A Seafood boil is a fun social event and culinary tradition that’s quick and easy to prepare. The key to a seafood boil is the spice mixture used to flavor the water in which the ingredients are boiled. I love the idea of steaming hot piles of seafood, potatoes, sausage and corn, served with lots of warm melted butter and chilled white wine. It’s a meal that instantly feels like a party
To make a seafood boil you don’t really need a recipe. Here's how to do it.
First, pick your ingredients.
I like to follow the classic combo of potatoes, corn on the cob, sausage, and two kinds of shellfish—usually one or two bi-valves like clams and mussels, and one crustacean like shrimp, lobster, or crab.
Next, build a flavorful broth that infuses into your ingredients as they boil.
You want to make a quick stock by boiling salted water, with acid, and aromatics. Acid can be from wine, citrus or vinegar, and aromatics can be onions, bay leaves fresh thyme, and old bay seasoning.
You want your quick broth to be noticeably salty, acidic, and full of flavor—if it's not, adjust it until it is. If you don't have a large-enough pot or you're cooking an extra-large amount of food, use multiple pots, and get the same broth going in each one.
Once your broth is ready, add your ingredients in order from longest-cooking time to shortest-cooking time.
Starting with potatoes, then lobster and sausage, then corn and clams. Make sure your bivalves are open wide and the crustaceans turn bright red before serving. Once everything is cooked, (usually about 25 minutes total) transfer the ingredients onto baking sheet or lay it out on a table covered with newspaper or butcher paper to catch the drippings. Serve with condiments like melted butter, hot sauce and plenty of napkins. Eating a seafood boil is a hands-on affair, which is all part of the fun.
You’re gonna love it!
Common Ingredients and Cooking Timing:
Potatoes: 1/4 to 1/2 pound per person; 20 to 25 minutes, depending on size. Small new potatoes are best since you don't have to peel or slice them. If using larger potatoes, cut them into smaller pieces.
Lobster: 1/2 to 1 lobster per person; 12 to 15 minutes depending on size. Buy and cook your lobsters live for optimum freshness.
Sausage: 1/8 to 1/4 pound per person; about 10 to 15 minutes. Use smoked or fully cooked sausages such as linguiça, kielbasa, or andouille, or go with sweet or spicy Italian.
Corn on the Cob: 1/2 to 1 cob per person; 10 minutes. For optimum fresh sweetness, shuck just before cooking.
Clams: 3 to 6 per person; about 10 minutes. Use littleneck, Manila, or steamer clams, and scrub them well before cooking.
Mussels: 3 to 6 per person; about 5 minutes. Wash and de-beard mussels before cooking.
Shrimp: 4 to 6 per person; about 3 minutes. Use shell-on (head-on if you're brave!) jumbo shrimp—the bigger the shrimp the better for a shellfish boil.