Cajun Seafood Boil Recipe

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Last Updated on April 14, 2025 by Toya

You absolutely must try this easy cajun seafood boil recipe! The easy cajun seafood boil bag recipe is made with juicy shellfish, sausages, fresh corn and potatoes, and a homemade cajun seasoning served in a yummy butter sauce. 

It is exactly what you’ll want to make for a fun family dinner that satisfies you. Plus, you can make this whole dish in under 1 hour! If you love seafood boil feasts as many other people do, I’ll show you how to make the best cajun boil recipe below! Also, if you like spicy foods, you might also want to check out my cajun shrimp boil recipe too!

But, let’s get back to the cajun seafood boil we’ll be making today!

Cajun Seafood Boil Recipe – Important Info

This seafood boil with cajun seasoning is super easy to make and is made in an oven bag to avoid making a mess in your kitchen. Because of how easy it is to clean afterward, and how tender and juicy the seafood boil is when cooked this way, it has become one of my favorite ways to make my cajun seafood boils. I call it my cajun seafood boil bag recipe.

But, even though you may not have any oven bags available, I’ll explain another way to make this cajun seafood feast with just a large pot and 16 cups of water! So keep reading for those awesome tips and tricks.

Using a Homemade Cajun Seasoning Recipe

Most cajun boil recipes are made using cajun seasoning. It’s quite easy to grab some cajun seasoning at your local grocery store. However, I prefer to make my own.

Therefore, if you’re like me, I will give you a quick homemade cajun seasoning recipe that you can use for not just a Louisiana cajun seafood boil recipe, but also for other dishes like my cajun shrimp, cajun wings, air fryer cajun shrimp, etc.

To make a simple DIY cajun seasoning, you can check out this cajun seasoning mix here, or just mix together these ingredients below. This mix makes exactly ¼ cup of Homemade Cajun seasoning which is just enough for this boil recipe:

• ¾ tbsp paprika

• ½ tbsp garlic powder

• ½ tbsp onion powder

• ½ tbsp salt

• ¼ tbsp white pepper

• ¼ tbsp black pepper

• ¼ tbsp oregano

• ¼ tbsp thyme

• ⅛ tbsp cayenne pepper (adjust to your liking)

Set this aside until you’re ready to use it in the boil recipe.

Tips & Tricks

Cut the potatoes in half especially if they’re large. Potatoes take the longest to cook in this dish, everything else needs just a few minutes until they’re ready.

Therefore, if using an oven bag to cook this meal as I have done, cutting large potatoes in half, or even quarters helps to speed up their cooking time.

Another trick is to precook your potatoes before they’re placed in the oven bag, then placed in the oven. Boil them for 10 – 12 minutes prior to placing them in the sealed oven bag.

Essential Tools for making Your Boil Recipe:

• Large Pot or Dutch Oven: A large pot is a must for boiling the seafood and vegetables, especially if you do not plan to use oven bags like I did. This is my favorite large seafood boil pot from amazon.
• Oven Bags: These are used for baking the seafood and vegetables, making cleanup easier. You can grab some oven bags on amazon here.
• Large Deep Pot or Bowl: For mixing the ingredients before placing them into the oven bags.
• Large Spoon or Tongs: To mix and handle the ingredients both before and after cooking.
• Baking Sheet Lined with Foil: To place the oven bags on during baking, to make cleanup easier.
• Knife: For chopping vegetables, such as cutting corn into thirds and halving potatoes and lemons.
• Cutting Board: A stable surface for chopping ingredients safely.
• Measuring Cups and Spoons: You need these to accurately measure out your ingredients like Cajun seasoning and butter. Grab a great stainless set here.
• Large Serving Platter or Tray: To serve the finished seafood boil.
• Garlic Press (Optional): If you hate mincing garlic cloves by hand, then this is your best friend!

Cajun Seafood Boil Ingredients

• 1 pound crab legs
• 1 pound large shrimp
• 1 pound mussels 
• 1 pound sausage
• 3-4 ears of corn
• 1 pound red potatoes
• ¼ cup Cajun seasoning
• ¾ cup butter (or 12 tablespoons or 1 ½ sticks)
• Juice of 1 lime/lemon
• 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
• Bay leaves, optional

How to Make Cajun Seafood Boil

Start by cleaning all the seafood properly. This will include cleaning all the shrimp if they’re not deveined, and scrubbing off any gunk from the crab legs and mussels. 

Also, husk the corn, then cut the corn into thirds. Then wash the potatoes until the water runs clean. Then precook the potatoes for 10-12 minutes and the corn for 10 minutes. 

While the corn and potatoes are precooking, chop the sausages into 1 inch pieces, mince the garlic, cut the lime or lemon in half and measure out the butter. At this point, you should also preheat your oven to around 375°F or 190°C while gathering all the ingredients needed in one place.

Next, grab the oven bag and a large deep pot or bowl and place the bag into the pot to help make placing the seafood and vegetables into the bag a bit easier.

Next, add the crab legs to the bottom of the oven bag. You can add more crab legs if you have them. This is just what I had on hand at the moment.

Then add the precooked corn and potatoes. Also add the mussels, sausages and shrimp.

Lastly add the cajun seasoning, chopped garlic, lime juice, and melted butter to the bag.

Use tongs to mix well until all the seafood and vegetables inside of the oven bag are fully coated with the butter and cajun seasoning mixture, then tie the bag closed and place it on a baking sheet lined with foil.

Place in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the oven. You can either enjoy this as a delicious cajun seafood boil bag recipe (see tips below on how to make cajun seafood boil bags), or pour out the cooked seafood onto a baking sheet. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with your favorite seafood sauce.

For this recipe, I quite enjoy using either my homemade garlic butter sauce or this homemade cajun butter sauce for even more yummy cajun flavor!

Other Cooking Methods

Cook Everything Inside a Large Pot

Not everyone may have oven bags at short notice. If you have no oven bags available at the moment, there is another easy way to cook this Louisiana-style seafood boil recipe. Follow the instructions below.

Fill a large pot with 16 cups of water.

Large Stock Pot with Glass Lid 12 Quart

$59.99

This is the perfect deep pot for cooking seafood boil recipes. It is very affordable and I use it for many of my seafood boils, crab boils, shrimp boils and more!

Buy It From Amazon

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03/30/2025 03:49 pm GMT

Also, add some bay leaves, and cajun seasoning, and squeeze the juice of 1-2 lemons/limes into the water. Bring to a boil then proceed to cook all the food like this:

• Place the chopped potatoes into the pot and cook for 15 minutes.
• Place the corn into the pot and cook for 8 minutes
• Place the crab legs and mussels into the pot and cook for 5 minutes
• Place the shrimp and sausages into the pot and cook for 3 minutes
• Drain out all the liquid from the pot, reserving about 1 cup of broth.
• Then proceed to make a cajun seafood sauce with an extra ¼ cup of cajun seasoning, 1 cup of butter, 3 cloves of freshly chopped garlic, and ½ of chopped onions.
• Melt the butter, then add the onion and garlic and cook till fragrant, about 1 minute. Next, add the cajun mix into the saucepan, stir well, and cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add the 1 cup of broth, whisk well, and let simmer for just 1 more minute.
• Lastly, pour this cajun sauce over the seafood inside the pot. Then toss as best you can, then pour the meal onto a large baking sheet or into a baking dish, garnish with fresh parsley or a fresh parsley substitute, and serve.

Making Actual Cajun Seafood Boil Bags

Note: This cajun seafood boil recipe is made in a bag. However, it is not served in a bag. The contents of the bag are poured onto a platter or baking sheet before being served. Therefore, if you want to make cajun seafood boil bags, here’s what to do instead:

Grab 6 oven bags. I recommend smaller 10 x 15 or 14 x 17 oven bags for this cooking method.

20 Count Oven Bags For Making Seafood Boils (10 15 inch)

$8.99

Great for making individual-sized seafood boil bags

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03/22/2025 05:47 am GMT

Follow all the instructions until it comes time to bag the ingredients.

At this point, divided all the ingredients listed above into 6. Place each serving into an oven bag and seal.

Place in the oven and cook this easy cajun seafood boil bag recipe for 35 minutes. Once cooked, serve each delicious cajun seafood boil bag to one person.

Recipe Variations

What to Serve with Cajun Boil Recipe

This dish is hearty enough to be served on its own. However, you can always enjoy it with things like

• Sourdough bread – Great for sopping up the extra delicious butter sauce
• Green salad – Add some healthy greens alongside this delicious hearty meal

Ready to make this cajun boil recipe? Check out the recipe card below! 

Also, if you’re looking for another yummy cajun-inspired recipe, try out my easy jambalaya recipe without rice here. 

More seafood boil recipes

• Seafood boil with eggs recipe

• Seafood boil recipe in a bag
• Keto seafood boil recipe
• Seafood boil recipe
• Seafood boil with lobster
• One-pot shrimp boil

Continue to Content

Cajun Seafood Boil In A Bag

Prep Time: 22 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 57 minutes

You absolutely must try this easy cajun seafood boil recipe! The recipe is made with juicy shell fish, sausages, fresh corn and potatoes and a homemade cajun seasoning, served in a yummy butter sauce. 

Print

Ingredients

• 1 pound crab legs
• 1 pound large shrimp
• 1 pound mussels 
• 1 pound sausage
• 3-4 ears of corn
• 1 pound red potatoes
• 1/4 cup cajun seasoning
• ¾ cup butter (or 12 tablespoons or 1 ½ sticks)
• Juice of 1 lime /lemon
• 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
• Bay leaves, optional

Instructions

1. Start by cleaning all the seafood properly. This will include cleaning all the shrimp if they’re not deveined, and scrubbing off any gunk from the crab legs and mussels. 
2. Also, husk the corn, then cut the corn into thirds. Then wash the potatoes until the water runs clean. Then precook the potatoes for 10-12 minutes and the corn for 10 minutes. 
3. While the corn and potatoes are precooking, chop the sausages into 1 inch pieces, mince the garlic, cut the lime or lemon in half and measure out the butter. At this point, you should also preheat your oven to around 375°F or 190°C while gathering all the ingredients needed in one place.
4. Next, grab the oven bag and a large deep pot or bowl and place the bag into the pot to help make placing the seafood and vegetables into the bag a bit easier.
5. Next, add the crab legs to the bottom of the oven bag. You can add more crab legs if you have them. This is just what I had on hand at the moment.
6. Then add the precooked corn and potatoes. Also add the mussels, sausages and shrimp.
7. Lastly add the cajun seasoning, chopped garlic, lime juice, and melted butter to the bag.
8. Use tongs to mix well until all the seafood and vegetables inside of the oven bag are fully coated with the butter and cajun seasoning mixture, then tie the bag closed and place it on a baking sheet lined with foil.
9. Place in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes.
10. Once cooked, remove from the oven. You can either enjoy this as a delicious cajun seafood boil bag recipe (see tips below on how to make cajun seafood boil bags), or pour out the cooked seafood onto a baking sheet. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with your favorite seafood sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: approximately 1.2 lbs cooked cajun seafood boil
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 754Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 42gCholesterol: 255mgSodium: 4276mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3.2gSugar: 6.4gProtein: 47g