Seafood Boil for a Summer Party

I have been wanting to have a seafood boil party forever, but living in the Midwest made me a little shy about pulling it off. No longer!! We rounded up the freshest seafood we could find, and added the Midwest specialties of andouille sausage and fresh sweet corn and it resulted in big smiles and dripping butter chins for all.

For your perfectly cooked seafood boil, just know that the order of when to add ingredients is everything. Timing is the critical thing for a successful seafood boil….nail that and the rest is easy!

Jump to: RECIPE | Simple Steps | Seafood Cooking Times | Side Dishes | Tips for a Great Fish Boil | Substitutions

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Steps for an Easy Seafood Boil

Although the list of ingredients can be long, the actual cooking of a seafood boil is simple. Here are the basic steps (details are in the recipe below):

1. Sauté the aromatics like garlic and onions, along with the andouille sausage in a large stock pot (~20 quarts)
2. Add the liquid (water, beer, clam juice) and your preferred seasoning
3. Boil potatoes and corn until almost tender (al dente)
4. Start adding seafood according to the order and timing listed below
5. Make a garlic butter sauce while seafood is cooking
6. Drain, pour onto a newspaper lined table or pan and pour butter sauce over the top.

How Long to Boil the Individual Seafood Ingredients

The seafood ingredients in this recipe cook at different rates, so you’ll want to put the longest cooking items in the boil first, then add the others later on.

• Crab: 6-8 minutes for pre-cooked crab, 20 minutes for raw crab
• Lobster: 6-10 minutes; when the shells turn bright red and the flesh is white and opaque
• Clams and/or mussels: 5-10 minutes, or when the shells pop open
• Shrimp: 2-3 minutes

So the order that they go into the pot is crab legs (if raw)- lobster tails – clams and mussels – shrimp

Sides Dishes for the Boil

The seafood boil comes with built in sides of corn and potatoes. Some people may want to add some rustic bread for sopping up the juices. And beer, of course, is a classic.

I made this blueberry cornmeal cake (below) for dessert, as it was blueberry season and something with cornmeal seemed like it would be a great pairing. It was!!

Tips for a Great Seafood Boil

• If you don’t have a 20-30 quart stockpot, divide the recipe between two pots so the ingredients can cook through
• Don’t overcook. If the shrimp turns pink and the rest of the seafood is not done, remove them from the pot so they won’t be tough
• You can use peeled or shell-on shrimp, depending on your preference. (the bigger the shrimp the better for this seafood boil recipe)
• Plan ahead. A seafood boil tastes best fresh out of the pot
• If you can’t get fresh seafood, you can use frozen but you may need to boil it longer
• Discard any clams that didn’t open up

Ingredients & Substitutions:

For the Broth

There are many delicious ways to adapt a seafood broth. Here are some of my favorite seasonings and substitutions:

• The liquid: water is a standard but beer can enhance the flavor of the broth. Some people will also use prepared clam broth
• Herbs: bay leaves pair wonderfully with seafood, as does oregano or thyme
• Seasoning: Old Bay is a classic and paprika is a good addition. I like to add a little heat with some chile peppers
• Vegetables: Garlic and onions are the go-to veggies for the broth
• Lemons: you can add some lemon juice to the broth while cooking or wait until the end and squeeze lemon juice in for a brighter flavor.

For the Seafood & Vegetables

• Potatoes: If you don’t have access to red potatoes, Yukon potatoes, baby potatoes, or small new potatoes work too.
• Andouille sausage: Other sausages that are not so spicy will work also. Pick your favorite.
• Sweet Corn: Make sure it is fresh, as it is one of the must-have ingredients and it sweetens up the whole seafood boil.
• Jumbo shrimp: You can use peeled or shell-on shrimp, depending on your preference, but use large shrimp.
• Crab clusters: King crab is best of course, but snow crab or dungeness crab legs will work
• Lobster tails: difficult to find fresh in the Mid-West, but I got some at Costco that were quite good.
• Mussels and/or clams: Just make sure and discard any that don’t open.

Seafood Boil

An easy recipe for entertaining (and impressing) a crowd in the summer. At home or at the beach, a seafood boil is simple to customize. All it takes is a large stockpot and your favorite seafood and spices.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 6

Calories 490

Author Dorothy Stainbrook

Equipment

• Large stockpot with drain bucket if possible
• crab crackers or picks
• Knife

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion coarsely chopped
• 1 Pound andouille sausage sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 8 cloves garlic smashed or chopped
• 4 quarts water
• 2 lemons cut into wedges
• 1-2 bay leaves
• ½ cup seasoning I used a mix of cajun and Old Bay; divided
• 3-4 ears corn cut into 3"-4" pieces
• 1 Pound baby red potatoes cut in half
• 6 crab legs about 2 pounds, thawed if frozen
• 3 lobster tails thawed if frozen
• 1 Pound clams
• 1 Pound jumbo shrimp unpeeled, leave tails on
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter
• 1 bunch fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

 

FOR THE BROTH

• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and sausage and sauté until the onions are softened (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

  Add 4 quarts water, wedges from one of the lemons, bay leaves, Old Bay (or cajun) seasoning. Increase the heat and bring to a low boil.
  3 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 yellow onion, 1 Pound andouille sausage, 8 cloves garlic, 4 quarts water, 2 lemons, 1-2 bay leaves, 1/2 cup seasoning

FOR LAYERING IN THE VEGETABLES

• Add the corn and the potatoes to the pot. Cover and cook until the water returns to a boil. Uncover and simmer, adjusting the heat as needed, until the potatoes are tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes.
  1 Pound baby red potatoes, 3-4 ears corn

FOR THE SEAFOOD:

• Now start adding the seafood to the pot (broth should be still on simmer).

  First add the crab if it is raw (15 minutes for raw crab)

  Then the lobster and crab if it is pre-cooked (6-8 minutes; lobster shells will turn bright red and flesh will be white and opaque).

  Then the clams (and/or mussels): 5 minutes, or when the shells pop open

  Shrimp: 2-3 minutes

  So the order that they go into the pot is crab legs (if raw)- lobster tails – clams – shrimp.

  Reserve 2 cups of the broth. Then drain the seafood and vegetables. Roll out newspaper or a large serving tray and finally, place the seafood on top.
  6 crab legs, 3 lobster tails, 1 Pound clams, 1 Pound jumbo shrimp

FOR THE BUTTER SAUCE

• In a small saucepan, add 4 tablespoons salted butter and and the parsley to the reserved cooking liquid. When the butter is melted, stir to combine to make the sauce. Pour half of the sauce over the seafood and vegetables.

  Squeeze the remaining lemon wedges over everything.

   Use any leftover sauce as a dip for the seafood.
  4 Tablespoons salted butter, 1 bunch fresh parsley

Nutrition

Calories: 490kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 30gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 184mgSodium: 1170mgPotassium: 974mgFiber: 10gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 778IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 401mgIron: 9mg

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