and you're ready to treat your friends and family to a crawfish boil. Now it's time to answer the hard question; how many pounds of crawfish should you order? For lighter eaters—or if you are throwing in other filling features like potato, sausage, shrimp, gator, or other low country boil items—then the minimum amount you want is 3 to 5 pounds per person. If crawfish is the centerpiece, order 5 to 7 pounds per guest.

• First, determine the total number of guests. RSVP's are helpful.
• Multiply the total number of guests by the pounds per person.
• Pounds per person is 3 to 10 pounds depending on:
• Amount of extra featured ingredients
• Eaters' appetite (Experience level)
• Add a couple extra pounds for every 3 to 4 guests.

Truly experienced Creole crawfish eaters can put away 5 to 7 pounds and easily come back for seconds. If it's a weekend or all-day event, you may want to prepare for 10 pounds a person.

Now that you know how many pounds you're buying, here's what to look for when picking up your order. For killer crawfish boils, make sure you buy your crawdads fresh and alive for the best results. The closer to the day and time of the boil, the better.

You can order crawfish online from crawfish farmers or get them locally. If you choose overnight delivery or pick up from a local vendor, make sure your delectable mudbugs are:

• Clean, not caked in mud
• Delivered next day air or picked up locally
• Consistent in size for even cooking

Never keep your crawfish more than three days and never cook dead crawfish. (If they float when you clean them, they're dead.)

Aside from the tables, chairs, and setup for your Louisiana crawfish feast or Lowcountry boil, you will need some basics to cook your order of live crawfish.

• A large boil pot (also called a shrimp boil pot)
• Insulated gloves
• Wood-handled strainer or spoon
• Propane crawfish cooker

For cooking crawfish, you will also need some basic ingredients:

• Onions
• Garlic
• Crawfish or crab boil seasoning or your own spice blend
• Corn on the cob (raw or frozen)
• Small potatoes, such as new or fingerling

Other recommended ingredients:

• Lemon or citrus
• Bell peppers, hot peppers, or black or cayenne pepper
• Hot sauce
• Bay leaves
• Celery
• Shrimp, clams, oysters, crab, or other seafood stew features
• Cajun, Andouille, or spicy sausage (pre-cooked and cut into chunks)