Seafood Boil

There’s no secret in making this feast, all you need are fresh seafood. Seafood Boil is a dish of mixed seafood like prawns, lobster, crab, and clams in a Cajun Spice mix served with corn, butter sauce and lemon.

Did you know seafood boil is not really the name of this dish? Seafood boil actually is a term used for a social event in which shellfish is the central element on that occasion. Usually, these events entail boiling of shellfish on a large pot but there are other instances where these exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates are prepared by steaming, baking and in some cases consumed in its raw form. Think of it like a potluck, fish fry or barbecue, it’s a community, family or a gathering event where food is enjoyed by everyone.

In United States there are many popular Seafood Boil gatherings in different states like the crawfish boil in Louisiana, crab feast in Maryland, Low Country Boil in Georgia and the Carolinas and clam bake in New England to name some. It may sound that this creation is American, but it is not, in fact this was brought by the Canadians in the mid-18th century when the Acadians moved southward to avoid political turmoil. This difficulty in life was then turned to something beautiful, something that can bring everyone together, feed them in the process while keeping the social scene on the places they emigrated, they made a festive community gathering and it was the Seafood Boil. Today seafood boil is enjoyed around the world even in Korea where it is a main scene in many mukbang videos.

So, what are the rules of seafood boil? There are no strict rules on making one, but I guess in line with the real tradition of making one any shellfish should be the main ingredient, the rest is up to the community to decide. Four our recipe today we strictly used shellfish in the form of clams, crabs, lobsters, and prawns, it may look complicated to make because of the wonderful ingredients involved but take it from the name, it is a simple as boiling an egg.

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Seafood Boil

  • Author: Raymund
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 50 mins
  • Yield: 3 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Seafood Boil is a dish of mixed seafood like prawns, lobster, crab, and clams in a Cajun Spice mix served with corn, butter sauce and lemon.

 


Ingredients

Units Scale

Seafood

  • 1 kg clams, scrubbed
  • 3 pcs large mud crabs, scrubbed
  • 3 lobster tails
  • 500 g prawns
  • 2 pcs chorizo, cut into 1-inch sections
  • 2 ears fresh yellow corn, cut into 3-inch pieces

Cooking Liquid

  • 1 litre water
  • 2 large lemons, halved crosswise
  • 2 large red onions, quartered
  • 4 tbsp Cajun seasoning
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 whole garlic head, halved crosswise
  • 2 pcs dried bay leaves

Spiced Butter Sauce

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp hot sauce

Instructions

  1. In a pot pour the water then add the juice from lemons, then the lemon skin. Add the rest of the cooking liquid ingredients. Bring to a boil, keep heat on high.
  2. Add the corn at the bottom then followed by the crab and chorizo, continue to boil in high heat covered for 5 minutes
  3. Add the lobster tails, continue to boil in high heat for 5 minutes while covered.
  4. Add the clams and prawns, continue to boil in medium heat for 5 minutes while covered.
  5. While seafood is boiling make the butter sauce, in a saucepan add water and once water is hot (not boiling) add butter while continuously mixing to emulsify and thicken. Once butter and water are mixed together turn the heat off, make sure it does not boil.
  6. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, mix well then transfer into serving bowl.
  7. Drain pot in a large colander, using tongs transfer seafood, corn, and chorizo in a serving platter, discarding the onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Pour a bit of cooking liquid on the top then serve with Spiced Butter Sauce.

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5 Responses

  1. wow My mouth is watering terribly! Can I come over for the dinner?

  2. My comment got lost…I just want to say that this looks absolutely mouthwatering!

  3. Seafood boils were a main part of our summer diet growing up. Noth ,y parents were from coastal New England and we went back to visit every summer. Beautiful photos!

  4. Oh this looks absolutely SPLENDID – just like a photo for a food magazine cover! Seafood always is a good idea, but the Cajun touch makes it even better!

  5. suituapui says:

    Can’t go wrong with seafood! And the soup would be so very very sweet!!! Makes great stock for cooking a lot of things too.

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