BEST Shrimp Boil Recipe!

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Last Updated on October 24, 2023 by Toya

You absolutely must try this delicious shrimp boil recipe asap! Made with juicy shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes cooked in the most delicious shrimp boil sauce ever, you’ll really love this easy shrimp boil recipe!

What is a shrimp boil?

A shrimp boil is a one-pot recipe made primarily of shrimp, potatoes, and corn cooked in a delicious butter sauce. Shrimp boil is a great recipe for summer or for weekends with the family. 

Most people love making seafood boil recipes like this easy seafood boil with eggs or this delicious seafood boil in a bag. Many other people enjoy making crab boil recipes or even cajun seafood boil recipes. However, if you only have shrimp on hand, and you want to enjoy a boil recipe with your family. Or if you just don’t like the other types of seafood, then a shrimp boil is your best bet!  Just follow the instructions below to see how to make the best shrimp boil recipe in 45 minutes!

Shrimp boil ingredients and substitution options:

• Shrimp — I prefer to use large shrimp with the tails on. I usually pick up a bag of the largest frozen shrimp I can find and thaw them out a few minutes before I start cooking the shrimp boil.
• Corn — Corn on the cob is a must for this recipe as corn kernels will not work here. 
• Smoked sausage — Andouille sausage or Keilbasa sauce is great. But you can use any type of smoked sausage you prefer. You can also check out my best sausage recommendations for a seafood boil.
• Chicken stock — This is needed to add flavor to the shrimp boil sauce. It is also a must if you want to cut down on the amount of butter used to make the shrimp boil butter sauce. You can also use seafood stock, or a flavorful seafood broth here instead. 
• Water — Needed to par-cook the corn and potatoes beforehand.
• Oil — Needed to pan-sear the sausages.
• Potatoes — Any type of potato can be used here. If you have baby potatoes then keep them whole, but if you have larger potatoes, cut them down to about 1 ½ inch pieces. 
• Shrimp seasoning — A must-have for making a delicious shrimp boil. I used a combination of these spices to make my shrimp seasoning (1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, ½ tsp lemon pepper, ½ tsp red chili flakes, 1 ½ tsp oregano, 1 ½ tsp thyme, ¾ tsp salt. 
• Bay leaves — I used bay leaves in most of my seafood recipes, but you can skip them if you prefer.
• Old Bay (optional) — Adds that deliciously complex seafood boil flavor that most people love to this shrimp boil recipe. But you can leave it out if you prefer.
• Hot sauce (optional) — If you like spicy food, then use any type of hot sauce including Franks hot sauce, etc.
• Garlic — Freshly minced garlic adds a delicious flavor to this recipe. You can substitute with store-bought minced garlic if you prefer, but garlic powder is not a good sub here.
• Onion — Freshly chopped onions add flavor and a bit of thickness and body to the shrimp boil sauce used to coat the shrimp, potatoes, and sausages. Do not substitute with onion powder.
• Butter — Unsalted butter is needed here. Do not sub with salted butter.

How to make shrimp boil

Prepare all of your ingredients — That includes mincing the garlic, chopping up the onions, cleaning the shrimp, chopping the potatoes, chopping the sausages into 1-inch pieces, and making the shrimp seasoning.

Par-cook the vegetables — Next, grab a deep pot and fill it ¾ of the way with water. Add 1 tablespoon of old bay seasoning (or homemade shrimp seasoning) to the water and cook the corn and potatoes for 10 — 12 minutes.

Pan-sear the sausage — Then cook with some oil for a minute or two on each side.

Make the shrimp boil sauce — Add the butter to a deep skillet over medium heat and let it melt. Then add the minced garlic and chopped onions and cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. 

Then add 3 tablespoons of shrimp seasoning and 1 tablespoon of old bay to the skillet. Mix well and cook for another minute or two. 

Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and mix. Bring this to a simmer.

Cook the shrimp — Next, add the shrimp to the sauce and cook for 2 minutes. 

Add the sausage, potatoes, and corn — Immediately, add the par-cooked potatoes, corn, and cooked sausage to the skillet and coat with the sauce. Let this cook for 4 minutes so everything comes together nicely. 

Serve as desired. You can serve it with some crusty sourdough bread, or with these yummy ramen noodles.

How Long to Boil Shrimp

Shrimp cooks really quickly and overcooking ruins the texture of shrimp. As such, you typically only need to boil shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side. 

What goes well with a shrimp boil?

Shrimp boil can be served with sides like mashed potatoes, sourdough bread, mac and cheese, coleslaw, green salad, fruit salad, a side of ramen noodles, and drinks like white wine, fruit punch, and lemonade!

Storing 

Store any shrimp boil leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove and enjoy.

Variations

Shrimp boil with eggs —If you want to add some eggs to this recipe, simply boil 6 eggs for 10 minutes – Cook them together with the corn and potatoes. Add them in 4 minutes after the corn and potatoes have started to boil.

Ready to make this easy shrimp boil recipe? Check out the recipe card below for measurements and full instructions.