Seafood Boil

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep time: 15 mins

Total time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

1 lb jumbo shrimp
2 lbs snow crab legs
2 lobster tails, split in half
1 lb sausage (I like to use kielbasa sausage)
2 ears corn, cut in half
4 red potatoes
4 eggs
4 sticks butter
2 cups chicken or seafood stock
¾ cup Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
½ cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp sugar
2 lemons
1 peeled yellow onion
2 bulbs garlic
Kosher salt
2 tbsp black peppercorns
Parmesan rinds

Directions

1. Chop the cloves from 1 bulb of garlic and set aside. 
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the 4 sticks of butter over low heat. When the butter melts, add in your chopped garlic and let it simmer in the butter for 5 minutes.
3. Add seasonings to the garlic butter: ¼ cup Old Bay seasoning, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp onion powder, 2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp sugar. Mix well.
4. Add the chicken stock to your seasoned garlic butter and bring the heat to medium. Add in 2-3 Parmesan rinds and let the sauce cook for at least 45 minutes (the sauce should never come to a boil, it should be simmering. You may need to adjust the temperature as it is cooking). Stir the sauce occasionally as it cooks.  
5. Fill a very large stock pot ¾ of the way with water and bring to a boil. While the water is boiling, slice lemons and onions in half, smash and peel the cloves from 1 bulb of garlic and begin mixing seasoning for the boil. 

• Seasoning blend: ½ cup Old Bay seasoning, ½ cup kosher salt, 2 tbsp black peppercorns.

6. When water is rapidly boiling, add in the seasoning blend, lemons, onion, and garlic. Let boil for 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld together. 
7. Begin cooking the food. In order for everything to be cooked at the same time, this is how I staggered my cooking:

• The potatoes need the longest to cook, so they will be added first. I add the potatoes in, then set a 20-minute timer (25 minutes if you prefer your potatoes to be softer).
• When the timer hits the 10-minute mark, add in the crab legs, corn, eggs, and sausage. (Do NOT drop the egg into the water. It will crack. Use a ladle or mesh sieve to place it in gently)
• At the 5-minute mark, add in the shrimp and lobster tail.

8. When the timer goes off, remove all the food from the boil pot. What helps me do this easily is by taking out the snow crab legs with tongs, since they are the largest, and then straining the rest of the food. Place your eggs in ice cold water for 3-5 minutes to prepare them for peeling. 
9. Turn off your sauce and remove the Parmesan rinds. Stir in ½ cup chopped parsley.
10. Place all your seafood and accompaniments in a large roasting pan. Using a ladle or squirt bottle, cover all the seafood with sauce. Using any remaining sauce for dipping.

Recipe Tips

• The most important takeaway from this recipe, in my opinion, is the cooking technique of the seafood (making sure everything cooks simultaneously). If your lobster tails are larger than 4-5 oz, they may need longer than 5 minutes to cook. Here are the cooking times required for some other popular seafood choices: Mussels- 5 minutes; Crawfish- 3-5 minutes; Clams- 8-10 minutes.
• The Parmesan rind helps add a unique flavor to the sauce. Some of the Parmesan cheese will also come off and help thicken the sauce slightly. It can be omitted.
• If your sauce comes out too watery to your taste, thicken with a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water).
• The longer you let the sauce simmer, the better the flavors will meld together. In addition, using a homemade stock will create a better tasting sauce.
• The red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper may make the sauce spicy. Adjust those ingredients for a milder tasting sauce. If you want the sauce to be spicier, consider adding a halved jalapeno to your sauce while it is simmering.