Last Updated on September 19, 2023 by Toya
Are you planning on making a huge seafood boil feast? If you are, then chances are you’re looking for a flavorful seafood boil seasoning mix to help make this seafood boil recipe the best it could possibly be.
This simple seafood boil mix made with common seafood boil spices will not disappoint!
Seafood boil seasoning recipe
Seafood boil seasoning is the spice mix you use to flavor the water that you are using to boil the seafood for any seafood boil. Sometimes, it is also used to add flavor to a seafood sauce. A seafood boil spice mix helps to add lots of flavor to the seafood as it cooks.
Today, I’ll show you how to use the best spices for seafood boil to make magic in the kitchen!
Many people choose to use minimal seasonings during this step, or just use a simple liquid crab boil or an easy liquid crab boil alternative, then go on to make a more flavorful seafood boil sauce (sometimes made using a seafood seasoning recipe, melted butter, chopped onions, broth, and a few other ingredients) to pour over the boil or use as a dipping sauce for the boil. I’ve done it like this many times before, and the recipe turned out well.
However, nothing is better than a seafood boil recipe that is made with seasoned seafood! So, if you want to take your seafood boil to the next level, I suggest you use homemade seafood boil seasoning every time! It is a great option if you don’t want to use Zatarain’s seafood seasoning, or don’t have access to it at the time.
What’s in seafood boil seasoning?
This will depend entirely on the type of flavor you’re going for. But, generally, these are the seasonings that people typically add to their seafood boil. Of course, you don’t need to add all the seasonings listed below to the seafood boil or your seafood seasoning recipe.
But you can pick and choose a handful of the flavors you would like and make a great seafood seasoning for your seafood boil recipes: Here are the most popular spices and herbs used to make seafood boils or spice mixes:
Popular seasonings for seafood boil recipes
- Salt
- Chili powder
- Red pepper flakes
- Ginger powder
- Paprika
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Celery seeds
- Old bay
- Cayenne pepper
- Lemon pepper
- Chili flakes
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cajun seasoning
And, now, here’s how I make my own seafood boil seasoning recipe to add great flavor to my own seafood boil recipes:
Seafood boil seasoning ingredients
To make a simple recipe for seafood boil seasoning, you will need:
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
If you’re like most, you already have all the spices and herbs listed in the ingredients list, but you may not have Old Bay seasoning.
In a hurry? Grab some old bay here.
If you need some for this recipe, check out my favorite type of old bay seasoning for seafood, poultry, and meats on Amazon.
Note that besides the seasonings listed above, it is also important to add some extra ingredients to the boiling water in which you’ll cook the seafood boil for the perfect flavor. These other ingredients include lemon or lime juice, garlic, and bay leaves.
- 1 whole lemon or lime, juiced
- 3 bay leaves
- 6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
How to make seafood boil seasoning
To make your own diy seasoning for seafood boil, measure out all of the ingredients.
Then add them all to a bowl.
Mix well until all the spices are well incorporated. Also, you can blend the seafood boil mix for a few minutes to get rid of any chunks.
Pour it into a jar with a tight seal and use it whenever you need to.
Possible variations of this seafood boil spice recipe
This is my basic sea food boil seasoning recipe. However, this recipe is incredibly versatile, so please feel free to play around with different ingredients and customize whatever spices will best work for your seafood boil or seafood boil sauce. For example, you could choose to…
- Use more Old Bay seasoning: When it comes to making seasoning mixes or using different types of seasonings for seafood boils, Old Bay always makes an appearance. I like Old Bay seasoning well enough, but I don’t particularly love it, so I try not to use too much of it. If you enjoy Old Bay, you can add some more to the diy seafood boil seasoning to suit your taste.
- Use cayenne pepper: If you would like to turn up the heat on this seafood boil spice recipe, then some cayenne pepper will do the trick. Start with less, then adjust to your taste.
- Add a sweetener: If you would like to balance out the flavor of the other spices in the sea food boil seasoning, then a teaspoon of your desired sweetener can help.
- Add red pepper flakes: If you want this seafood boil powder to have some subtle heat, feel free to add some red pepper flakes.
Making seafood boil seasoning packets
You can make your own seafood boil seasoning packets by placing 2 – 4 tablespoons of the seasoning mix plus the bay leaves (crushed or whole) into tiny resealable drawstring spice bags like the ones below. This is the easiest way to try out a homemade seafood boil bag seasoning option.
If you want to make crab boil seasoning bags., these are my best recommendation. The bags are made of cheesecloth, allowing the flavors of the different spices to sip into the boil while keeping all the bits and pieces of spice and seeds contained.
How to use this easy seasoning for seafood boil
- Want to learn how to season seafood boil? For a truly tasty seafood boil, simply add 4 tablespoons of the seasoning boil mix recipe, along with the juice from 1 lime or lemon, 6 cloves of garlic, 3 bay leaves, and 16 cups of water, to a very large, deep pot. Bring to a boil, then cook your seafood and vegetables in this seasoned water.
- For shrimp boil, add 3–4 tablespoons of the seafood boil spice mix to a large skillet of water. Also add 3 bay leaves, and proceed to make your yummy shrimp boil.
- I’ve also used this homemade seafood seasoning to make seafood boil sauces. Just add 2 tablespoons of the seafood seasoning recipe plus an extra teaspoon of cayenne pepper to 8 tablespoons of melted butter.
How to store
Store this seafood spice mix in an airtight container for up to six months. Ensure that it is stored in a cool, dry place, and try to use up this seafood boil mix recipe as quickly as possible to ensure that you’re enjoying the best seafood boil seasoning before the flavors are diminished.
Now that you know how to make the best seasoning for seafood boil with ingredients from your kitchen. Also, feel free to check out this list of ingredients to make a seafood boil here.
More seafood recipes readers love:
- Keto seafood boil
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- Seafood boil recipe with boiled eggs
- Easy shrimp seasoning
Seafood Boil Seasoning
Are you planning on making a huge seafood boil feast? If you are, then chances are you’re looking for a flavorful seafood boil seasoning mix to help make this seafood boil recipe the best.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 2 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
Instructions
- Measure out all of the ingredients.
- Then add all the ingredients to a bowl.
- Mix well until all the spices are is well incorporated. Also, you can blend the spice mix for a few minutes to get rid of any chunks.
- Pour into a jar with a tight seal and use whenever you need to.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 servings Serving Size: 2 tablespoonsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 25Total Fat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2727mgCarbohydrates: 5.7gFiber: 1.6gSugar: 0.3gProtein: 1g