This seafood boil contains fresh shrimp, lobster, clams, crab, potatoes, corn and sausage, all boiled in a flavorful broth. An impressive meal in one pot that’s perfect for feeding a crowd!
Fresh seafood never fails to delight, and when I’m really looking for a show stopping recipe I make bacon wrapped scallops, garlic butter shrimp or this fantastic seafood boil.
When I’m looking to enjoy some fresh shellfish, I often end up making a mixed seafood boil. It’s a great option because everything gets tossed into one pot, it’s fun to eat, and of course, it’s loaded with tons of flavor! It’s also a great way to make more expensive ingredients like lobster and crab stretch further, since they’re combined with less expensive items like corn and potatoes.
HOW DO YOU MAKE A SEAFOOD BOIL?
This recipe contains shrimp, lobster, crab, clams, potatoes, corn and sausage. All of the ingredients are boiled in a seasoned broth, then tossed in a little butter. Add a sprinkling of parsley and some lemon wedges, and dinner is served.
TIPS FOR SEAFOOD BOIL
- I recommend buying the biggest shrimp you can find for this recipe. I use 16-20 count jumbo shrimp.
- I used Maine lobster tails and Dungeness crab legs, but you can use other varieties including spiny lobster tail, snow crab or king crab.
- Fresh corn on the cob tastes best in this recipe – you can use white, yellow or bi-color corn.
- I use small Yukon gold potatoes, but red potatoes are also a great choice.
- You can use kielbasa or Andouille sausage. Andouille sausage can be a bit spicy, so I’d recommend using that variety if you prefer a little heat.
- The types of seafood listed in the recipe are just a suggestion – you can use other types such as mussels, scallops or even chunks of firm fish such as swordfish.
- Make sure you discard any clams that haven’t opened up before you serve your boil.
- I recommend serving your boil immediately, as seafood is highly perishable and tastes best when freshly cooked.
- You can use shell-on or peeled shrimp. I personally prefer peeled shrimp because they’re easier to eat.
HOW LONG TO BOIL SEAFOOD
The seafood ingredients in this recipe cook at different rates, so you’ll want to put the longest cooking items in the boil first, then add the others later on.
- Lobster: 8-12 minutes
- Clams: 5-10 minutes
- Crab: 6-8 minutes for pre-cooked crab, 20 minutes for raw crab
- Shrimp: 2-3 minutes
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SEAFOOD BOIL
A seafood boil can be served as-is, but some people prefer to add more side dishes to round out the meal. Some great options include a green salad, french or sourdough bread, coleslaw, or potato salad. I typically keep things simple with a loaf of garlic bread and sometimes a green veggie such as zucchini, asparagus or green beans.
You just can’t go wrong with a mixed boil, especially when you’re entertaining. The tender seafood pairs so well with the creamy potatoes, smoky sausage and sweet corn. Everyone will be coming back for more!
OTHER GREAT SEAFOOD RECIPES
Seafood Boil
Ingredients
- 3 lemons divided use
- 1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning plus more for garnish
- 8 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 onion peeled and cut into 6 pieces
- 1 pound small Yukon gold potatoes halved
- 4 ears corn on the cob cut into 3-4 inch pieces
- 3 lobster tails
- 1 pound clams scrubbed
- 1 pound crab legs pre-cooked
- 1 pound smoked sausage cut into 1 inch pieces, kielbasa or andouille are preferred
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined (leave tails on)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Cut 2 of the lemons into quarters. Slice the remaining lemon into wedges and reserve the wedges for garnish.
- Fill a large pot with 14-16 cups of water. Place the 2 quartered lemons in the water along with the Old Bay seasoning, garlic and onion. Bring to a boil.
- Add the potatoes to the pot and cook for 8 minutes.
- Add the lobster tails and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the clams, crab, and corn, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Drain the seafood mixture from the pot, reserving 1 cup of the broth.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl and whisk it into the reserved broth. Pour the broth over the seafood mixture.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Sprinkle with additional Old Bay seasoning to taste, then serve immediately.
Made this for a party of 4. Was so good! I added colossal shrimp, mussels, crab legs, small three colored potatoes, corn, scallops and sausage. I left the cooked onion, garlic and lemon in with everything else.
Everyone loved it and went back for seconds. Cant wait to make it again.
I’d been meaning to do a seafood boil this summer, but only just got around to it this past weekend. This recipe was HEAVENLY. Ordered a big box of frozen crab and crayfish and went to town. Even better, the kids LOVED it. Not exactly an easy meal, but one that will be repeated many, may times in my house.
I’m making this with snow crab legs, shrimp and crawfish – all frozen. When do I need to add each one? I’m assuming not all at once!
Add the crab and crawfish in step 5, then shrimp in step 6!
OMG!!! Just made this for our anniversary supper. It was fabulous!!!! Now the leftovers are going into a seafood chowder. I can’t wait to make it again. The only different things that I did was to use whole lobsters and mussels instead of clams. It was so yummy. I would highly recommend it. Thankyou
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I’m just curious about how long you cook pre cooked and frozen lobster. I see that the question has been asked but not answered yet. Thankyou
If it’s pre-cooked lobster you just want to cook it for 3-5 minutes to warm it through!
First time making for a party of 8 (but only 4 of us ate seafood and there were leftovers). It was a perfect addition to our surf and turf theme.
I love spicy food and the seafood was not spicy. But the corn had a kick to it. I liked it! Unfortunately, I forgot to buy sausage and the store ran out of clams. 🙁 I can’t wait to make again with both the sausage and clams!
We had this for our 16th anniversary and our first time doing a crab boil. Amazing!
Made this dish for the fam for my moms 75th and it was amazing!!! Since I had never made it before the recipe and timings were perfect!!! Thanks!!
First time cooking this and it turned out awesome.
My husband and i had fun making it! And also our pot was a tad smaller i have to take out some of my corn. But still! It turned out so tasty!!
If using frozen shrimp (already peeled and deveined) and frozen lobster, should I thaw it first?
It’s better to thaw first if you can. If they’re frozen add another minute or two to the cook time.
Great starter recipe, I added flavor in layers as the dish cooked. This is how 4 people who love crab legs spent a quite labor day Sunday.
Thx
Denise
How large of a stock pot is needed for this cook?
The biggest you have, I use a 8 quart size.
How long to cook lobster if using whole lobster instead of tails?
It should cook for 12 minutes!
What size lobster tail should I use? Publix has small, medium (3 oz vs 4.75 oz), as well as large spiney tails.
I’d use the 4.75 ounce!
Hi! My store only has 3-4oz tails and 8-10oz tails. Which should I buy? And how many of each considering the sizes? Thanks!
I’d probably do the 4 ounce tails and buy 6 of them!
I am essentially doubling the recipe – should I have enough liquid in the pot to cover everything? Any suggestions there?
Thanks!!
You’ll want to make sure the seafood is mostly submerged, at least 3/4 of the way!
is this spicy? Unfortunately my mom does not like spicy food, and im just curious if the old bay makes the seafood actually spicy!
No it is not spicy, just make sure you use a sausage that doesn’t have a lot of spice!
thanks! Also, can i use precooked whole lobster and just re-boil as you did with the crab?
Thank you. This was a delicious meal and the 6 servings fit my family of 5, 2 teenage boys, perfectly.
Awesome
Made this for my husband’s birthday, he loved it.
Hi. Could you tell me how long mussels would be cooked if added to the pot? Thanks.
It should be about 5-7 minutes!