The BEST Crab Boil Recipe (In 10 Simple Steps!)

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Last Updated on August 10, 2023 by Toya

Are you craving a delicious crab boil recipe? This easy crab boil recipe made in the oven is the perfect recipe to try! It’s made with crab legs, mussels, potatoes, corn, and a delicious crab boil sauce made with my famous crab boil seasoning and butter. This seafood dish is so good you’ll want to make it over and over again!

Easy crab boil 

If you love seafood, but don’t want to deal with a big, heavy pot of boiling seafood and the mess it can create, I have the perfect solution for you!

This delicious crab boil recipe cooked in a bag is the only recipe you’ll need. This easy recipe offers all the decadent flavors of traditional crab leg boil without any of the hassles of handling a large pot. You’ll get all the concentrated flavors and super easy clean-up.

In addition, this recipe is also perfect for large parties! You can prepare several bags of crab boil and have them ready in the refrigerator a couple of hours before your guests arrive. Then, cook them in the oven simultaneously and enjoy those in no time. This is an excellent option for events like New Year’s or summer evenings.

The ingredients for this recipe include crab legs, mussels, potatoes, sweet corn on the cob, sausages, and a mixture of butter and crab boil seasoning. To make it easier, there are 3 main components for this dish including the seafood and accompanying foods, the ingredients for the delicious crab boil butter sauce made with my homemade crab boil seasoning, seafood broth, and butter, and the garnishes.

Best tips for making crab boil

• For the butter and spice mixture, you’ll need unsalted butter, onion, garlic cloves, beer, broth or water, and crab boil seasoning (I love using my own homemade crab boil mixture, but you can also use this easy seafood boil seasoning mixture, or even old bay seasoning if you prefer). You can also add some red pepper flakes, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, or lemon pepper seasonings to taste.
• Garnishes include fresh parsley and lemon slices.
• Be sure to properly thaw any frozen seafood in the refrigerator or under running cold water before cooking.
• To cook the crab boil in a baking bag, you’ll need a large, deep oven bag and a deep roasting pan or disposable tray to place the filled bag in.
• For serving, you’ll need waxed butcher paper, two layers of approximately 4 feet each should be enough.

Now you’re ready to prepare a delicious crab boil recipe in a baking bag right in the comfort of your own kitchen! 

Ingredients for making a crab boil 

• 1 pound potatoes
• 3 ears of corn, (cut into 9 pieces)
• 1 pound sausages
• 1 pound crab legs
• ½ pound mussels
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 teaspoons of homemade crab seasoning
• 1 large onion
• 1 or 2 lemons
• 6 heaping tablespoons of butter
• ¼ cup seafood broth, beer, or water

How to easily make a crab boil recipe

Start by chopping the ears of corn into three pieces, and set them aside.

Then, chop the sausages into small pieces, and set them aside as well.

After that, chop the potatoes (with skin) into small, bite-sized pieces, and set them aside too.

Precook the corn in boiling water for 5-7 minutes, and then set them aside to cool.

Precook the potatoes in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, or until they are almost cooked through, and then set them aside to cool.

Then preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

In a small saucepan, make a crab boil sauce by melting the butter over medium heat. Add the crab seasoning and chopped onion to the pan, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic to the pan, and cook for another minute or until fragrant. Then, remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the precooked corn, potatoes, sausages, crab legs, and mussels. Pour the butter mixture over the top of the contents in the mixing bowl, and toss everything together until all ingredients are evenly coated.

Next, using a large oven bag, place the mixture in the bag, and squeeze the bag to seal it shut. Place the bag in a large, deep roasting pan.

Bake the bag in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until everything is cooked through and tender. Once the bag is out of the oven, carefully open it up and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top of everything.

Serve the crab boil in a bag on a large platter, garnished with fresh lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

This recipe is perfect for a family meal or gathering with friends. It’s simple to make and perfect for those who love crab legs. The buttery crab seasoning sauce gives the dish a deliciously rich flavor and the combination of different ingredients provides a great texture and taste. 

If you want a dipping sauce for this crab boil recipe, serve it with some of my mouthwatering seafood sauce, or make a simple crab boil sauce recipe such as this one.

Variations of the crab boil recipe

While I only used crab legs, mussels, potatoes, corn, and sausages for this simple crab boil feast, there are other options you can use.

For example, most crab boil recipes include shrimp, crab (I used blue crab legs), lobsters, mussels, clams, andouille sausages (or other types of sausage that are great for seafood), corn on the cob, and red potatoes (or other small, waxy potatoes). In addition to the crab legs and mussels, you can use some of the other shellfish listed here too!

You can also use king crab legs, or snow crab legs in place of the blue crab legs that I used for this recipe.

More seafood recipes worth making

• The BEST seafood boil recipe
• Seafood boil made in a bag
• Cajun seafood boil dish
• Seafood boil made with eggs
• Seafood boil with lobster tails