Don’t let the summer get away from you without having a seafood boil. While you will have to stand in the kitchen for 25 minutes while you’re adding things to the pot, it’s one of those dishes that’s worth every minute. This may look intimidating but I promise it’s so easy and the only way you can mess it up is if you leave the shrimp in too long. You can add and subtract depending on what you like and what you can find in your area. We are pretty lucky in NC to get fresh seafood, but I still have to get frozen crab legs from colder climates.
This is really one of those meals where you want everything set out before you start. Once your broth has been boiling along set a timer for 25 minutes. That’s about how long new potatoes will take to cook. Then you will add things based on how long they take to cook. Corn will come next and the seafood will wait until the very end. Shrimp, clams and mussels only take a few minutes so make sure your potatoes and corn are almost done before you start adding the seafood. Try to keep the lid on the pot while it’s cooking so that you don’t loose all those great flavors. If your pot is not enormous, you might have to crack the lid to keep it form boiling over.
Seafood Boil
It can’t be summer in the South without a seafood boil overflowing with your favorite seafood, corn and new potatoes. Perfect for when you’re having a big crowd, just make sure you have a big enough pot!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 4–6 quarts water
- 24 ounces white wine/beer, 2 bottles of beer, 1 bottle of wine
- 1 Orange, cut into quarters
- 2 carrots, cut into pieces
- 2 stalks celery, cut into pieces
- 2 head of garlic, Sliced in half
- 1 vidalia onion, cut into chuncks
- 3–5 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaf
- ¼ cup worcestershire sauce
- 4 ears corn on the cobb, cut into thirds
- 2 lbs new potatoes
- 8 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into 1 inch slices
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb crab legs
- 2 lbs mussels/clams
Instructions
1.Bring water to a roiling boil then add beer or wine, orange, carrots, celery, garlic and onion. Next add the seasoning and continue to a boil for an additional 10 minutes.
2.Set a timer for 25 minutes and add the new potatoes, cover and continue to boil. After 10 minutes, add corn and sausage. When the timer gets to the 10 minute mark, add crab legs. When it reaches 5 minutes, add shrimp. With 2-3 minutes left, add the mussels. Keep the lid on while you are cooking except to add the ingredients.
3.Test the potatoes before adding any seafood. If they are not close to being done, let them cook a bit longer before adding the seafood. You don’t want to overcook the shrimp or mussels.
4.Once the shrimp is pink and the mussels have opened, pour through a strainer and place seafood on a platter or lined baking sheet. Drizzle with browned butter if desired.
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