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4.98 from 177 votes

Cajun Seafood Boil Recipe

By Britney
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Servings: 8
cajun seafood boil recipe on a large serving tray next to a bowl of seafood boil sauce, bread, and sliced lemons
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This Cajun Seafood Boil with Garlic Butter Sauce is a flavorful feast of shrimp, crab, lobster tails, mussels, clams, sausage, and potatoes. Prepared in under an hour, this easy seafood boil recipe is the perfect meal for entertaining guests.

Equipment

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Ingredients 

  • 2 12 oz Beer, (use your favorite beer)
  • 8 qts Water, (pot should be about 2/3 the way full, add more water if needed)
  • 5 Bay leaves
  • 1 cup Old Bay Seasoning
  • 2 tbsps Smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp Cayenne pepper, (less or more as desired)
  • 1 tbsp Black pepper
  • 2 tbsp Dried thyme
  • 2 Lemons, (sliced)
  • 10 Garlic cloves, (peeled and smashed)
  • 2 Large onions, (peeled and sliced)
  • 2 tbsps Salt
  • 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 Mussels, , optional
  • 1 lb Clams, , optional
  • 2 lbs Jumbo shrimp

Seafood Boil Sauce

  • 2 cups Butter, , 4 sticks
  • 8 Garlic cloves, , diced finely
  • 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 (I used 1 tsp)
  • 2 cups Reserved broth, , from above
  • Fresh parsley, , garnish
  • 1/2 cup Hot sauce, , for serving

Instructions 

Seafood Boil

  • Add beer, and water to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil and then add bay leaves, Old Bay seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, thyme, salt, lemons, garlic, onions, and kosher salt. Stir together and boil for 5 minutes to allow flavors to come together. 2 12 oz Beer 8 qts Water 5 Bay leaves 1 cup Old Bay Seasoning 2 tbsps Smoked paprika 2 tbsp Cayenne pepper 1 tbsp Black pepper 2 tbsp Dried thyme 2 Lemons 10 Garlic cloves 2 Large onions 2 tbsps Salt
  • 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
  • Add crab legs and cook for 3 minutes. Then add lobster tails, mussels, and clams. 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 and clams 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 Mussels 1 lb Clams 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. (For a thinner sauce, add 2 cups) Add freshly diced parsley and remove from the heat. 2 cups 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 2 cups Reserved broth 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

Tips for making a Seafood Boil
  • If using frozen seafood, you may need to boil it longer than 10 minutes. 
  • You will need a large stock pot for this recipe! At least 20-30 Qt stockpot. If you don't have a large stock pot, divide the recipe between two pots as needed.
  • Be sure not to overcook your shrimp. You'll know when the shrimp is finished when it turns pink and curls a bit. If it appears your shrimp is cooking faster than everything else, take them out of the pot.
  • Customize this recipe to your liking! If you have a seafood that you'd like to add, throw it in the pot for the seafood boil. Just be mindful of cooking times so that you don't overcook any of the ingredients.
  • Try to use as many fresh ingredients as possible! Fresh ingredients are key to a delicious seafood boil.
  • I would not recommend making this dish ahead of time, it tastes best from out of the pot.

Nutrition

Calories: 765kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 53g, Saturated Fat: 28g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 334mg, Sodium: 3780mg, Potassium: 1057mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 3991IU, Vitamin C: 39mg, Calcium: 241mg, Iron: 7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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