How To Make A Seafood Boil

SEAFOOD BOIL

Steps:

• Cut 2 of the lemons into quarters. Slice the remaining lemon into wedges and reserve the wedges for garnish.
• Fill a large pot with 14-16 cups of water. Place the 2 quartered lemons in the water along with the Old Bay seasoning, garlic and onion. Bring to a boil.
• Add the potatoes to the pot and cook for 8 minutes.
• Add the lobster tails and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the clams, crab, and corn, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the shrimp and sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Drain the seafood mixture from the pot, reserving 1 cup of the broth.
• Melt the butter in a small bowl and whisk it into the reserved broth. Pour the broth over the seafood mixture.
• Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Sprinkle with additional Old Bay seasoning to taste, then serve immediately.

HOW TO MAKE A SEAFOOD BOIL

Steps:

• Put a large stockpot on the stove and pour in 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water. Use a stockpot that's large enough to hold all of the water along with all of the seafood that you'll be adding. Set it on the stove and add 1 gallon (3.8 L) of cold water or enough water fill the pot two-thirds full. If your stockpot has a basket insert, use it! This makes it a lot easier to lift the cooked seafood out of the pot once it's done. If you don't have one, don't worry-you can use a slotted spoon to scoop out the food.
• Add lemons, onion, chilies, thyme, garlic, and seasonings to the water. Cut 2 lemons in half and squeeze the juice into the water. Then, toss the halves in along with 1 quartered sweet onion. Add 2 halved serrano chiles, 1 bunch of fresh thyme, 1 halved head of garlic, 2/3 cup (76 g) of seafood seasoning, 1 tablespoon (17 g) of kosher salt, and 3 bay leaves. To give your boil a hoppy taste, you can pour in a 12 fl oz (350 ml) can of your favorite beer. You can make your own cajun-style seasoning with paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, ground black pepper, ground white pepper, onion powder, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and dried thyme.
• Bring the mixture to a boil and cook it for 10 minutes. Turn the burner to medium-high so the water comes to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium so the liquid bubbles. Keep it at a low-boil for 10 minutes so the seasonings flavor the water. Heating the liquid also dissolves the salt to make a brine for your seafood.
• Add potato halves to the pot and simmer them for 10 minutes. Scrub 1 1⁄2 pounds (680 g) of red potatoes and cut them in half. Then, lower them into the bubbling liquid and put the lid on the pot. Set a timer for 10 minutes so you know when to add more ingredients. Don't cook the potatoes until they're soft or they'll disintegrate once you keep adding other ingredients. If your red potatoes are small, you don't have to cut them in half-just toss them into the pot whole.
• Put sausage and corn into the pot and cook everything for 7 minutes. Cut 2 or 3 13-ounce (396 g) packages of smoked kielbasa sausage into 2 in (5.1 cm) pieces and put them into the pot along with 3 halved ears of corn. Put the lid back on and boil them for 7 minutes. The corn, potatoes, and sausages should be covered with liquid. If there's not enough, pour in more water until they're submerged. You can also add the sausage in at the same time as the potatoes.
• Lower clams into the pot and boil them for 8 minutes. Take 15 cleaned and scrubbed littleneck clams and toss them into your stockpot. Put the lid back on and set your timer for 8 minutes. The clams should open once they're done cooking. If you're cooking large clams, you may need to add 1 or 2 minutes to the cooking time.
• Add jumbo shrimp, turn off the burner, and steep them for 10 minutes. It's really easy to overcook shrimp, so toss 2 pounds (910 g) of deveined jumbo shrimp into the liquid and turn off the burner. Then, put the lid on the pot and set a timer for 10 minutes. Keep in mind that the shrimp won't be completely cooked after 10 minutes. The timer just lets you know when to add the crabs.
• Add crab legs to the pot and set the timer for 5 minutes. Unlike whole crabs, crab legs are usually sold pre-cooked and frozen, you just need to reheat them. Push 1 1⁄4 pounds (570 g) of Alaskan king crab legs into the liquid so they're submerged. Put the lid back on the pot and let the crabs stay in the pot until they're hot. Using whole crabs instead of legs? You'll probably have to add 4 to 5 minutes to the cooking time.
• Take all of the food out of the pot and spread it on a newspaper-lined table. If your stockpot has a steamer basket, slowly lift it up and out of the pot. If not, use a big slotted spoon and scoop the food out. Spread newspapers on your table and put the seafood directly onto it, or arrange the seafood on serving platters. Put any leftover seafood into an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.

OLD BAY® SEAFOOD BOIL

Steps:

• Fill a very large stockpot fitted with a basket insert with about 8 quarts of water, or about halfway full. Squeeze lemons into the water, tossing the halves in too. Add onions, chiles, thyme, garlic, 1 2/3 cup seafood seasoning, 6 teaspoons kosher salt, and bay leaves; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir potatoes into the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Next, add the sausage and corn; cook another 5 minutes, making sure everything stays covered with the liquid. Add the clams and boil until they open, about 8 minutes. Toss in the shrimp and shut off the heat. Cover the pot and let the shrimp steep in the flavor for 10 minutes, adding the crab in the last 5 minutes (press them into the liquid).
• Drain and spread the crab, shrimp, sausage, clams, corn, potatoes, and onions out on a newspaper-covered table or on 3 large serving trays. Sprinkle with a dusting of Old Bay® or provide for individual use.

SEAFOOD BOIL

Steps:

• Use a very large pot (we use a 40 quart pot), fill it half full with water; bring water to a full boil. Add salt, shellfish boil, sausage, and potatoes. Let cook until the potatoes are approximately 1/2 completed cooking.
• Stir in lemons, hot peppers, and corn. Continue boiling until all of the vegetables are tender. Turn off the heat.
• Mix in shrimp and crab. Cover pot and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. When shrimp are pink and the crabmeat opaque and flaky, remove all of the vegetables and shellfish from the pot, and drain well. Serve immediately.