Louisiana Seafood Boil
This seafood boil recipe is bursting with flavor and is perfect for a festive gathering or a casual get-together. Cooking the seafood and vegetables together in a flavorful broth creates a delicious harmony of taste that is sure to please your guests. Whether served warm or at room temperature, this dish is a true celebration of the sea.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 8 quarts water
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 6 yellow onions, unpeeled
- 4 celery stalks, halved crosswise
- 2 lemons, unpeeled and quartered
- 12 garlic cloves
- 5 bay leaves
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, thickly sliced
- Crab boil spice mix (see above) or 6 oz. packaged whole-spice crab boil
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup sea salt, or to taste
- 1 Tbs. cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 Tbs. black peppercorns, or to taste
- 2 to 3 lb. small red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled
- 24 live blue crabs or 4 to 6 small live Dungeness crabs
- 6 ears of corn, husked and halved crosswise
- 5 lb. large shrimp, with heads attached
Instructions
- Pour the water into a large stockpot. Add the oil, onions, celery, lemons, garlic, bay leaves, ginger, crab boil spice mix, salt, cayenne and black peppercorns and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 10 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and boil for 5 minutes. Add the crabs and boil for 15 minutes. Add the corn and boil for 5 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes.
- Using tongs or a skimmer, retrieve the seafood and vegetables from the pot and serve them warm atop several thicknesses of newspaper or large sheets of parchment paper, or transfer to a large serving platter. The seafood can also be served at room temperature or chilled. Use a nutcracker or a table knife to crack the shells. Serves 8 to 12.
- Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World Series, <i>New Orleans,</i> by Constance Snow (Oxmoor House, 2005).
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