Get crackin’ and throw a seafood boil party.
Every summer, my family and I get together for a big seafood boil dinner. It’s always such a nice time to have a few friends over, cook together, set a big table, drink some delicious La Crema Chardonnay, and enjoy a huge, summery dinner outside.
Making it happen is a little time-consuming, but it’s not hard. The best way to do it is with a couple of helpers, so gather your family and some friends and get cooking!
Here’s how I do it:
East Coast Seafood Boil
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
- 2 pounds italian sausage, each piece cut into thirds
- 2 1/2 pounds cod filets
- 3 1/2 pounds snow crab legs
- 1-2 pounds mussels or clams (I love both, but used mussels because they are significantly less expensive)
- 1 1/2 pounds raw, shell-on shrimp (I prefer colossal but jumbo shrimp would work)
- 6 red potatoes, cut into eighths
- 8 cobs of corn, cut in half
- 1-2 onions, cut in fourths
- 2 lemons, cut in half
- 2-4 gallons of water
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon each of allspice, crushed red pepper, chili powder, marjoram, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, tarragon, thyme, rosemary
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander
- 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 1/2 teaspoons of black peppercorns
- 3-4 tablespoons of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Fill a large stock pot about 3/4 of the way full. Turn on heat and bring to a boil.
- Season boiling water with the spices. Add lemons, onion, and bay leaves.
- Brown the sausage in a pan (these are going in the pot later, so they don’t have to be fully cooked). Remove and set aside. Give the pan a quick rinse to remove excess fat and reheat. Add cleaned mussels and a couple ladle-fuls of seasoned water from the pot. Steam mussels, and remove any that don’t open.
- Add the corn to the pot.
- Return to a boil and add potatoes.
- Add the sausage, return to boil.
- Add the fish. Once again, return water to a boil.
- Throw the mussels and crab in and add the shrimp last.
- Cook for about five more minutes, until the shrimp are pink. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- Pour contents of bowl onto a newspaper-lined table and dig in!
- Serve with La Crema Chardonnay. Enjoy!
All photos by Photo + Love. Visit my post on Freckled Italian to see read more about this seafood boil party and some tips for throwing one of your own!
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