Description
A flavorful Cajun Seafood Boil featuring snow crab, jumbo shrimp, andouille sausage, baby potatoes, and corn on the cob, all cooked in a spicy, seasoned broth and tossed in a rich homemade garlic butter sauce. Perfect for a communal and festive seafood feast.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cajun Seafood Boil:
- 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
- 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 to 1 ½ lbs jumbo shrimp, deveined, shell-on or peeled
- 4 to 6 ears sweet corn on the cob (mini ones preferred)
- 4 to 6 hard boiled eggs (optional)
For the 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 the liquid to a boil. Season the boil with Creole Cajun seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, and hot sauce to taste. Add sliced onion and lemon wedges, stir well to combine, and let it boil for 15 minutes to infuse flavors.
- Add the andouille & potatoes: Carefully add andouille sausage rounds and baby potatoes into the pot. Stir well to fully combine with the boiling liquid. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are just fork-tender.
- Add the seafood & corn: Gently nestle snow crab clusters, shrimp, and corn on the cob into the pot, making sure everything is fully submerged. Carefully stir to combine. Continue boiling for 5-7 minutes until shrimp turns pink. Meanwhile, prepare the garlic butter sauce.
- Make the garlic butter sauce: On a separate burner, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Combine butter, garlic, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning, parsley, Creole Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and hot sauce to taste. Stir and simmer until butter melts and sauce is well combined, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Assemble Cajun Seafood Boil with sauce: Line a large baking sheet with foil, parchment paper, or newspaper. Use a spider strainer to remove seafood boil contents from the pot, placing them on the baking sheet along with hard boiled eggs (if using). Discard onion and lemon pieces. For thinner sauce, add some seafood boil broth to the garlic butter sauce. Pour sauce over the seafood boil and use hands (with gloves if preferred) to toss and coat everything thoroughly.
- Serve seafood boil: Serve the Cajun seafood boil immediately. Guests can grab directly from the baking sheet for a fun, casual experience or portion out individually onto plates. Serve with extra lemon wedges and enjoy sopping up the delicious garlic butter sauce.
Notes
- Use shell-on shrimp if you want extra flavor from the shells during boiling, or peeled shrimp for easier eating.
- The beer in the boil is optional but adds depth of flavor.
- Customize heat level by adjusting the amount of hot sauce and Cajun seasoning.
- Hard boiled eggs add a nice contrast but are optional.
- For a thinner garlic butter sauce, add some cooking broth to adjust consistency.
- Using pre-cooked crab legs reduces cooking time and ensures the crab stays tender.
- The recipe is perfect for feeding about 6 people.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 950mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 190mg
