Description
A flavorful Cajun Seafood Boil featuring a mix of andouille sausage, baby potatoes, snow crab, shrimp, and corn, all simmered in a spicy seasoned broth and finished with a rich garlic butter sauce. Perfect for a festive and messy seafood feast that brings friends and family together.
Ingredients
Scale
Boil Ingredients
- 3 quarts water
- 1 (12-ounce) can of beer (optional but highly recommended)
- 3 tablespoons Creole Cajun Seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
- Hot sauce, to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly sliced into half-moons
- 1 large lemon, cut into wedges plus more for serving
Main Ingredients
- 12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
- 1 lb baby potatoes (red or gold or a mix)
- 1 lb pre-cooked snow crab leg clusters (fresh or frozen)
- 1 – 1 ½ lbs jumbo shrimp, deveined, shell-on or peeled
- 4–6 ears sweet corn on the cob (mini size preferred)
- 4–6 hard boiled eggs (optional)
Garlic Butter Sauce
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 10 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon Creole Cajun Seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Hot sauce, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the boil: In an extra large stockpot or Dutch oven (about 10 quarts or larger) over medium-high heat, combine water and beer if using. Bring to a boil, then add Creole Cajun seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, and hot sauce to taste. Stir in sliced onion and lemon wedges. Boil the mixture for 15 minutes to infuse flavors.
- Add the andouille and potatoes: Carefully add sausage rounds and baby potatoes into the boiling pot. Stir well to combine. Let them cook for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are nearly fork-tender.
- Add the seafood and corn: Nestle snow crab clusters, shrimp, and corn on the cob into the pot, ensuring everything is submerged. Stir gently to combine. Continue boiling for 5-7 minutes until shrimp turn pink and seafood is cooked through. While boiling, prepare the garlic butter sauce.
- Make the garlic butter sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with minced garlic, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning, chopped parsley, Creole Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and hot sauce to taste. Stir frequently and let simmer for 5-7 minutes until well combined. Remove from heat.
- Assemble the seafood boil with sauce: Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Using a spider strainer, remove the boil’s contents from the pot and place onto the sheet with hard boiled eggs if using. Discard onion and lemon bits from the pot. Pour garlic butter sauce over the seafood boil and toss thoroughly to coat every piece.
- Serve the seafood boil: Serve immediately, allowing guests to dig in directly from the baking sheet for a fun and messy experience or plate individually if preferred. Offer additional lemon wedges and encourage sopping up all the garlic butter sauce. Enjoy the robust flavors and textures!
Notes
- Using beer in the boil adds extra depth of flavor but can be omitted if preferred.
- Pre-cooked crab legs speed up cooking time and ensure tenderness.
- Shell-on shrimp provide more flavor but peeled shrimp make eating easier.
- Adjust hot sauce quantities throughout the recipe to suit your preferred spice level.
- If you want a thinner garlic butter sauce, stir in some seafood boil broth to achieve desired consistency.
- Hard boiled eggs are optional but add a nice complementary texture and flavor.
- For best results, use a very large pot to ensure ingredients are fully submerged for even cooking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Cajun
Keywords: Cajun seafood boil, seafood boil, garlic butter sauce, shrimp boil, snow crab boil, andouille sausage, Cajun recipe, seafood party, boil recipe, summer seafood
