Grab a large pot and your favorite seafood. I am going to teach you how to make the ultimate Cajun seafood boil at home. My recipe features my homemade Cajun seasoning and popular Cajun butter sauce, along with fresh seafood for a taste of the bayou that is perfect for gatherings.
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My cajun seafood boil recipe has been a long time in the making. After sharing many of my favorites from Cajun shrimp deviled eggs to a classic Cajun shrimp and grits, it seemed something was missing.
Because Cajun boils are so easy to make, it never occurred to me to post this. I just put up the Cajun sauce and called it a day. But I heard your cries and I am here with all the details to help you make the most flavorful boil ever.
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📖Why My Recipe Works
- Flexible- You easily increase or decrease the quantities in this recipe to feed a crowd. I have included equipment recommendations for cooking outside but you can cook inside on the stovetop if needed.
- Flavor- You don't use Old Bay seasoning in Louisiana boils. Period. This recipe is all about flavor, from caramelizing the minced garlic for our buttery sauce to building flavor before the seafood cooks.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Beer- I use a pale ale (and yes, it was gluten-free) but you can skip this and just use water. Or try adding 2 cups of apple cider. Weird? Maybe but also delcious.
- Aromatics- Heads of garlic with the top ⅓ cut off, lemons, sliced white or yellow onions, and lots of bay leaves.
- Andouille Sausage- Slice on the diagonal so you get long thin pieces. This leaves more surface area to flavor the broth.
- Potatoes- I use red potatoes but yellow potatoes also work. You want something waxy and large enough (about 2 inches wide) you can cut in half. Small potatoes left whole don't absorb as much flavor.
- Sweet Corn- I cut each ear into thirds and plan on 2 pieces per person.
Homemade Cajun Seasoning
Can you use store-bought? Sure, you could BUT mine has just the right amount of salt for this recipe. It also contains dry mustard which is my secret ingredient. And white pepper lends just the right level of spice.
Cajun Garlic Butter Sauce
Fun fact, this sauce is the most popular recipe on my site! You need fresh garlic, parsley, and lemon.
But a quick note about butter. Because the Cajun spice mix is seasoned, you want to use unsalted butter.
💭Best Types of Seafood for a Boil
First off, you can use a variety of seafood or just one type. A plain shrimp or crab boil is just as delcious. I try to stick to no more than 3 types of seafood.
When choosing seafood, seasonality and price are my determining factors.
- Shrimp- Use extra large or jumbo shrimp. Uncooked with the shell on.
- Crab- Blue crab is the classic choice and is in season in summer and early fall. But snow crab, Dungeness crab and king crab are all options. I typically use snow crab legs.
- Crawfish- Another great choice if you can get them. They are in peak season March through May.
- Lobster- I buy frozen tails when they are on sale and keep them for these types of occasions.
- Mussels- Be sure to scrub and rinse them well.
- Clams- Again, be sure to wash them well.
⏲️How to Make A Cajun Boil At Home
Get your pot set up and everything prepped. Mix your seasoning together. Reserve a small portion for the sauce, and the rest goes into the boil.
Make the Boiling Broth
Add your beer, aromatics, and seasoning to the water. The pot should be no more than ⅔ full after adding these items. Add more water if needed. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cooking for a few minutes will allow the flavor to infuse.
Add the Potatoes
Add the sausage and potatoes to the pot. I notice most recipes cook until fork-tender. This is too done! They will continue to cook when you add the seafood. I like to cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the Seafood
First, add your corn, then the crab and lobster to the boil. Be sure to stir the mixture and submerge the seafood.
Add the shrimp and cover. Immediately turn the burner off. If you keep the temperature up during the cooking process, the residual heat will cook the shrimp.
Make the Butter Sauce
Carmelize the garlic in a little bit of butter. Then add the remaining butter.
Add the lemon juice and seasonings to the melted butter.
🥗How to Serve a Seafood Boil
Remove the basket from the pot. I like to transfer it to a sheet pan for transporting to the table, this keeps the drips from getting on me and burning.
You can serve the cooked seafood on a rimmed baking sheet (actually 2 to 3) or serve directly on a picnic table covered in butcher paper. Yes, newspaper is traditional but who has that anymore?
Mix ⅓ of the butter sauce with 1 cup of the seasoned pot water. Spoon the sauce over the seafood and vegetables. Serve with the remaining Cajun butter sauce on the side for dipping.
I like to serve a simple house salad or old-fashioned coleslaw on the side with crusty bread for sopping up all the sauce. Plus a classic Southern potato salad.
Seafood Boil Tips
- Use jumbo shrimp. The bigger the better. Turn the heat off when adding the shrimp. This will ensure they don't overcook.
- If your crab is raw, add it earlier. It will need an additional 10 to 12 minutes.
- Plan on 1 pound of seafood per person (this includes the shell weight).
- Use potatoes large enough to cut in half so they absorb the flavor of the pot liquid.
- Do not use Old Bay. Old Bay is largely made of celery seed and doesn't have a Cajun flavor. It is a decidedly New England spice.
- Squeeze the cooked garlic out and smear on crusty bread. It will be soft and flavorful.
- Discard any mussels and clams that don't open during cooking.
- Using frozen seafood is fine, just make sure your shrimp is uncooked.
- If you like things extra spicy, make a separate butter sauce and load it up with hot sauce.
- Make the boil seasoning and butter sauce in advance. You can reheat the butter while the seafood is cooking.
- The recipe will cook faster on a freestanding outdoor gas burner than on the stovetop so increase cooking times for indoor cooking.
- Do not add the corn too early. It only takes a few minutes to cook the small pieces.
- If you are doing a plain shrimp boil, add the corn and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the shrimp and cook for 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the residual heat finish cooking the shrimp.
🌡️Storing Leftovers
This recipe is best the day of. But you can store extra seafood with a little of the pot water drizzled over it in an airtight container. Eat cold or reheat in a little water on the stovetop.
What type of pot do you need for a seafood boil?
You need a large pot with an inset strainer. You can buy a pot/strainer combo that is popular for frying turkeys or a fish fry. However, if you by chance are a home brewer you can use your brewing kettle and buy the strainer separately. Which is what I did.
You also need a large propane gas burner and butcher paper for serving.
If you don't have a large enough pot, try my Cajun seafood bake.
Did you enjoy making this recipe? Show it some love with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment! Hungry for more FLAVORFUL recipes?
📖 Recipe Card
Cajun Seafood Boil with Cajun Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cans beer optional - use gluten-free ale if needed
- 1 cup Cajun seasoning
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 heads of garlic ⅓ of top cut off
- 2 large white onions peeled and sliced
- 2 lemons cut in half plus more for serving
- 2 pounds small red potatoes cut in half (do not peel)
- 1 pound andouille sausage sliced
- 5 ears corn shucked and cut into 3rds
- 2 pounds crab legs precooked
- 2 pounds jumbo shrimp uncooked with shell and tail on
- 4 lobster tails optional add more shrimp or crab legs
Cajun Garlic Butter Sauce
- 2 sticks butter divided
- 8 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 Tablespoons Cajun seasoning use recipe below
- 2 Tablespoon fresh parsley minced
Homemade Cajun Seasoning
- ½ cup smoked paprika
- ¼ cup onion powder
- ¼ cup garlic powder
- 1 ½ Tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon ground white pepper
- 1 Tablespoons ground mustard
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- Mix together the Cajun seasoning. Reserve 4 Tablespoons for the butter sauce. The remaining should be just shy of a cup.
- In an extra large stock pot add the beer (if using), seasoning, bay leaves, lemons, garlic and onion. Fill the pot ⅔ of the way full with water. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 5 minutes.2 cans beer, 1 cup Cajun seasoning, 4 bay leaves, 2 heads of garlic, 2 large white onions, 2 lemons
- Add the sausage and potatoes. Continue to boil for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are close to fork tender.2 pounds small red potatoes, 1 pound andouille sausage
- Add the corn, crab legs and lobster tails. Stir to ensure everything is submerged. Boil for another 4 to 5 minutes.5 ears corn, 2 pounds crab legs, 4 lobster tails
- Add the shrimp, cover the post with the lid (or use a large sheet pan) and turn off the heat. The residual heat will cook the shrimp in about 5 to 6 minutes.2 pounds jumbo shrimp
- While the shrimp is cooking make the butter sauce.
- Strain the boil and serve straight on a table lined with butcher paper or newspaper. You can also serve on rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with ⅓ of the butter sauce mixed with a ½ cup of water from the pot. Serve the remaining Cajun butter on the side. Serve with lemon wedges and plenty of paper towels and wet wipes.
Cajun Garlic Butter Sauce
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining butter, parsley, lemon juice, and Cajun seasoning. Whisk to combine then cook for five minutes.2 sticks butter, 8 cloves garlic, 2 Tablespoon lemon juice, 4 Tablespoons Cajun seasoning, 2 Tablespoon fresh parsley
Sonya says
Do we disregard the onion, lemon, and bay leaves?
Jen Wooster says
I serve everything on butcher paper or sheet pans. People just pick around the bay leaves and lemons. Personally, I eat the onions on bread.
Bob says
The sauce!!!! And use her seasoning. Spot on.
Jen Wooster says
Thank you so much. I make that sauce for everything. I even put it on grilled ribeyes... drool worthy!
Mark says
Excellent recipe... now a family/neighborhood favorite!
Jen Wooster says
Thanks for the review!
Nicole says
My snow is frozen, how long to cook for?
Jen Wooster says
I recommend you thaw them out and then cook per the recipe. if you don;t have time add 5 minutes.
Rhea says
I made this for my nephew's birthday and the whole family devoured it. What a great blend of seasoning and the beer was a must! The timing on everything was spot on and the seasoned butter was out of this world. Thanks for such a great recipe.