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Sample a taste of New Orleans cuisine with this seafood boil recipe! Fresh, delicious, and simply addictive, this traditional Louisiana seafood boil recipe has shrimp, crawfish, and Manila clams, all boiled together in a homemade Cajun seasoning and butter sauce.
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Authentic Cajun Seafood Boil
If you’re a seafood lover, just the idea of a seafood boil is probably enough to make you drool. Fresh seafood coated in a bold, flavorful sauce, served up in a big pot for everyone to dig into—it’s a meal that truly satisfies all the senses.
And even when you’re not in New Orleans, you can still enjoy the dish and recreate that experience with this 30-minute Cajun seafood boil recipe! The best part? You can easily make it your own by throwing in your favorite seafood and adjusting the spice level.
There’s literally no reason not to try this spicy seafood boil recipe rated 4.6 by almost 500 home cooks worldwide!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fresh, fiery, and flavorful. This New Orleans seafood boil recipe has the perfect balance of flavors that coats every bite of the seafood with a rich buttery taste and a spicy kick from the Cajun seasoning.
- Great for sharing. This dish is meant to be shared with family and friends during a casual summer gathering or a special occasion. Double or triple this seafood boil recipe to feed a crowd, and watch everyone dig in with their hands and enjoy a messy, delicious seafood feast!
- Quick and easy to make. Once you have all the ingredients ready, it only takes 30 minutes from start to finish to make a large pot of seafood goodness. Simply boil the seafood, mix with the Cajun butter sauce, and serve it on a large platter or even straight from the pot for an authentic experience.
Ingredients
- seafood – Popular options are shrimp, crawfish, and clams, but you can add others like crab, mussels, or even lobster.
- butter – Use unsalted butter to better control the saltiness of the dish.
- homemade seasoning – You can make your own Cajun seasoning from scratch or buy a pre-made blend. I like using a combination of Old Bay seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and sugar. I love some spice too so I make sure to add some Louisiana hot sauce.
- garlic – garlic always goes well with butter and seafood, and we are using a loooot!
- smoked sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob, crabs (optional)
How To Make Cajun Seafood Boil
There’s something about this dish that just screams summer. Maybe it’s the bright colors of the shrimp, crawfish, and clams spilling out of the hot pot, or the bold, spicy flavors that transform plain seafood into an ultimate summer feast.
Whatever it is, you just can’t go wrong with it, especially when it’s done with classic Cajun flavors. I’m not from Louisiana, but I’ve tried some authentic Cajun dishes from my travels. And here’s how I recreate it at home:
Step 1. Combine all the ingredients of the seafood boil Seasoning in a bowl. Stir to mix well. Set aside.
Pro tip: You can easily customize the sauces and seasoning. And if you don’t like it too spicy, just reduce the amount of cayenne pepper.
Step 2. Fill a large stockpot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the lemon halves, followed by the shrimp, crawfish, Manila clams, and corn. Cover the stockpot and cook the seafood and corn until they turn red or cooked through for about 2 minutes. Drain the seafood and corn, and discard the water and lemon. Set aside.
Step 3. While the seafood is cooking, in a big skillet over medium heat, add the butter and stir in the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute (not brown). Add the homemade seasoning and Louisiana hot sauce and stir well. Turn off the heat.
Step 4. Transfer the seafood and corn to the spicy sauce, and stir to combine well. If you have a small skillet, mix the butter sauce and the seafood in two batches. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- Always use good-quality ingredients for the best results! No seasoning or sauce can compensate for subpar seafood.
- Use a big pot to boil the seafood. If you don’t have a tall and deep pot, you may boil and cook the seafood in batches.
- Figure out how long it takes to cook each seafood. For example, shrimp and crawfish only take 5 to 6 minutes to cook, while clams take a bit longer. So I start boiling the clams first before adding in the other seafood.
- If you have plastic bags, mix the seafood and the sauce in the bag. You can also serve it that way, usually in a 1-gallon plastic bag.
Seafood Boil (The Best Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 lb (500g) head-on and shell-on shrimp, mustache and legs trimmed off
- 1 lb (500g) crawfish, scrubbed and rinsed with water
- 1 lb (500g) Manila clams, scrubbed and rinsed with water
- water, for boiling
- 2 ears corn, cut off the cob into 2-inches (5cm) pieces
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 2 heads garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce
Seafood Boil Seasonings
- 4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
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Combine all the ingredients of the seafood boil seasonings in a bowl. Stir to mix well. Set aside.
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Fill a large stockpot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the lemon halves, followed by the shrimp, crawfish, Manila clams, and corn. Cover the stockpot and cook the seafood and corn until they turn red or cooked through for about 2 minutes. Drain the seafood and corn, and discard the water and lemon. Set aside.
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While the seafood is cooking, in a big skillet over medium heat, add the butter and stir in the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute (not brown). Add the homemade seasoning and Louisiana hot sauce and stir well. Turn off the heat.
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Transfer the seafood and corn to the spicy sauce, and stir to combine well. If you have a small skillet, mix the butter sauce and the seafood in two batches. Serve immediately.
