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This Cajun Seafood Boil Recipe is flavor-packed, butter-dripping, and downright delicious! It’s filled with snow crab legs, jumbo shrimp, lobster tails, smoky andouille sausage, corn, and potatoes, all cooked in a seasoned broth so good, you’ll want to drink it by itself. Lay everything out on newspaper, drench it in my famous garlic butter sauce, and go to town!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Absolutely incredible. I swear, I’m never going out for a seafood boil ever again. This is so so delicious, so perfectly seasoned, amazing flavor. I’ve made it a handful of times and am making it again this weekend. Thank you!” – B. McCarthy
There’s nothing like eating your way through a big, saucy stack of seafood, especially in the summer around a table full of people. Crab legs are cracking, somebody’s reaching for another piece of corn, and everybody’s dipping, dunking, and drizzling on that garlic butter seafood boil sauce.
With more than 150 five-star reviews, this seafood boil recipe is a tried-and-true reader favorite and one of the most-loved recipes on my site. Grab the napkins, bring your appetite, and let’s get into it. 🍽️
Seafood Boil Recipe Overview
- 🥒 Prep Time: 15 mins
- 🍳Cook Time: 40 mins
- 🕛Ready In: 55 mins
- 👥Serves: 8
- 🔥 Cook Method: Boil the potatoes, corn, and sausage in a seasoned broth, add the seafood, then toss everything in homemade garlic butter seafood boil sauce.
- 🥣Flavor Profile: Cajun-spiced, buttery, and garlicky!
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy!
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
(See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities)
For the Seasoned Broth
- Beer: This may come as a surprise but beer actually enhances the flavor of the broth. Use your favorite kind. Avoiding beer? Use low sodium chicken stock or broth for a nonalcoholic option.
- Bay leaves: they add subtle herby and peppery flavors.
- Seafood boil seasoning: I used a combination of Old Bay, Cajun Seasoning, Sazon, Red Pepper Flakes, and Seasoned Salt.
- Lemons add a little brightness and a pinch of citrus, perfect for pairing with seafood.
- Garlic and Onions build a deeply flavorful broth. Don’t feel like chopping all that garlic? Toss it in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Seafood Boil Ingredients
- Red potatoes are great because they’re small and hold their shape while cooking. You can also use Yukon potatoes, baby potatoes, or small new potatoes. Just keep an eye on them, smaller potatoes cook faster and you don’t want mushy potatoes in your boil.
- Andouille sausage is a slightly spicy sausage. If you prefer something milder, use kielbasa.
- Sweet Corn – Fresh or frozen corn both work here! Cut the corn into thirds for roughly 2-inch pieces – they’ll cook faster and fit perfectly in your hand.
- Jumbo shrimp: Use the biggest shrimp you can find for this seafood boil recipe. Now is not the time to skimp! Also, you can use peeled or shell-on shrimp, depending on your preference.
- Snow Crab clusters are already cooked, so you’re really just warming them up. King crab legs or even Dungeness crab legs work too, just make sure that they’re pre-cooked.
- Lobster tails: I prefer cold-water lobster tails like Maine or North Atlantic lobster because the meat is sweeter than warm-water varieties. I use these for my baked lobster tails too, so so good.
- Raw Mussels are optional, but I love them. I recommend using fresh/raw mussels rather than pre-cooked for the best texture and flavor. Scrub and debeard them before adding, and discard any that don’t open after cooking. Use leftovers to make my mussels in white wine sauce or squid ink pasta with seafood.
- Bonus bite: some people add eggs to their seafood boils. They soak up all that spicy, seasoned broth nicely, but are not a requirement. If you want hard boiled eggs, cook them in a separate pot, peel, and add to the finished boil before pouring on the garlic sauce.
Garlic Butter Sauce
- Unsalted Butter is best to prevent the sauce from becoming too salty.
- Garlic cloves are the flavor powerhouse of this sauce.
- Cajun seasoning and Old Bay are added for savory flavor and a hint of spice. I like using homemade cajun seasoning recipe, but use what you have!
- Brown Sugar: The hint of sweetness will balance out the other flavors.
- Reserved broth: If you want a thicker sauce, use less of this. If you want a thinner sauce, use a bit more.
Seafood Cooking Times
Seafood cooks quickly, and overcooking is one of the easiest ways to ruin a seafood boil. Since each type of seafood cooks at a different rate, use this chart as a guide and pay attention to the doneness cues, not just the clock.
| Item | Size/State | Time | Doneness cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Crab Legs/ Clusters | Pre-cooked | 4–5 min | Hot throughout; shell turns bright orange |
| Lobster tails | 4–6 oz (Raw) | 4–5 min | Center opaque white, shell turns red |
| 6–8 oz (Raw) | 5–6 min | As above | |
| Mussels | Small–medium (Raw) | 3–4 min | Shells opened |
| Shrimp | 21–25 ct/lb (Jumbo), Raw | 2-3 min | Pink/opaque, curls into a C |
| 16–20 ct/lb (Extra Jumbo), Raw | 3-4 mins | As above |
*If using frozen seafood: thaw fully in cool water prior to using and drain off any excess water.
Pro tip: The seafood used in this recipe cooks at different times. Add the longest-cooking items in the boil first! The order is crab legs – lobster tails – mussels (if using) – then shrimp!
How To Make A Seafood Boil
These step-by-step photos are here to guide you through the process. If you’re ready to get started, scroll down or tap “Jump to Recipe” for the full printable version with measurements and instructions.
Before we begin: You’ll need a 30-quart stockpot. If you don’t have a large pot, cook in two rounds using two 12–16 qt pots OR make my seafood boil in a bag instead.
Make the Broth
Prep: add beer and water to a large stockpot. Over high heat, bring broth to a rolling boil, then add bay leaves, seasonings, sliced lemons, garlic, and onions. Tip: A large pot can take a while to reach a rolling boil, so use your stove’s strongest burner if you have one.
Add Potatoes, Sausage, and Seafood
Step 1: Add the sausages, corn, and potatoes to the boiling broth.
Step 2: Add the seafood according to cooking time, starting with the crab legs and lobster tails, followed by the mussels, then adding the shrimp last. Reserve 2 cups of broth before draining. Pro Tip: Before adding the crab legs, use a crab leg cracker or the back of a heavy knife to crack the shells slightly. This allows the broth get into shells to season the crab meat. I do this in my crab legs with garlic butter sauce recipe, and it makes a huge difference!
Prepare the Garlic Butter Sauce
Step 3: Now make the seafood boil sauce. Melt butter over medium-low heat, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Then add seasonings and brown sugar.
Step 4: Add reserved broth and simmer until slightly thickened. Add a little bit of lemon juice and hot sauce if you like a little heat! Pour over the seafood and reserve the rest for dipping. (It’s SO good)
Britney’s Expert Tips
- The key to a great seafood boil is adding everything in stages. Potatoes, corn, and sausages need a head start, while delicate seafood, especially shrimp, goes in toward the end so nothing overcooks.
- Crack the crab shells before boiling. I lightly crack the crab-leg shells before they go into the pot. It gives the seasoned broth a chance to work its way closer to the meat instead of only seasoning the outside of the shell.
- Season the broth aggressively. Most of that seasoning stays in the cooking liquid, so a timid broth can produce bland seafood.
- Don’t judge seafood by time alone. Use the doneness cues in your cooking-time chart, particularly with shrimp and lobster.
- Serve immediately. Seafood tastes best fresh out of the pot, so this isn’t a dish you want sitting around. Serving a little later? Transfer the cooked seafood boil to a covered aluminum foil pan and add enough hot broth to lightly cover the bottom. Keep the pan in a warm oven (about 200°F) so the seafood stays warm until serving. The broth and steam help keep everything warm and juicy.
What goes with Cajun Seafood Boil?
A seafood boil is already a feast, but a few sides make it even better.
It’s a must to serve seafood with my homemade cheddar bay biscuits or hush puppies. Add in some red beans and rice for a hearty meal. A crusty bread or homemade Hawaiian rolls are excellent for sopping up that delicious sauce.
For a more Southern-style spread, add some cajun coleslaw, soul food potato salad, and buttermilk fried chicken for some land and sea action.
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1-2 days. When you are ready to reheat, simply add some water or broth (or leftover garlic butter sauce) to a pot with the leftover seafood.
Cook it over low heat until it is evenly warmed, about 8-12 minutes. Do not bring to a boil, it’ll overcook the seafood.
The garlic butter sauce can be stored separately and frozen for up to 2 months. Simply scoop and microwave when you want to use it.
Seafood Boil Recipe FAQs
For a seafood boil served as the main meal, plan on roughly 1–1½ pounds of total seafood per adult when you’re also serving sausage, potatoes and corn. If you’re serving several sides, you can stay closer to 1 pound per person.
Yes. I recommend thawing frozen seafood completely before adding it to the boil so it cooks evenly without watering down or significantly cooling the broth. Drain off any excess water before adding to the pot.
Common mistakes in a seafood boil include overcooking the seafood and under-seasoning the water. Avoid this by using a timer while cooking and seasoning up that broth heavily. Another common culprit is adding all ingredients at once. Potatoes, corn, sausage, and seafood cook at different speeds so add them in the correct order. Lastly, overcrowding the pot can cause uneven cooking and watered-down flavor.
Start by boiling the broth, then add potatoes, sausage and corn, and finish with the seafood – lobster and crab first, then mussels (if using), then shrimp last since it cooks quickly. See the cooking times in the recipe card!
More Seafood Recipes
Main Course
Crawfish Boil Recipe
Main Course
Low Country Boil Recipe
Main Course
Cajun Seafood Gumbo
Main Course
Old Bay Shrimp Boil
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
Cajun Seafood Boil Recipe
Equipment
- Newspaper or Aluminum Serving Pans (you can also use 2 sheet pans for serving)
Ingredients
- 2- 12 oz Beer, (I used Blue Moon for its orange notes, but use your favorite beer)
- 8 qts Water, (pot should be about 2/3 the way full, add more water if needed)
- 2 tbsp Chicken Bouillon Paste, (optional)
- 5 Bay leaves
- 3/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/4 cup Cajun Seasoning
- 2 packets Sazon, (optional, highly recommended)
- 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes, (less or more as desired)
- 1 tbsp Seasoned Salt
- 2 Lemons, (sliced)
- 10 Garlic cloves, (peeled and smashed)
- 2 Large onions, (peeled and sliced)
- 3 lbs Red potatoes, (halved)
- 6 ears Corn, (peeled and cut into thirds)
- 1 lb Andouille sausage
- 2 lbs Snow crab clusters/legs
- 1 lb Lobster tails
- 1 lb Raw Mussels, (do not use pre-cooked)
- 2 lbs Jumbo shrimp
Seafood Boil Sauce
- 2 cups Unsalted Butter, (I recommend using unsalted butter to prevent the sauce from being too salty)
- 8 Garlic cloves, (minced)
- 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning
- 2 tbsp Old bay seasoning
- 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes, (optional)
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- Salt, (to taste)
- 1 cup Reserved broth, (from above)
- 1/4 cup Fresh parsley, (diced, more for garnish)
- 1/2 cup Hot sauce, (for serving)
Instructions
Seafood Boil
- Add beer, water, and chicken bouillon paste to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil and then add bay leaves, Old Bay seasoning, Cajun Seasoning, Sazon, Red Pepper Flakes, Seasoned salt, sliced lemons, smashed garlic, sliced onions. Stir together and boil for 5 minutes to allow flavors to come together. 2- 12 oz Beer 8 qts Water 2 tbsp Chicken Bouillon Paste 5 Bay leaves 3/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning 1/4 cup Cajun Seasoning 2 packets Sazon 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes 1 tbsp Seasoned Salt 2 Lemons 10 Garlic cloves 2 Large onions
- Add halved red potatoes and corn to the pot and allow them to cook until the potatoes are tender but not mushy (about 15 minutes). Then add sausages and allow them to cook for another 5 minutes. 3 lbs Red potatoes 6 ears Corn 1 lb Andouille sausage
- Prep the crab legs – optional but highly recommended. Slightly crack the crab legs with kitchen shears or crab leg crackers. This helps the flavorful broth seep into the shells and add flavor to the meat. It also makes it easier (and less messy) for you to crack them open.
- Add crab legs and cook for 3 minutes. Then add lobster tails, and mussels. Cover the pot with a lid and allow everything to boil together for 5 minutes, then add shrimp and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes. (The mussels will pop open once they are finished and the shrimp will be pink) Stir together, save 2 cups of the broth, then drain. 2 lbs Snow crab clusters/legs 1 lb Lobster tails 1 lb Raw Mussels 2 lbs Jumbo shrimp
- Use a strainer or spider to remove seafood from the broth and place seafood onto newspaper or a large serving tray.
Garlic Butter Seafood Sauce
- Make the sauce. Melt butter over medium low heat in a large sauce pan, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Then add cajun seasoning, old bay seasoning, red pepper flakes, onion powder, brown sugar, and salt. Add 1 cup of the reserved broth and simmer on low for 3-5 minutes, until sauce thickens. Add fresh parsley and remove from the heat. 2 cups Unsalted Butter 8 Garlic cloves 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning 2 tbsp Old bay seasoning 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes 1 tbsp onion powder 1/2 tbsp brown sugar Salt 1 cup Reserved broth 1/4 cup Fresh parsley
- Pour about 3/4 of the sauce over the seafood and toss everything together so that the sauce coats everything. Use leftover sauce as a dip for the seafood. Serve with hot sauce (optional) 1/2 cup Hot sauce
Video
Notes
- The key to a great seafood boil is adding everything in stages. Potatoes, corn, and sausages need a head start, while delicate seafood, especially shrimp goes in toward the end so nothing overcooks.
- Crack the crab shells before boiling. I lightly crack the crab-leg shells before they go into the pot. It gives the seasoned broth a chance to work its way closer to the meat instead of only seasoning the outside of the shell.
- Season the broth aggressively. Most of that seasoning stays in the cooking liquid, so a timid broth can produce bland seafood.
- Don’t judge seafood by time alone. Use the doneness cues in your cooking-time chart, particularly with shrimp and lobster.
- Serve immediately. Seafood tastes best fresh out of the pot, so this isn’t a dish you want sitting around. Serving a little later? Transfer the cooked seafood boil to a covered aluminum foil pan and add enough hot broth to lightly cover the bottom. Keep the pan in a warm oven (about 200°F) so the seafood stays at 140°F or warmer until serving. The broth and steam help keep everything warm and juicy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am so happy that I could this recipe! We made this last night and it was delicious! The steps were easy to follow and that sauce was so so good!
This recipe looks amazing and I’m getting ready to try it for New Year’s Eve…question I saw a recipe for a Surf and Turf boil and it got me to thinking about adding steak. I didn’t like their recipe as much as yours…do you think it would work with your recipe?
Hi Stacey! I’ve never boiled steak before so I can’t say whether or not it would be successful. I do not recommend it as boiling steak in water as it may turn out tough and dry, however, you can cook the steak separately and enjoy it with the boil instead. I hope that you enjoy this recipe and have a wonderful New Year!
Thank you for this recipe! It sounds amazing! This is my first time doing a seafood boil and I’ll be using your recipe.? I only have one question do I crack the lobster tails and separate them from their inner skeletal shell before putting them into the boil OR do I just toss them in just the way they are? Thank you again for this amazing recipe!
Hi Darci! Thanks so much for stopping by! You do not have to crack the lobster tails prior to cooking. Cook the lobsters with the shells on and then crack it open when you’re ready to eat them. I hope that you love this recipe!
I randomly found your recipe and trusted you even though I was questioning the recipe in my mind the whole time. Listen…!!! I am so happy I did. This was the best seafood boil everrrr. Today is the day before Christmas Eve 2022 and I’m on the way to grocery store to grab a few ingredients in -3° weather because this is Christmas Dinner. We are a seafood family and I’m saving this recipe for life. Thank you, Lady. Merry Christmas:)
Aww this has made my day!! I’m so happy that you trusted the recipe and that you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much for letting me know and have a wonderful holiday!!
Tonight I gave it a go…… made this delicious Cajun Seafood Boil and I am so incredibly impressed. Recipe is so easy to follow and just the right amount of spices. My family loved it and can’t wait to make again to share with friends during our next gathering. Thank you Britney.
Thanks so much Stephanie!
Exceptional recipe Britney, I can’t say enough good things about that sauce girl! This recipe was A1!
This seafood boil was insanely delicious! I made this for thanksgiving and everyone raved about it!!
Loved this seafood boil! I was surprised at how easy it was and how delicious it tasted. The sauce on top was incredible. 10/10
Thank you!
Wow! Blown away at how great this turned out! My guests were amazed too! Thank you so much!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, thank you for your feedback!
This was literally the best seafood boil I have ever tasted!!!! The directions were easy to follow, and once I got started everything just literally came out perfectly!!!!
Thank you!