Cajun Seafood Boil

A Cajun Delight Seafood Boil

Gather your friends for a tried and true Cajun Seafood Boil. Talk about a fun meal for parties! It’s a beautiful, colorful treat that tastes as good as it looks.

The key to this seafood boil is fresh gulf shrimp, smoked sausage, and some traditional whole crayfish. Throw in corn on the cob and potatoes. Then, douse everything in a spice-filled butter complete with Cajun seasoning, garlic, onion, and lemon.

While it may be filled with many different ingredients, it’s uncomplicated and quick to make. I can’t say enough about this refreshing and flavorful family-style meal that’s impossible to forget.

🥘 Ingredients

Anything with this much seafood is something to look forward to. The Cajun garlic butter is the proverbial icing on the cake. 

Cajun Seafood Boil

• Butter - 1 tablespoon of butter to add some richness.
• Yellow Onion - 1 large yellow onion. Chop this or a white onion up for a delicious, rich taste.
• Garlic - 8 cloves of garlic. Dice it, slice it, or smash it.
• Old Bay Seasoning -2 tablespoons of old bay seasoning. Old bay is a delightful mix of paprika, celery seed, mustard, salt, red pepper, black pepper, etc. that is commonly used with seafood.
• Cajun Seasoning - 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning. This is a must-have blend for traditional Cajun cuisine use mine or store-bought.
• Bay Leaves - 4 whole bay leaves. This is a simple way to add tons of flavor to any soup.
• Lemon - The juice of one large lemon. Citrus adds a fresh twist in a sea of savory spices.
• Salt and Pepper - 1 teaspoon of both salt and pepper. These are classic seasonings for almost any dish!
• Water - 16 cups of water. Boil your potatoes in seasoned water, and they’ll soak up the flavor.
• Yukon Gold Potatoes - 1½ pounds of Yukon gold potatoes. Feel free to use any yellow or white potato–whole, halved, or quartered.
• Sweet Corn - 4 ears of sweet corn.
• Smoked Sausage - 14 ounces of smoked sausage. Slice up your favorite kind.
• Crayfish - 24 ounces of whole crayfish/crawfish. These may not be at your average grocer’s; try your nearest seafood shop!
• Gulf Shrimp - 24 ounces of whole gulf shrimp. Buy them raw–grey in color–for best results.

Garlic Butter Sauce

• Butter - ½ cup of butter to act as the base of the sauce.
• Yellow Onion - ½ of a large yellow onion that has been peeled and diced.
• Garlic - 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.
• Lemon - ½ of a large lemon. You'll need both the zest and the juice.
• Cajun Seasoning - 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, or more to taste.

🔪 How To Make A Cajun Seafood Boil

You’ll need a slew of seasonings and seafood to make this, but the cooking process is simple. Pull out one big pot for the seafood and a small skillet for the garlic butter sauce. 

This recipe is great for 6 hearty servings. You could double the recipe but you may need another pot!

Cajun Seafood Boil

1. To begin, saute the onion. Put 1 tablespoon of butter into a large stockpot and melt over medium heat. Add 1 large, chopped yellow onion and saute until it starts to become translucent. It should take 2-3 minutes.
2. Next, add seasonings and boil. Stir in 8 cloves of diced garlic, 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning, 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, 4 whole bay leaves, the juice of 1 large lemon, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 16 cups of water. Bring it all to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Cook the potatoes. Cut 1½ pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes into halves or quarters. If they’re bite-sized, leave them whole. Drop them all into the pot, cover, and cook for 10 minutes until they start becoming tender. Turn down the heat if needed to prevent the liquid from boiling over.
4. Finally, add the corn, seafood, and meat. When the potatoes are starting to get tender, drop in 4 ears of quartered sweet corn and 14 ounces of sliced, smoked sausage. Add another 5 minutes of cooking time.
   Then, transfer 24 ounces of whole crayfish and 24 ounces of gulf shrimp to the pot. Put the lid back on and shut off the stove. Leave everything to sit while you make the lemon garlic butter sauce.

Make The Garlic Butter Sauce

1. Saute the garlic and onion. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Put ½ cup butter in and wait for it to melt. Dice ½ a yellow onion and add it to the pan. Saute for 2-3 minutes before adding 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Continue to cook for another minute.
2. Add seasonings. Stir in 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning and the juice and zest from ½ a large lemon.
3. Toss into the seafood and serve. Drain the seafood mixture and add the sauce. Stir to coat everything before serving immediately. 

Seafood boils are excellent for lunch or dinner. Serve by itself or with a broccolini salad, Cajun fries, Texas Toast, or a green salad and garnish with a sprig or two of parsley.

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes

• To kick up the heat, add more Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes to the garlic butter sauce. Remember, there is a bit of seasoning already on the seafood; be conservative at first.
• You can also serve the garlic butter sauce on the side as a dipping sauce. It’s amazing with a side of toasted bread!
• For leftovers, take shrimp and crayfish out of their shells and chop them into pieces. Add an egg or two, sour cream or milk, breadcrumbs, and spices to make crayfish cakes! Heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and fry them until golden.

🥡 Storing & Reheating

Keep leftovers in an airtight container or a plastic bag with the air pushed out, and you can enjoy this meal for up to 4 days after it’s been cooked.

If your gulf shrimp were fresh, you can freeze your leftovers. However, you should never refreeze shrimp. So if your shrimp had to be thawed before you added them to the boil, leave any extra food in the fridge. 

When freezing, put cooled leftovers in a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. It will be good for up to three months.

Reheating

To reheat, turn the oven to 275℉ (135℃). While waiting for it to heat up, put leftovers on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle it with a bit of water. Cover it with foil and bake for at least 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 125-130℉ (52-54℃). 

If you stored your butter sauce separately, you can also steam leftovers in a large pot fit with a steamer. Heat 2 inches of water to boiling, add leftovers, and leave covered for 6-8 minutes before mixing with melted Cajun garlic butter sauce.

To reheat from a frozen state, thaw in the fridge overnight before following the instructions above. 

❓ Recipe FAQs

🦐 What To Serve With A Cajun Seafood Boil

• French Bread - This delicious homemade bread is perfect for sopping up all of the tasty sauce.
• Microwave Acorn Squash - Making your acorn squash in the microwave is practically effortless.
• Steamed Broccoli - Steamed broccoli is a classic side dish that pairs well with this delicious seafood meal.
• Baked Parmesan Zucchini Rounds - For a twist on a typical vegetable dish, try out these cheesy zucchini rounds.
• Cob Loaf - This yeast-based bread is completely beginner-friendly.
• Rustic Bread - Another delicious bread that can easily accompany your savory seafood dish.

📖 Recipe Card