Seafood lovers are going to love this cajun seafood boil. Fresh shellfish, potatoes, corn, and sausage simmered in a flavorful broth, then topped off with garlic butter sauce.
I love seafood recipes that are delicious and easy to make, some of my favorites include, seafood mac and cheese and seafood enchiladas.
Seafood boils are so much fun to eat and if made right, always packed with flavor. I like to add a lot of seafood but feel free to add less expensive items like sweet corn, andouille sausage, and boiled eggs. You can literally add any vegetable or protein to this dish.
Once you make this, you’ll never buy those store-bought seafood boil seasoning bottles. All you need is water, butter, spices, and a few other ingredients to make this.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Crab Legs – feel free to use king crab legs, snow crab legs, or Dungeness claw.
- Lobster – I used lobster tails but whole lobsters work too.
- Shrimp (prawns) – I highly recommend using raw fresh jumbo shrimp. I left the peels and tails on, but feel free to use peeled and deveined shrimp.
- Sausage – Beef, turkey, or pork sausage works.
- Potatoes – baby red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes.
- Corn – fresh or frozen
- Unsalted Butter
- Garlic – freshly minced
- Onions
- Old Bay Seasoning – if you don’t have old bay seasoning on hand feel free to use Cajun seasoning instead.
How To Make Cajun Seafood Boil
Begin by adding the butter and onions to a large stockpot and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, old bay seasoning, spices, lemons, bay leaves, and 12 cups of water. Once the water comes up to a boil you’ll want to start cooking the seafood separately.
How Long To Boil Seafood
- Potatoes: I cooked the baby red potatoes for 14 minutes but cook them until tender and then remove them from the stockpot.
- Lobster: 5-8 minutes.
- Crab and Corn: 5 minutes.
- Sausage: 2 minutes.
- Shrimp: 1 minute.
Once you’re done cooking the seafood in batches, get started on the lemon garlic butter sauce. Add the butter to a skillet and cook over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the fresh minced garlic, old bay seasoning, paprika, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Check for seasoning and pour the sauce over the seafood or place it in a small bowl. Dip the seafood into the sauce and enjoy!
Top Tips and Recipe Variations
- Because shrimp cook super quickly and potatoes take a long time to cook, you cannot simply dump all of the ingredients in the stockpot. Unless 2 items cook for the same period of time, it must be cooked separately.
- Add some clams, mussels, crawfish, or a meaty fish like swordfish.
- Make sure to adjust seasoning to your liking. If you like it spicy, add some cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. If you like it saltier, add more salt.
- Have your seafood thawed and ready to go before the seafood broth starts boiling.
- Place all of the cooked seafood, potatoes, and corn in an oven bag with all of the lemon butter garlic sauce and shake the bag. That will help the sauce coat the seafood well.
Can I Use Frozen Seafood?
Yes, just make sure you thaw it completely before cooking. Try to find fresh wild-caught shrimp, frozen works too but fresh will always taste better.
Can You Eat A Seafood Boil The Next Day?
Yes, make sure to place the leftovers in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
What Can I Serve With This?
I love to serve this with creamy coleslaw, hush puppies, bread, and roasted potato salad.
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Cajun Seafood Boil
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup old bay seasoning
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves smashed
- 2 lemons quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp oregano
- 12 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
Garlic Butter Sauce
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp old bay seasoning
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Add 8 tbsp butter and onions to a large stockpot and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, old bay seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, paprika, lemons, bay leaves, and 12 cups of water. Once the water comes up to a boil you'll want to start cooking the seafood separately.
- Add the potatoes and cook them for 14 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove them once cooked, and set aside.
- Add the lobster and cook for 5-8 minutes, add the crab and corn and cook for 5 minutes. Cook the sausage for 2 minutes and the shrimp for 1 minute.
- Once you're done cooking the seafood in batches, get started on the lemon garlic butter sauce. Add the butter to a skillet and cook over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the fresh minced garlic, old bay seasoning, paprika, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Check for seasoning and pour the sauce over the seafood or place it in a small bowl. Dip the seafood into the sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Because shrimp cook super quickly and potatoes take a long time to cook, you cannot simply dump all of the ingredients in the stockpot. Unless 2 items cook for the same period of time, it must be cooked separately.
- Add some clams, mussels, crawfish, or a meaty fish like swordfish.
- Make sure to adjust seasoning to your liking. If you like it spicy, add some cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. If you like it saltier, add more salt.
- Have your seafood thawed and ready to go before the seafood broth starts boiling.
- Place all of the cooked seafood, potatoes, and corn in an oven bag with all of the lemon butter garlic sauce and shake the bag. That will help the sauce coat the seafood well.
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