Cajun Seafood Boil with Garlic Butter Sauce
This Cajun Seafood Boil with Garlic Butter Sauce recipe is absolutely delicious and jam-packed with a rich mix of savory, garlicky flavors!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Seafood Boil
- 3 to 4 quarts water
- 3 tablespoons old bay seasoning
- 2 tablespoons salt free creole seasoning
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt, adjust to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 large lemon, cut in half
- 12 ounces andouille or kielbasa sausage, sliced
- 1 pound baby potatoes
- 1 pound lobster tails or pre-cooked snow crab leg clusters, fresh or frozen
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds extra large shrimp, deveined, shell-on or peeled
- 2 to 3 ears sweet corn on the cob, cut into thirds
- Avocado or preferred oil, for cooking sausage
Cajun Garlic Butter Sauce
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 8 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon salt free creole seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon salt free lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar, optional
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or a few splashes of hot sauce, optional
- 1 cup reserved seafood boil cooking liquid, water or chicken broth
- Juice 1/2 large lemon
- kosher salt to taste, as needed
Assembly
- fresh lemon slices
- fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Into a large pot, add and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix in the paprika, garlic powder, Creole and Old Bay seasonings and paprika. Next, add in the quartered onions. Squeeze the juice of the halved lemons into the boiling liquid and then add in the remaining lemon halves into the pot. Give the mixture a thorough mix to combine and bring to a steady boil.
- Add in the baby potatoes and corn into the boiling mixture. Stir to combine and let it cook for 5 to 6 minutes. At this point remove the corn, transfer to a large serving plate or try and set aside. Continue to cook the potatoes until it is almost fork tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Next, carefully add the lobster tails and shrimp into the boiling mixture ensuring that it is submerged. Cook the seafood for 5 to 6 minutes or until the shrimp turns bright orange pink and the lobster tails have curl up and take on a bright red color.
- As the seafood cooks, prepare the sausage. In a frying pan over medium high heat, add a light drizzle of oil and then the slices of sausage. Cook on both sides until the sausage starts to become plump and toasted, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to serving tray with the corn.
- Once the shrimp and lobster are done cooking, use a large slotted spoon to scoop up and transfer the potatoes and seafood onto the tray with the corn and sausage. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid and discard the remaining liquid with the onions and lemons pieces.
- In the same pot used to cook the seafood boil ingredients, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the garlic and cook while stirring until it becomes softened and fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Next, mix in the seasonings (paprika, lemon pepper, onion powder, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, old bay and creole seasonings) and cook the sauce for an additional 1 to 2 minutes to allow the seasonings and spices to bloom.
- Stir in the reserved seafood boil liquid into the sauce starting with 1/4 to 1/2 cup and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Bring the sauce to light boil to thicken up a bit, about 4 to 5 minutes or longer as needed. Taste the sauce and season with salt, if needed.
- Carefully add the cooked seafood, corn, potatoes and sausage into the pot with the Cajun garlic butter sauce. Use a large cooking spoon to gently mix and fully coat the ingredients in the sauce.
- Transfer the coated seafood boil ingredients onto a large serving platter. Spoon over the remaining sauce and garnish seafood boil with lemon slices and fresh parsley.
- Serve seafood boil family style or in individual bowls as is or with a side of rice or toasted bread for dipping in the sauce. Enjoy!