Seafood Crab, Shrimp and Lobster Boil

5.00 (7)
⏱ 60 mins 🍽 20-24 serving(s) 🏷 Crab

This festive seafood boil is perfect for a large gathering. It features a flavourful broth seasoned with Old Bay, garlic, and beer, in which a variety of shellfish, sausages, corn and potatoes are cooked. The meal is traditionally served on a paper-covered table with melted butter and cocktail sauce. Detailed instructions are included for opening lobsters and crabs to extract all the delicious meat. This recipe yields 20-24 servings and takes about 60 minutes to prepare and cook.

Seafood Crab, Shrimp and Lobster Boil

Ingredients

  • 8 quarts water
  • 1 (12 ounce) can beer
  • 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (to taste)
  • 1 head elephant garlic, smashed
  • 4 lemons, halved
  • 4 fresh bay leaves or 4 dried bay leaves
  • 4 onions, quartered
  • 6 ounces Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 2 lbs kielbasa, sliced
  • 1 lb andouille sausage
  • 9 ears fresh corn, cleaned & broken into 2 (1/2 halved or 1/4 if large) or 3 lbs small potatoes (1/2 halved or 1/4 if large)
  • 12 live crabs
  • 2 dungeness crabs
  • 5 lbs large shrimp
  • 6 lobsters
  • 2 dozen littleneck clams

Method

  1. In a very large outdoor boiler or a big pot, warm the first 9 ingredients. Start with half the water, adding more as required so the food will be submerged by an extra 2-4 inches.
  2. Once boiling, reduce the heat and add the sausages. Cook for 3 minutes, then add potatoes for 8 minutes. Next, add corn and Dungeness crabs for 4 minutes, followed by the remaining crabs for 7 minutes. Ensure there is enough liquid to cover the crab.
  3. Strain the contents into a large bowl or pot, then cover and set aside.
  4. If necessary, pour more beer or water into the cooking liquid.
  5. Place the lobster into the pot and cook for 5 minutes.
  6. Add clams for 1 minute, then shrimp for 3-4 minutes, tossing to combine.
  7. Drain and serve on a table covered with brown paper, accompanied by melted butter, lemon, salt, and cocktail sauce.
  8. To open a boiled lobster.
  9. Remove the large claws and separate the tail from the body. Take the body from the shell, leaving the stomach behind.
  10. Set aside the green fat and coral. Take off the small claws and remove the woolly gills from the body, then break it through the middle to pick out meat from the joints.
  11. Using sharp scissors, cut along the length of the tail's underside and draw out the meat.
  12. Pull back the flesh at the top end and remove the intestinal cord.
  13. Crack the edge of the large claws and take out the meat.
  14. Enjoy the lobster.
  15. For the crab.
  16. Twist off the legs and claws. Use a mallet and have fun extracting the meat with forks or picks.
  17. Pry off the crab's apron, the small flap underneath, and discard it.
  18. With the crab upside down, press on one side of the top shell and pull up on the centre and leg sections until they separate. Discard the top shell and the intestine running down the back.
  19. Remove and discard the inedible gills from each side.
  20. The greenish yellow mustard is the crustacean's liver. Some people eat it, while others discard it.
  21. The yellow crab butter in the cavity is considered a delicacy. Set it aside if desired, otherwise discard it.
  22. Snap the crab body in half.
  23. The biggest chunks of meat are found at the broken edges. Pull it out with your fingers. Use a knife or pick for the smaller cavities near the leg openings.
  24. Crack claws using a mallet or nutcracker. Be cautious of flying shell fragments.
  25. Before rolling up the paper table covering, check carefully that no utensils or uneaten claws are accidentally thrown away.
  26. Place garbage bags in tightly sealed bins to deter animals. To remove lingering seafood odour from hands, rub them with a mix of lemon juice and baking soda.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium3147300 mg

Recipe details

CategoryCrab
AuthorRita1652