This Cajun crawfish & seafood boil recipe, features my deliciously flavorful Cajun butter sauce, makes the ultimate summertime feast. A surprisingly simple, yet sophisticated, one-pot meal with fresh seafood, flavorful corn, and tender potatoes. Bet you won’t make it any other way after this!
What is a Seafood Boil?
A seafood boil is a Southern-style feast where a variety of fresh seafood, like shrimp and crab, is cooked in a flavorful broth with corn and potatoes. Seafood boils vary by regional styles such as low country boil, Frogmore stew, and Louisiana crawfish boil. But by any name, it’s a communal eating tradition that spans generations.
The secret to any true Southern seafood boil is the seasoning. I’ve had the privilege of mastering some secrets of traditional Cajun cooking because generations of my family grew up with the Big Easy as their playground. My homerun Cajun seasoning is always a crowd favorite. Although my own family is a bit wimpy by Louisiana standards when it comes to heat, so I tend to have a light hand with the cayenne.
This custom blend of spices is versatile enough to use on everything from Cajun Blackened Shrimp, Blackened Mahi Mahi, Oven Roasted Potatoes, and even makes an appearance in creamy Cajun Crab Dip.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This recipe is everything- savory, spicy, and straightforward. Every bite burst with flavor.
- The corn and the potatoes are drawn in the seasoned water. Although I’ll never turn down crab legs, the corn is a serious contender for my favorite part.
- Simple one-pot meal that invites friends & family to enjoy delicious food together.
What Goes in a Cajun Seafood Boil?
The beauty of this dish is that there’s not one right way to do it. Choose seafood suits your budget. Personally, I find andouille sausage and crawfish essential ingredients for a classic Cajun Seafood Boil.
There are about 5 pounds of seafood in this recipe. Adjust the balance of each to more or less, as desired. There’s no need to alter seasoning or other ingredients accordingly.
- Seafood Ideas
- Crawfish (aka crawdads, mud puppies, poor man’s lobster, crayfish, mud bugs)
- Snow Crab
- Lobster tails
- Mussels
- Clams
- Shrimp
- Ideas beyond seafood
- Andouille Sausage or Smoked Sausage
- Alligator Tail
- Hard boiled eggs (this is a new one for me)
- Vegetables (Can also be side dishes)
- Corn on the cob
- Fingerling or small potatoes
- Onions
- Okra
- Long Green Beans
- Cornbread on the side
Equipment Needed
- A HUGE Pot – I make this in my 20-quart Canning Pot. If you don’t have a pot that large, you can divide the recipe into 2 large soup pots evenly.
- Crab leg crackers or mallets
- Newspaper or vinyl tablecloth
- A Come-As-You-Are Attitude
How to Serve a Seafood Boil
The shelling and cleaning of all the seafood is the labor-intensive part, but that can be done the day before. Putting this meal together only takes 30 minutes in a big pot!
The fun part! Some friends poked fun at me for photographing this on a cookie sheet. “Girl, you ain’t no southerner! You throw that pile directly on the table!”
They aren’t wrong. This recipe is supposed to be tossed on newspaper in the middle of the table and served family style. Or use a vinyl tablecloth. Either way, cleanup is super easy. Roll up the shells and trash, then toss in the trash can. Winner!
Here are other suggestions for serving your boil:
- Mix Up the Seafood Selection: Experiment with a variety of seafood like clams, crab legs, and lobster tails to dress your dinner up or down.
- Bring the Heat: Offer hot sauce on the side for those who like to kick the heat up a notch.
- Don’t Forget Lemon Wedges: Serve lemon wedges alongside. These bring out the best seafood flavors.
- Set the Mood with Music: Play some tunes in the background to create a festive atmosphere.
- Provide Plenty of Napkins: Be prepared with an abundance of napkins to keep messy fingers in check while indulging in the delicious feast.
- If you’ve never sucked on a crawfish head, give it a go! I think it's overblown, but it is really fun taking photos of all your friends doing it. Pinch off the tail and insert the open side of the head into your mouth.
- Don’t forget the accouterments. Crab leg crackers or mallets, napkins, lemon & butter.
- End on a Sweet Note: Serve a refreshing summer dessert like Key Lime Pie or Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.
- Have fun! I like to clean and prep all of my seafood before guests arrive. Seafood boils should be stress-free and fun.
More Authentic Louisiana Recipes
FAQs
The beauty of a seafood boil is that it is a one-pot meal. Corn and small potatoes are traditionally included, but you could serve other Southern classics such as cornbread, Dirty Rice, Parmesan Green Beans, or Squash Casserole.
My recipe is designed so that all the seafood can be cooked together. However, if you make substitutions like clams or lobster, you may need to cook certain ingredients for more or less time.
For leftovers, heat the corn in the microwave. Steam seafood by adding water to the bottom of a large pot and heating to boiling. Place a double boiler or a large mesh strainer over the top of the boiling water. Add the shellfish and seafood and cover. Steam until warmed through.
Also called mud puppies, crawdads, and crayfish, these crustaceans look like very small lobsters and are found in the freshwater streams and riverbanks in the south from Texas to North Carolina, although they have been introduced in other places. They are boiled along with corn and potatoes to make a poor man’s seafood feast.
Lucky you that you have fresh, live crawfish! In many areas of the country, this is hard to find and, thus, this recipe is based on frozen, pre-cooked crawfish. If you use fresh, then the cooking time of the crawfish will change.
Not Sure
What's For Dinner?
Signup for recipe updates and get a free cookbook of Easy Weeknight Supper Solutions!
Check Out Our Other Recipes
PS. If you make this recipe, leave a COMMENT AND A STAR RATING in the comments section at the bottom and be sure to take a photo and tag it #cravingcreative on Instagram! I appreciate you for taking the time to read about me and my family recipes.
Cajun Crawfish & Seafood Boil
Equipment
- Newspaper or vinyl tablecloth
Ingredients
Cajun Spice Mixture
- 2.5 tablespoon Paprika
- 1.5 teaspoon Cayenne *See note to adjust heat level
- 1.5 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1.5 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon White Pepper Black Pepper can be substitued
- 2 teaspoon Salt
Seafood and Vegetables
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 8 oz Andouille or Smoked Sausage Cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
- 48 ounces Chicken broth 6 cups
- Water
- 1 lb Small Gold Potatoes
- 4 ears Corn Cut in half or about 3 inch pieces
- 1 lb Mussels or Clams
- 1 lb Shrimp deveined, shelled but with tails
- 1-2 lb Snow Crab Legs
- 2 lb Crawfish frozen, pre-cooked
- Chopped Parsely for garnish
- Hot Sauce for serving
- 3 Sticks Unsalted Butter 2 sticks for recipe, 1 or more for serving, but you may need more. Remove ½ salt if using salted butter
- 4 Lemons Sliced into wedges
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine all spices for the Cajun seasoning mixture: 2.5 tablespoon Paprika, 1.5 teaspoon Cayenne, 1.5 teaspoon Onion powder, 1.5 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme, 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano, 1 teaspoon White Pepper, 2 teaspoon Salt. Clean and prep all seafood.
- Heat 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add 8 oz Andouille or Smoked Sausage and cook until browned on both sides. Add 2 teaspoon Minced Garlic and ¼ cup of the Cajun seasoning mixture. Stir and cook for one minute.
- Pour the 48 ounces Chicken broth into the pot. Add 4 ears Corn and 1 lb Small Gold Potatoes. Add enough Water to cover the potatoes and corn. Bring to a boil and cook about 20 minutes. The potatoes should be tender, and the corn cooked through.
- After the potatoes are done, add 1-2 lb Snow Crab Legs, 1 lb Shrimp, 1 lb Mussels or Clams, and 2 lb Crawfish to the pot. Cook 5-6 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Remove from heat and drain, reserving ½ cup of liquid.
- While the pot is boiling, melt the 2 sticks of butter in the microwave and skim the top cloudy part off. Whisk in 2 teaspoons of the Cajun seasoning mixture. Add in the reserved liquid and whisk. Pour over the seafood or serve on the side for dipping.
- Serve on a cookie sheet or directly on the table over newspapers or plastic tablecloths. Garnish with Chopped Parsely if desired. Serve with melted butter, lemon wedges, Hot Sauce, and crab cracker utensils or mallets.
Paola says
Perfect for our end of summer bash and plenty of food. I had to buy a bigger pot but it was worth it.
Gina says
Yum! 😍
Carol says
Yum!
Anthony says
Considering doubling seafood and veggies for 16 people. Double the cajun spice mixture too?
Rachel says
It’s probably easiest to double the spice mixture but the boiling water may or may not need more spice – depends on how much water you have to add. The corn and such only need to have enough liquid to cover. However, do double the butter sauce/liquid, which uses some of the spice mixture. I hope that makes sense.
Tim says
How many does this serve?
Rachel says
As written, about 8 hungry people.