Do you know what the secret to a flavor-packed and perfectly cooked Cajun seafood boil is? It is to cook the dish one step at a time. You have to go with the process slowly and gradually so that all of the flavors of the meat seep into your gravy. Seafood is a delicacy and to nail it can be quite the job. However, with our recipe, you can achieve one of the best Cajun seafood dishes you would have yet cooked.
First, simmer the potatoes in the flavor-packed combination of tangy lemons, garlic, onions, chilies, and Cajun seasoning. Next, you can add clams and sausages or any other meat you would like in the pan. And at the end, you add the shrimp and the crab legs and corn on the cob. The secret ingredient to any seafood boil is melted butter and in this case, you would add butter spiked with Cajun seasoning. This would make for the perfect dipping sauce.
However, this was just an overview of how things would go around your kitchen if you follow this guide. The real recipe with all the details is discussed below. You will find the measurements of all ingredients and what step to follow next too. Just follow our Cajun seafood recipe step by step and you will get the best tasting dish to date. Once you have learned how to cook it you can make it a permanent part of your party seafood menu! Without further ado, let’s dive into it.
Recipe
Total Time Required
1 hour and 35 minutes
Serves
6 Persons
Ingredients
For Cajun Seafood
6 quarts of water
1 ½ pound of shrimp (cleaned – shelled and deveined)
2-pound clams (scrubbed clean)
4 ears of fresh corn (cut into 3-inch pieces)
2 red onions (large and cut into halves)
1 ½ pound potatoes (cut into halves)
3 jalapeno chilies (cut into halves)
4 lemons (large and cut into half)
2 garlic heads (halved)
½ cup Cajun seasoning
2 ½ tsp of cayenne pepper
4 bay leaves (dried)
1 tbsp kosher salt
For Butter Sauce
¼ cup of water
2 tsp of lemon juice
¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
1 ½ cup or 3 sticks of unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
2 tsp of Louisiana style hot sauce
½ tsp of Worcestershire sauce
2 ½ tsp Cajun seasoning
Directions
Step 1
The first step is to get the corn ready. Take a baking tray and place the corn n it in a single layer. Keep the tray in the freezer and freeze until it is ready to use. The time you will need to freeze it for would be approximately 1 hour.
Step 2
Next, take a stockpot and add 6 quarts of water to it. Now, squeeze the lemons into a separate bowl and de-seed the juice. Pour the juice into the pot of water. Next add onions, garlic heads, jalapenos, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning and salt to the pot and cover it. Bring the water to a boil over a high flame and add potatoes to the pot. After adding the potatoes, cover the pot with a lid and lower the flame. This is to let the potatoes cook over a light flame. Once the potatoes are done, return to high flame, uncover the pot and boil for the next 15 minutes. Now, add clams and sausages into the pot. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer. Once the clams are done, uncover and boil on high flame for 5 minutes. Now, remove the broth from heat.
Step 3
Once you have set the pot of broth aside, add the cleaned shrimp and crab legs into the pot. You can do this with the help of a pair of tongs. Next, take out the corn from the freezer and incorporate that too into the broth. Once you are done cover the pot and let it sit for 15 minutes. Do not stir or keep it on the stove, just let it be undisturbed. Meanwhile, you can follow up with the next step.
Step 4
While you are waiting on your broth and for all of the flavor to seep into the meat you can work on the rest of the recipe. The second part of the recipe consists of you making the butter sauce. Now to make this first you need a medium-sized saucepan to melt the butter in.
Take the saucepan and place it over high heat. Add water to it and bring it to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat and add the sticks or the cubes of butter to the pan. Slowly whisk the mixture till it starts to thicken and emulsifies. Make sure that the heat is so low that the sauce does not boil. You have to be careful not to let it boil, otherwise, the butter would burn and ruin the taste of your sauce.
Once the sauce thickens, remove it from heat and add the chopped parsley, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce to it. Mix it properly and transfer the sauce to a gravy boat or a serving bowl, depending on what you prefer using and serving in.
Step 5
Lastly, coming back to the broth that you have previously set aside, drain your ready seafood boil with Cajun spices in a colander. This way you can easily transfer the ingredients with the help of tongs to a colander. Once it’s done transfer it to a serving platter and serve hot. Do not forget to keep the butter sauce along with it as that would help enhance the taste of your dish and take the flavor to the next level. Serve hot and enjoy!
