Cajun Seafood Boil with Garlic Butter Sauce

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

3 quarts water

1 (12-ounce) can of beer- optional but highly recommended

3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

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 of both)

1 lb pre-cooked snow crab leg clusters, fresh or frozen

1 – 1 ½ lbs jumbo shrimp, deveined, shell-on or peeled

4-6 ears sweet corn on the cob, I use the mini ones

4-6 hard boiled eggs- optional

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

10 cloves of garlic, finely minced or pressed

2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Hot sauce, to taste

Directions

Prepare the boil

In an extra large stockpot or dutch oven (about 10 quarts or larger) over medium-high heat, combine the water and beer (if using). Bring the liquid to a boil. Then season the boil with the Cajun seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, and a few dashes of hot sauce- to taste. Add the sliced onion and lemon wedges into the pot. Stir all the ingredients well to thoroughly combine. Let the mixture boil for 15 minutes.

Add the andouille & potatoes

Carefully add the andouille sausage rounds and baby potatoes into the pot, stirring well to fully combine with the boil. Let the andouille and potatoes cook for 15-20 minutes- or until the potatoes are just about fork-tender.

Add the seafood & corn

Gently nestle the snow crab clusters into the pot along with the shrimp and corn on the cob. Be sure that everything is fully submerged under the boil and carefully stir to ensure all ingredients are well combined. Continue boiling for another 5-7 minutes, cooking until the shrimp is pink. Meanwhile, prepare the garlic butter sauce.

Make the garlic butter sauce

On a separate burner, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, garlic, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning, parsley, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and hot sauce- to taste. Stir all ingredients and simmer the sauce until the butter melts and the sauce is well combined, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes. Then remove from heat.

Assemble cajun seafood boil with sauce

Line an extra large baking sheet with foil/parchment paper (or newspaper if you’d like!). Use a spider strainer to remove the seafood boil contents from the pot and place onto the prepared baking sheet along with the hard boiled eggs (if using)- remove and discard the onion/lemon bits. Note: If you’d like your garlic butter sauce to be thinner, you can add some of the seafood boil broth to adjust to desired consistency. Now, this is the fun part! Pour the garlic butter sauce over the seafood boil ingredients. Then use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves if desired) to toss the sauce with everything, smothering every nook and cranny in sauce.

Serve seafood boil

Feel free to serve this Cajun seafood boil as-is with everyone just grabbing what they’d like from the baking sheet directly (it’s the chaos and messiness of seafood boils that are so fun!) or divide the boil onto individual plates to serve if you prefer. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, if desired. Be sure to sop up any runaway garlic butter sauce. Enjoy!