Cajun Seafood Boil with Garlic Butter Sauce

FAQs & Tips + Tricks For Recipe Success

Here’s some extra tidbits & more information about this seafood boil recipe:

• Use an extra large pot: Seafood boils require cooking in a very large pot because once the liquid and food is added, the pot will be very full. I use my largest dutch oven (it’s about 10 quarts). Any super big stock pot or dutch oven is recommended for all the ingredients to fit nicely.
• Beer replacement: Great alternatives to using beer include chicken broth/stock or any nonalcoholic beer as an easy substitute.
• Cajun seasoning: This type of seasoning is a blend that contains salt, red pepper, black pepper, garlic, and more. Brands like Slap Ya Mama or Tony Chachere’s stay in my kitchen pantry for all that Cajun-forward flava!
• Old Bay seasoning: Seafood and Old Bay are like besties, it just is what it is. This well-known seafood staple is another seasoning blend that contains celery salt, pepper, and paprika to name a few.
• Andouille: This is pre-cooked sausage and comes packed with a touch of heat (it’s smoked, nicely seasoned, and a staple among Cajun cuisine), but you can also use any other smoked sausage that you favor. Kielbasa or beef sausage make great substitutes for andouille.
• Potatoes: Use any small/baby potato variety. Red potatoes are common for seafood boils, but I love baby Yukon gold potatoes for their buttery flesh- either one or a combination of both is nice as well!
• Shrimp: I recommend using colossal shrimp or jumbo shrimp for this Cajun seafood boil. In fact, I typically grab super jumbo tiger shrimp that’s deveined with the peel still on. Peel-and-eat, big shrimp works beautifully here as it delivers meaty, plump bites of shrimp that’s more flavorful.

How To Serve Your Cajun Seafood Boil

Seafood boils are traditionally served by emptying the ingredients onto a newspaper-lined table. Pour the buttery sauce over the goods and then everyone just goes after whatever they desire. It’s quite chaotic and fun in the very best way! Additionally, it makes the clean-up much easier. However, I like to serve it on an extra large baking sheet or platter. Everything is more contained and the garlic butter sauce doesn’t soak into the newspaper.

Please continue to the next page (>) for the full list of ingredients and complete cooking instructions. Enjoy this meal!