Seafood Boil

A seafood boil isn't difficult to make, but you have to be organized to pull it off.

After many a stressful boil, I've got this down to a science. I'm giving you the recipe, the timing chart, the tips and all the tools you'll need to make your seafood boil easy, fun and absolutely delicious.

Seafood Boil Ingredients

1. The Seafood

Common seafood choices for a boil include shrimp, crab, crawfish, clams, mussels and lobster.

For this recipe, I use shrimp, lobster, crab legs and clams, but you can use just one or two types of seafood or as many as you like. The key is knowing how long each one needs to cook so you can add everything to the pot at the right time. That's where my timing chart comes in.

• Shrimp – I recommend using unpeeled shrimp for a seafood boil. Many popular seafood boil recipes call for peeled shrimp — I disagree. Shell-on shrimp are easy to peel after boiling, especially if you use EZ-peel shrimp, and the shells add delicious flavor to the broth while helping protect the shrimp from overcooking.
• Lobster - I use Maine lobsters for our boils - just the tails and claws. If you don't have access to live lobsters, look for frozen lobster tails and claws at the market. Defrost them overnight in the fridge. Cut the tails in half so there's more to go around.
• Crab - I like using king crab legs for our boils because they're long and festive-looking with delicate sweet meat. But they are also very expensive. Other types of crabs such as Snow crabs or Dungeness crabs are also delicious in a seafood boil and they cost less.
• Clams - Clams are delicious in a seafood boil. We use local Quahogs. Be sure to discard any clams that don't open.

2. The Other Ingredients

In addition to the seafood, you'll need corn, potatoes and sausage, plus onions, celery, garlic, lemon and spices to flavor the cooking broth.

• Onions, celery, garlic and lemon – These go into the pot first, along with salt, cayenne and the seafood boil seasoning, to create a flavorful broth.
• Seafood boil seasoning – I use Zatarain's Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil Spice Mix. Old Bay Seasoning is another popular choice for seafood boils.
• Salt and cayenne – Salt brings out the flavors of the seafood, vegetables and sausage. Add cayenne to turn up the heat.
• Corn – Fresh corn on the cob is traditional, delicious and adds beautiful color to the boil.
• Sausage – Kielbasa is my first choice, but Andouille or chorizo are great options too. These sausages are fully cooked when you buy them so they need very little time in the pot.
• Potatoes – I like baby red or yellow potatoes because they cook quickly and soak up the flavorful broth. If you're using larger red or gold potatoes, cut them in half.

How To Make A Seafood Boil

• Prep the broth flavorings: Cut up the garlic, celery, onions and lemons and gather them together with the spice pouches, cayenne and salt. I like to put everything in a large plastic bag so it's ready to dump into the pot all at once.

• Prep the remaining ingredients: Slice the sausage, shuck the corn and cut each ear into thirds, and wash the potatoes. Prep the seafood as needed. Group the ingredients in bowls, pans or bags according to when they'll go into the pot.

• Make the broth: Fill the pot with water and add the onions, garlic, celery, lemons, spice pouches, cayenne and salt. Cover and bring to a rolling boil.

• Once the broth is boiling, everything happens pretty quickly. Here's the timing chart I use so you know exactly what to add and when.

Timing note: Cooking times can vary slightly depending on the size of your ingredients. Large potatoes will take longer than very small ones, for example, so choose similarly sized potatoes or cut larger ones in half. For the most predictable seafood cooking times, defrost frozen seafood in the refrigerator overnight.

Equipment for a Seafood Boil

You don't need any special equipment to make a seafood boil for a small group, but if you're cooking for a crowd, a large pot with a strainer basket makes the job much easier.

• Large pot with a strainer basket – For a smaller seafood boil, a large stockpot or spaghetti pot works well. For bigger gatherings, I love using an outdoor propane-fueled seafood boiling pot with a strainer basket. We use an Creole Feast 80 Quart Seafood Boiling Kit with Strainer, which gets a huge pot of water boiling quickly and makes draining the boil incredibly easy. There's also a smaller 60-quart version.
• Seafood crackers – A few lobster or crab crackers on the table make it much easier for everyone to get into the shells.
• Table covering – Seafood boils are messy, which is part of the fun. Newspaper is traditional, but I like using disposable plastic table covers because cleanup is so easy.
• Lots of napkins – Definitely have plenty on hand!

How to serve a seafood boil

A seafood boil is such a fun, laid-back meal. Traditionally, the whole contents of the pot are poured out onto a newspaper-covered table and everyone gathers around to dig in.

I like to set out paper plates for anyone who wants one, along with seafood crackers, plenty of napkins and dipping sauces. But standing around the table and eating with your hands is encouraged — it's part of the fun!

What to serve with a seafood boil?

A seafood boil is really a complete meal on its own, but a few simple sides are always nice. Crusty bread or cornbread, coleslaw, a simple green salad or Watermelon Salad all work well.

If you try this Seafood Boil Recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

Recipe

Seafood Boil Recipe

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Lisa Goldfinger
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 12-14 Servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This festive Seafood Boil has shrimp, lobster, crab legs, clams, sausage, corn and potatoes, all cooked together in one big pot in a rich, spicy broth. Follow my simple timing method so everything is perfectly cooked and ready to serve at the same time. 

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For The Remoulade Sauce

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• The zest of 2 limes
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon capers, chopped
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

For The Boil

• 4 heads of garlic
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled and halved through the stem
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 lemons, cut into quarters
• 4 3-ounce bags of Zatarain's Crawfish Boil Spice Mix
• 1 ½ cups Morton's kosher salt
• 1-2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 2 ½ pounds baby red-skinned potatoes
• 4 raw lobster tails, halved lengthwise
• 8 raw lobster claws, with knuckles if possible
• 3 pounds small fresh clams, scrubbed (quahogs)
• 2 pounds large or jumbo raw, shell-on shrimp, preferably EZ-peel
• 1 pound king crab legs (or other crab legs), thawed if frozen
• 2 12-ounce kielbasa sausages, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 6 ears of husked corn on the cob, cut into thirds

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Instructions

Make the Remoulade Sauce

1. Whisk all of the remoulade ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. The sauce can be made up to 6 hours ahead.

Prep the Garlic 

1. Slice about ¼ inch off the top of each garlic bulb to expose a bit of the top of each clove.
2. Break the cloves apart and discard any excess papery skin. There's no need to peel them completely.

Prep and Organize the Boil Ingredients 

Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking. Group together the ingredients that will be added to the pot at the same time, placing them in bags or bowls so they're ready to add when the time comes.

1. Put the garlic, onions, celery, lemons, spice mix pouches, salt and cayenne together.
2. Group the lobster and clams together.
3. Group the shrimp, crab legs and sausage together.
4. Keep the potatoes and corn separate.

Make the Broth

1. Fill a very large (24-quart) pot with approximately 10 quarts of water and set it over high heat.
2. Add the spice pouches, cayenne, salt, onions, celery, garlic and lemon wedges to the pot.
3. Cover the pot and bring it to a rolling boil. 

Add The Potatoes

1. Add the potatoes to the pot, cover and cook for 6 minutes. If the pot stops boiling when you add the potatoes, wait until it starts bubbling again to start the timing.

Add the Lobster and Clams

1. Add the lobster and clams, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the Shrimp, Crab Legs and Sausage

1. Add the shrimp, crab legs and sausage, cover and cook for 2 minutes.

Turn Off The Heat And Add The Corn

1. Add the corn, cover the pot and let everything soak in the hot broth for 6 minutes.

Drain And Serve

1. Drain the broth and pour the seafood boil onto a large table covered with newspaper or a disposable tablecloth, or transfer everything to large platters.
2. Discard the spice pouches and any clams that haven't opened.
3. Serve immediately with the remoulade sauce on the side for dipping.

Notes

1. Buying seafood: Fresh or frozen seafood works very well for a seafood boil. Defrost frozen shrimp, lobster and crab in the fridge overnight before cooking.
2. Shrimp: Use raw, shell-on shrimp. I especially like EZ-peel frozen shrimp because they're already deveined and easy to peel at the table. Don't use precooked shrimp for this recipe.
3. Using Frozen Lobster and Crab: If buying frozen lobster or crab, check the package to see whether it's raw or precooked. The cooking times in this recipe are based on raw seafood. If you're using precooked lobster or crab, add it to the pot at the very end, with the corn, so it heats through without overcooking.
4. Sausage: Use a smoked sausage that's already fully cooked. Kielbasa is my first choice, but Andouille or chorizo also work well.
5. Potato Size and Timing: Cooking times can vary slightly depending on the size of the potatoes. This recipe is timed for baby potatoes. Cut larger potatoes in half so they'll cook in the allotted time.
6. You'll find more tips, photos and my Seafood Boil Timing Chart in the post above.
7. Nutrition Information: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator. Our nutrition information should only be used as an approximation.

• Prep Time: 40 min
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: boil
• Cuisine: Cajun