Are you hosting a feast, and your guests love eating crawfish but don’t know how many crawfish you should order?
Don’t worry, in this guide, I’ll help you calculate the quantity of crawfish for your guests correctly. Thus, you’ll neither overspend by overestimating the crawfish required quantity nor feel waxed if guests are left asking for more!
So, keep reading for a few minutes.
How Much Meat Is There in a Crawfish (Crawdad)?
The amount of meat in a crawfish varies depending on the crawfish’s size. But on average, you can expect to get about 15% of meat from a whole-cooked crawfish. This means that a 1-pound crawfish will yield about 0.15 pounds or 68 grams of meat, including tail and claws.
The meat in a crawfish is mostly concentrated in the tail, but there is also some meat in the head and claws.
The head meat is also edible, but it’s not as tender as the tail meat. The claws contain some meat, but it’s not as much as the tail or head.
So, How Many Pounds of Crawfish Per Person Do You Need?
On average, you need ½ to 1 pound of crawfish meat per person, keeping their appetite in view. And, keeping the average 0.15% got meat quantity from a crawfish and 68 grams of meat from 1 lb crawfish in view, you need to:
- Get 1 pound of crawfish meat which comes from 7-pound crawfish, to serve heavy eaters or serving as a main course.
- Get about ½ pound of crawfish meat, which comes from 3.5-pound crawfish, to serve the guests with average appetite or when serving crawfish as a side course.
How Many Pounds of Crawfish for Up to 100 Persons?
You can multiply previously done per-person crawfish calculations with the number of guests you’re inviting.
For example, when getting crawfish for 20 guests, you’ll need the following:
- 20 X 7 pounds = 140 pounds of crawfish for 20 heavy eaters or when served as a main course.
- 3.5 X 20 = 70 pounds of crawfish for 20 persons with average appetite or when served as a side course.
Same way, further expanding the calculations, for 100 guests, you need:
- 100 X 7 pounds = 700 pounds of crawfish for 20 heavy eaters or as a main course.
- 100 X 3.5 = 350 pounds of crawfish for 20 persons with average appetite or when served as a side course.
What Factors to Consider While Determining the Needed Quantity of Crawfish?
There are a few factors that can influence the quantity of crawfish needed per person:
The appetite of your guests
Some people are bigger eaters than others, so it’s important to consider how much your guests typically eat when planning your crawfish boil. If you have some big eaters in your group, please overestimate the amount of crawfish you need.
The other foods you’re serving
If you’re serving crawfish as the main course, you’ll need more crawfish per person than if you’re serving them as an appetizer or side dish. Likewise, if you’re also serving other hearty meats, you may get away with serving fewer crawfish per person.
The number of sides you’re serving
If you’re serving a lot of sides with your crawfish, you may get away with serving fewer crawfish per person. This is because the sides will help to fill people up.
As a general rule, you can plan on serving 3-4 pounds of live crawfish per person. However, it’s always better to overestimate than underestimate, so if you’re not sure, it’s best to err on the side of caution.
The crawfish recipe
Yes, the recipe you choose can affect the quantity of crawfish you need. For example, if you’re making a simple boiled or grilled crawfish, you’ll need more crawfish. Yet, for making a crawfish recipe with a lot of additional ingredients or gravy, you’ll need about 25-50% less crawfish per person.
So, when buying crawfish for your guests, you can determine the correct quantity by wasting your money or leaving your guest’s cravings for crawfish unsatisfied.
FAQs
How many crawfish are there in a pound?
The number of crawfish in a pound depends on the size of the crawfish. Smaller crawfish will make more crawfish per pound than larger crawfish.
Here is a table that shows the approximate number of crawfish in a pound, depending on the size of the crawfish:
| Crawfish Size | Number of Crawfish per Pound |
| Small (2-3 inches) | 26-50 |
| Medium (3-4 inches) | 21-25 |
| Large (4-5 inches) | 18-20 |
| Jumbo (5-6 inches) | 10-15 |
Of course, this is just a rough estimate. The actual number of crawfish in a pound will vary depending on the crawfish’s size.
And the number of crawfish per pound has less to do with your serving. Instead, you need to determine the required crawfish quantity in pounds.
What is the average serving size of crawfish?
The average serving size of crawfish is about 3 ounces of peeled crawfish tails. This is equivalent to about 70 calories and 14 grams of protein. However, the actual serving size can vary depending on the size of the crawfish and the appetite of the individual.
Yet, as the main course, you will need about 7 pounds of raw crawfish per person. This will allow for about 1 pound of tail meat per person.
And, when served as an appetizer or side dish, you will need about 3 pounds of uncooked crawfish per person.
What size of crawfish Should You get?
The size of crawfish you get will depend on your preference and the availability in your area. There are four main sizes of crawfish:
- The largest crawfish have the most tail meat. They’re typically 18-20 count, which means there are 18-20 crawfish per pound.
- Medium crawfish are a good size, and they have a good amount of tail meat. They’re typically 21-25 counts.
- Small crawfish are smaller but still a good size for eating. They’re typically 26-50 counts.
- Straight Run crawfish are not graded by size; they can range in size from small to large.
If you’re looking for the most tail meat, select large-size crawfish. However, they can be more expensive.
When on a budget, you can get medium. Straight-run crawfish are a good option if you want a variety of sizes.
But, I won’t advise you to choose small-size crawfish. They’ll get less value for money.
