Here’s a classic Cajun Seafood Boil—bold, spicy, buttery, and loaded with shrimp, crab, crawfish, sausage, potatoes, and corn. This recipe gives you that authentic Louisiana flavor right at home!
🦞 Cajun Seafood Boil
Ingredients (serves 6–8)
Seafood (use any combo you like)
- 2 lbs shrimp (shell-on)
- 2 lbs snow crab legs or king crab
- 2–3 lbs crawfish (optional)
- 1 lb mussels or clams (optional)
Boil Add-ins
- 1 lb Andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 lb baby potatoes
- 6–8 ears corn, halved
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 onion, quartered
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed
Seasonings
- 1/2–1 cup Cajun seasoning (depending on spice level)
- 2 tbsp Old Bay (optional but great)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1–2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2–4 bay leaves
- Salt to taste
Cajun Butter Sauce (highly recommended!)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- Optional: splash of Worcestershire
Instructions
1. Prep the pot
Fill a very large pot with water (about 8–10 quarts).
Add:
- Lemons
- Onion
- Garlic
- Cajun seasoning
- Old Bay
- Bay leaves
Bring to a rolling boil.
2. Add potatoes
Boil potatoes 10–12 minutes until almost tender.
3. Add sausage & corn
Add sliced Andouille sausage and corn.
Boil 5–7 minutes.
4. Add seafood
Add in order of cooking time:
- Crab legs → boil 5 minutes
- Crawfish → 3–4 minutes
- Shrimp & mussels/clams → 2–3 minutes, until shrimp are pink
Turn off heat and let everything sit 5 minutes to soak up flavor.
5. Make the Cajun butter
In a skillet, melt butter.
Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
Stir in Cajun seasoning, paprika, lemon juice, and hot sauce.
6. Serve
Drain the boil and dump everything onto a newspaper-lined table or large tray.
Pour Cajun butter sauce all over the top.
Serve with lemon wedges, extra seasoning, and melted butter on the side.
⭐ Tips for Perfect Cajun Boil
- Don’t overcook shrimp—they go in at the end.
- Add orange slices to the boil for a sweet Cajun twist.
- Use Zatarain’s crab boil bags for super authentic flavor if you have them.
- Let the seafood soak off heat for deeper seasoning.
- Add extra butter sauce to coat the seafood before serving.
If you want, I can also give you:
🔥 Cajun seafood boil in a bag (Juicy Crab style)
🦐 Garlic butter shrimp boil only
🌶 Extra spicy Louisiana version
Which version would you like?
