The Easiest Seafood Boil Recipe (7 Easy Steps!)

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Last Updated on April 9, 2025 by Toya

Learn how to make this delicious seafood boil recipe in no time! The seafood boil is made with juicy shrimp, lobster, mussels, smoked sausages, corn, potatoes, and seasonings and is so good, you’ll want seconds…and maybe thirds!

This delicious seafood boil combines smoked sausage, corn, and potatoes with a myriad of delightful seafood; dressed with spicy garlic, butter, and lemon seafood sauce. It is a hearty and ideal dish to share with family and friends on a Sunday afternoon.

Easy Seafood Boil Becipe

This recipe is simple and versatile. It’s perfect for a muckbang, for a family gathering, or if you just feel like eating something different.

Those who have yet to try the seafood boil recipe may think that seafood does not go well with chorizos; however, the combination is indescribably good. Once you try it, you won’t get tired of eating it! But, if you don’t want chorizos, you can use other types of sausages for your seafood boil like andouille sausages or even Kielbasa sausages.

The key to this low country boil is to master the cooking times and do it all in the same seafood broth so all the flavors are the same throughout. For example, corn on the cob takes between ten and fifteen minutes to be soft; then, you have to add the potatoes and wait until they are almost tender to start adding the sausages and shellfish, which require more cooking time.

It’s pretty simple to make a muckbang sea food but will take a few steps. The idea is that everything stays on point and everything is cooked well and remains fresh when served, but not overcooked.

But, if you want to make a super easy seafood boil recipe, you can also try to make your seafood boil in a bag or even my easy ramen noodle seafood boil.

How do you cook a seafood boil?

Cooking a seafood boil is relatively easy. To cook a seafood boil, you’ll need to make a seafood broth in a large pot with water and DIY seafood boil seasoning, liquid crab boil, or another alternative, my homemade seafood seasoning or a handful of seasonings you like. Boil all these then cook the seafood, corn, sausages, and potatoes!

Tips for Making a Seafood Boil

A large pot is the best option when cooking a seafood boil. It’s great to use it to avoid messes, but also for helping to submerge the seafood in the water. You can use the largest pot you have in your house to cook your seafood boil no worries, but if you don’t have one, I recommend this one:

Lime or lemon juice is a great addition to the seafood boil. The citrus juice will help cut down on the freshness of the seafood as it cooks. While some people do it, I try not to add the lime with peels into the seafood broth to avoid bitterness. Instead, I like to squeeze the juice of 1 lime or lemon into the seafood broth before boiling any of the seafood and vegetables.

If you don’t want to use the Old Bay seasoning and cajun seasoning make your seafood broth for cooking the seafood boil recipe, you can use liquid crab boil or an alternative, my homemade crab boil seasoning mixture or my homemade seafood boil seasoning. Also, adding some bay leaves will give your seafood boil an extra flavor and aroma that complements seafood so well.  

Seafood Boil Ingredients

These are all the seafood boil ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. 

For the seafood Boil

• 1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined, or with shells on for extra flavor)
• 1 lb crab legs (or ox crabs, snow crab or king crab)
• 1 lb lobster tails (optional, but adds a great touch)
• 1 lb baby potatoes (halved or quartered)
• 3 corns on the cob (cut into halves or thirds)
• 1 lb smoked sausage, I used Chorizo, but you can also get Andouille on Amazon (cut into 2-inch pieces)
• ½ lb large mussels
• 1 lemon or lime (quartered)
• 8 cloves garlic (smashed)
• 1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning (or your favorite seafood seasoning)
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (optional for extra heat)
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt (to taste)
• ¼ cup melted butter (for serving)
• Chopped parsley (for garnish)
• 1 bunch of coriander

How long to cook seafood

The recipe is not restrictive, and you can use whatever shellfish you have on hand; Here, I leave a list with the cooking times of the most common.

1. Shrimp: 2 -3 minutes
2. Crabs or crab legs: 6 -10 minutes
3. Medium lobster or lobster tails: 12-15 minutes
4. Clams or mussels: 3 – 5 minutes

How to Make a Seafood Boil

First, gather all the ingredients for your seafood boil in one place.

Before preparation begins, all shellfish must be cleaned. To cleanse them, rinse them under running water and remove any traces of dirt.

Wash the potatoes very well with a brush, and cut them into halves or medium cubes. Peel the onion and cut it into two parts. Likewise, cut the corn into halves. Then cut the chorizo sausages into half-inch slices.

Set a large pot over medium-high heat. Then, add 12-16 cups of water, as well as the old bay seasoning, and cajun seasoning, the lime juice, half the bunch of parsley, the bunch of coriander, garlic cloves, and the chopped onion and the salt to taste.

At this point, if you have it, add a few bay leaves into this pot as well.

Start by Cooking the Potatoes and Corn:

• Once the water starts to boil, add the potatoes and corn on the cob and cook those for about 10-12 minutes.

Add the Sausage:

• Next, add the smoked sausage to the pot of boil water and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Then the Seafood:

• Carefully add the crab legs and lobster tails (if using) to the pot. Let them cook for about 5-7 minutes until they turn bright.
• Then, add the mussels and cook for 1 minute, then lastly the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Drain the broth:

• Reserve 1 cup of the broth, then carefully drain the contents of the pot into a large colander, then serve everything together on a large plate with seafood sauce on the side or drizzled over the food.
• To make a simple seafood boil sauce, melt the butter, and mix it into the 1 cup of reserved seafood boil broth. Drizzle on top of the seafood or use as a dip.

What to Serve with Seafood Boil?

You can enjoy this seafood boil on its own. It’s pretty filling. Otherwise, serve with a side of:

• Sourdough bread
• Green salad
• Boiled eggs – Eggs in seafood boil are a great addition. Perfect for enjoying with delicious seafood sauce. 
• Cucumber slices
• Green salad
• Bread rolls
• Celery sticks
• Green beans
• Mashed potatoes

Some Sauces to Serve with this Recipe

You can serve this seafood recipe with a few different sauces including:

• Seafood boil sauce
• Cajun butter sauce
• Bloves sauce
• Creamy cajun sauce
• Garlic butter sauce
• Flavorful crab boil sauce

How long will Seafood Boil last in the Fridge

Sea food boils can last for up to 2 days in the fridge. This short time frame is due to the various types of seafood which can spoil very quickly. 

To reheat a sea food boil the next day, simply put the seafood in a baking dish and gently warm it in the oven at 200°F or until the seafood has warmed through for about 15 minutes.

It is not recommended to freeze leftover seafood boils as they won’t be fresh or good quality once thawed and reheated. 

Is this a muckbang sea food boil?

With the addition of a tasty sauce, this seafood boil recipe can be enjoyed like a muckbang.

Other great seafood boil recipes

• Cajun seafood boil recipe
• Keto seafood boil recipe
• Seafood boil recipe with eggs
• Shrimp boil recipe