Seafood Boil

The best Seafood Boil recipe that knocks it out of the park in every department! With crab, jumbo prawns (shell on), mussels, steamer clams, sausage, corn, and red potatoes. This boil is one of the best seafood recipes.

Bring on the memories with this one-pot meal that's here to impress!

Let's talk about the seafood boil sauce, because this one is full of all the best Cajun flavors that go hand-in-hand with this dish. And boy, is it good!

The Meal That Will Never Be Forgotten!

So If you want lasting memories enjoyed with great company, this recipe is absolutely the way to go! And I'll be walking you through every step from prepping and dressing the table, to getting the boiling process down.

If you'd like to stick to an easier boil, try my Crab Boil recipe. It's one of my favorite low-effort and high-reward meals.

And, if you end up with leftover crab, make this Crab Omelet or this addicting Crab Spinach Artichoke dip. Though you can't go wrong with a fresh and light Crab pasta dish!

INGREDIENTS NOTES

SEAFOOD YOU'LL NEED

• Crab. I'm using Dungeness Crab since it's local to us, and provides a lot of meat. Use Dungeness, snow, or king crab. To portion out the crab for every person, we do ½ crab per person.
  To Prep Crab: Check out these posts on the Easiest Way to Cook Crab and How to Open, Crack, and Clean Crab. This will be helpful when working with crab as a beginner.

• Mussels. You can find mussels at most fish markets. Some grocery stores will have them as well. Call and ask the seafood department.

• Steamer clams. These are another staple. Purchased from fish markets, or the seafood section in some grocery stores. If you prefer to avoid clams, double the jumbo prawns, or mussels.

• Jumbo prawns, with tails, legs and everything. Peeling them is the fun of it! They are typically in the refrigerated seafood section. Ask the attendant there if you don't find them. A substitute is X-large shrimp found at most grocery stores.

EXTRAS

• Sausage. We do Andouille or Italian sausage. Another option that's super easy is Litl' Smokies, we use that for our Easy Crab Boil recipe. I'd stay away from sweet sausage.

• Corn. Fresh corn on the cob is the way to go. Cut them in quarters for perfect bite sized pieces.

• Red potatoes. Medium red potatoes tend to be the perfect size. They go well with small clams, mussels and prawns.

• Yellow onion. A large yellow onion cut into quarters to flavor the boil. This goes in when the heat on the pot gets turned on!

• Lemon. Cut into thick slices. This also gets tossed into the pot while it's warming! Yum!

Now that you have the very important ingredients down, you're ready for the seasoning!

SPICES YOU'LL NEED

• Smoked paprika. Time and time again, we've used smoked paprika for our boils and it was the perfect touch! If you don't have it, however, you can sub for regular paprika.

• Old Bay seasoning. This is typically found in the specialty spices or salt in most grocery stores.

• Mustard seeds. If you don't have mustard seeds, or can't find any in the store (I know a thing or two about that, living 40 minutes away from the next grocery store) you can use half the amount of mustard powder as a great substitute.

• Cayenne. Using the amount of cayenne in my recipe makes the boil have the perfect amount of spicy flavor, just a little kick to take it up a notch. It definitely doesn't take away from the seafood but adds to it. If you are sensitive to spicy, leave or decrease to your taste.

• Black pepper. A little bit of black pepper is the perfect touch.

• Ground Coriander. Add a light fresh herb to round out all the spices. You can use fresh herbs (just double the measurement).

• Thyme. Fresh or dried. I like to use fresh in the spring and summer, and dry throughout the winter. Double for fresh.

• Garlic powder. An absolute must, garlic is always a good choice!

SEAFOOD BOIL SAUCE

Oh, the butter sauce! This is the most amazing Seafood dunking sauce and works perfectly with a side of baguette as well.

Here is what you'll need:

• Butter. Salted or unsalted depending on your taste. I used salted butter for this butter sauce.

• Reserved seasoning.

• Reserved Boil liquid. The boil has SO much great flavor, it is spice town! So it makes the easiest addition to this sauce.

• Fresh Garlic. The garlic should be finely minced, and optional if you prefer less garlic.

• Lemon. You'll want to squeeze the lemon into the sauce. Another option is to squeeze half the lemon and cut the other half into wedges to sprinkle around the boil.

How fun does this look?! An outdoor burner with our boil cooking away as we're enjoying this gorgeous view!

HOW TO MAKE SEAFOOD BOIL

1. In a small bowl, mix all the spices and reserve 1 tablespoon for the seafood boil sauce.
   
   
2. Fill a large pot halfway with water and add sliced lemon, onion, and spices. Bring to a raging boil.
   
   
3. Add the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes.
   
   
4. Then, add the crab and cook for an additional 7 minutes.
   
   
5. Then, add the mussels, clams, prawns, sausage and corn and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
   
   
6. Drain into a colander, reserving ½ cup for the butter sauce.
   
   
7. Pour onto a table lined with butcher paper. Or a shallow platter.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO HOST A BOIL

• A large pot and Outdoor Propane Burner. If you're doubling the recipe, I suggest using an outdoor propane burner, with a large enough pot to fit the food as well as water.

• Measuring spoons. This is my favorite set!

• Colander. You will need this colander handy in your sink. Free up room and set one in there to drain the boil prior to placing food on the table.

• Butcher paper. This soaks up the liquid nicely, however, another options is paper bags taken apart and used inside out with parchment paper used underneath. I don't suggest using only parchment paper since it doesn't do as well of a job soaking up liquids. Link to a good butcher paper on amazon.

• Small butter dishes. One for every person. These will host the butter sauce.

• Buckets for shells and other waste. I suggest one small bucket per every 2 people. A good substitute is medium bowls. They fill up quick so don't choose anything too small. These buckets are great since they have multiple uses.

• Crab cracking set. Have a cracker and a pick for every person at the table. Link here to my favorite set!

HOW TO SET THE TABLE FOR A BOIL

Aside from watching a big pot of crab, shrimp, clams, and mussels cook, while watching everyone scoot close to watch, setting the table in preparation for the feast is just as special - makes it that much more real!

It's every bit a special and gourmet dinner in the most casual setting, and how we set up in order to have a successful Boil speaks just that - in a "Feast is Coming" so pull back your sleeves type of way.

This is the best way to set up your table:

1. Clear your table and set butcher paper down. You can tape it underneath the table for extra security. If you don't have butcher paper, a good substitute we've used is disposable table cloth with paper bags torn and turned inside out along the center of the table. A good Cajun boil is juicy, so you will need something to soak up any extra liquid.

2. At every chair, place a couple of napkins, a crab cracking set that includes a picker.

3. Every 2 people will need these style buckets, or bowls to discard any shells, napkins, corn on the cob, etc.

4. Small dish for the butter sauce placed near the cracking set for every person. These small bowls can be used for other events and so versatile.

SHELLFISH SAFETY

It's extremely important to understand when to chalk up the loss and toss shellfish, to avoid other illnesses. I've laid out what to look for when shellfish is raw, as well as after cooking.

Before cooking: If any clams, or mussels are open and do not close after you test them, discard them. 

After cooking: If any clams or mussels don't open during the cooking process, discard them. 

Here are a few methods to test clams to see if they're bad:

1. Try physically closing their shell. If they eventually close back up they're good. If they stay open, try this next test.
   
2. Run them under cold water for a few seconds. If they close back up, they're safe to eat. Toss any clams that don't close while testing.

OTHER CRAB RECIPES

One of my absolute favorite recipes to make with leftover crab is my Crab Omelette, or this Hot Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip that's absolutely addicting!

For a much simpler boil, try this Cajun Crab Boil!

If you have leftovers, take a look at how to freeze cooked seafood boil.

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