Seafood Boil

By Lidey Heuck

Published Feb. 29, 2024

Seafood Boil
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(72)
Comments
Read comments

You don’t need to be at the beach to make this classic seaside dinner — an assortment of fresh seafood and a really big stock pot will get you there in an hour. Feel free to make this seafood boil your own by swapping in mussels for the clams, or lobster in place of the crab legs. With sausage, corn on the cob and steamed potatoes, this is a true one-pot meal. The flavorful cooking liquid turns into a buttery, lemony sauce that coats the seafood and vegetables. Cover your table with kraft paper and dump the seafood boil out, letting everyone dig in, or, for easier cleanup, serve the boil in a large shallow bowl, with small bowls of garlic butter on the side for dipping.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 2large lemons, halved
  • 1(12-ounce) bottle lager, or 1½ cups dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
  • 1large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1head garlic, cut in half crosswise
  • ¼cup Old Bay seasoning, plus more for serving
  • 3dried bay leaves 
  • 2tablespoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • 1½pounds Yukon gold or small red potatoes, about 1½ inches in diameter
  • 3large ears corn, husked and cut into thirds 
  • 2pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed
  • 1pound Andouille sausage or kielbasa, sliced into 1½-inch pieces 
  • 1pound large (16/20 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on 
  • 1pound cooked frozen crab legs, thawed  
  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick)
  • Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
  • Garlic butter, for serving 
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

809 calories; 33 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 67 grams protein; 1932 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a very large stockpot, heat 4 quarts of water over medium-high. Quarter one lemon and add it to the pot, along with the beer, onion, garlic, Old Bay, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a boil, then add the potatoes and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add the corn, clams and sausage. Cover and return to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the clams begin to open, 5 to 7 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the shrimp and crab legs, and cook until the shrimp are just starting to turn opaque, about 3 minutes. (Do not overcook!)

  4. Step 4

    Using a spider strainer or sieve, remove the seafood, sausages and vegetables and place them in a very large bowl or platter, discarding any clams that have not opened. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking liquid and pour it into a small bowl. Add the butter and squeeze in the juice of half of the remaining lemon; stir until the butter is melted. Pour the mixture over the seafood and gently mix until coated. Sprinkle with parsley and Old Bay. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges, and serve alongside the seafood boil with small bowls of garlic butter for dipping.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
72 user ratings
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Comments

Bill

When we cook sweet corn in the summer we rarely boil it for more than a couple of minutes. I would think that adding it at the beginning of cooking here would result in the soggy, squishy cob found in most restaurant versions of this dish.

MKin

@MH Excluded crab and omitted Old Bay?! What in the act of culinary chaos?!

MH

Excellent!!! Got high fives from the fam. Tweaks: Excluded crab, heavied up on clams and local SC shrimp Had a heavy hand with a local boil spice mixture (didn’t use Old Bay) Used a Belgian beer - boiled shrimp heads and shells in 1.5 bottles - gave amazing depth Potatoes - cut in half, removed after the first ten minutes - came out perfect Added local corn after clams and andouille had five mins right before shrimp

Rebecca

This brought back wonderful memories of meals with my extended Southern family in North Carolina. Tables covered with newspaper, plates of coleslaw, hush puppies and corn ready, beers in the cooler, and my wonderful uncle handling the shrimp. Nothing else, just "srimp," as they pronounce it down there. His forte was the shrimp, and to this day, we don't know how he did it (what was in the water, etc.), except they were dumped in piles right on the table the minute they turned opaque. Bliss!

JB

First time ever making a seafood boil, and it was super easy! I ended up using mussels instead of clams — not too sure how different they are as it was my first time cooking either of them. Loved this recipe though!

Kate Read Ezell

2024.08.05 with Read, Lindsay & Eleanor. Could not find clams so used 2 lbs shrimp. Next time, don’t bother what crab if can’t find crab claws. We don’t have tools to break large crab claws or to pick out the crabmeat. Wonder if scallops would be been an ok addition. Could brown the sausage first which would make it better. Needed more seasoning. Failed to cook down the liquid when cooking the potatoes so flavor was not very strong. Needed salt. Worth trying again with the modifications.

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