Seafood Boil

5 from 1 vote

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.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Course: celebrations, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Meat & Poultry: seafood

Servings:

Calories: 490kcal

Author: Dorothy Stainbrook

Equipment

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

Ingredients

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