Seafood Boil in a Pot, Cajun Style

Large-batch Cajun seafood boil with potatoes, corn, sausage, and seafood

Ingredients

Ingredients

Main boil:

• 1 12oz beer
• 6 qts water
• 4 bay leaves
• 0.75 cups old bay seasoning
• 1.5 tbsp paprika
• 1.5 tbsp cayenne (to taste)
• 1 tbsp black pepper (to taste)
• 1.5 tbsp thyme
• 2 sliced lemons
• 9 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 lb small red potatoes, halved (or do other types of potatoes and cut appropriately to get that small size)
• 5 ears corn, cut into thirds
• 1 lb andouille sausage or more if less seafood, make serving size, 1-3 inch segments
• A bunch of seafood for example: 1.5 lb snow crab, 1 lb lobster tails, 1 lb mussels, 1 lb clams, 2 lb shrimp, etc. Make it equal ~6 pounds whatever you do

Boil sauce:

• 1 cup butter (no one needs this much though…)
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• .25 cup slap your mama cajun seasoning
• 1.5 tbsp old bay seasoning
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 0.5 tbsp brown sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1.5 cup reserved broth (from above)
• 1 bunch of parsley, diced roughly (very optional, not really needed)

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients up to the onions and bring to boil. Boil for 5 minutes
2. Add potatoes and corn and cook for ~15 minutes until potatoes are cooked but not mushy. Add sausages and cook another 5 minutes
3. Add seafood and cook. Depending on what you are using, you will need to time when you add them so that everything is finished at same time (do not significantly overcook seafood)
4. When all seafood is cooked, drain the pot but reserve 2 cups of broth on the side for later. You can leave in the pot OR put on a large tray
5. CONCURRENTLY with step 1: Make the butter seafood sauce:
   • a. Melt butter over medium low heat and add garlic. Cook until fragrant and add all seasoning plus 1 cup of broth. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until it thickens, stirring often. Adjust water here to preference on how thick or thin desired
   • b. Pour this over the seafood and mix if possible
6. Serve

Notes

1. This can easily and on most occasions be made smaller. Important ingredients to not skip when making this are: sausage, corn, potatoes, seasonings, and some seafood (even just a half bag of shrimp). If you have that, you are good to go and this can be paired down to a 1-2 person meal easily
2. Don’t skimp on the butter in the primary boil (it gets drained anyway if that helps). You can pair down the drizzle unless you have company and then butter makes everyone happy
3. Onions can be skipped
4. If anything, use less water not more for more flavor
5. If you don’t like spicy food, this is not the dish for you