A Simple Guide to The Shrimp Boil

Delicious Shrimp Boil Recipe with Slap Ya Mama, Cajun seasoning. This recipe kicks things up with shrimp, crab, potatoes, corn and two kinds of sausage. Amazing! Jump to recipe.

Why Host a Shrimp Boil?

Depending on where you live, you may not know what a Shrimp Boil is, how to do it, or why it is a good idea. The answer is Family & Friends – it’s all about the experience and bringing people together, it’s a party. There’s massive amounts of good food, and since I live in Minnesota, a good excuse to have seafood I rarely eat due to distance from the coast. My in-laws have hosted an annual Shrimp Boil for over 10 years at their cabin. It all started with my wife’s aunt & uncle, Greta & Kurt who shared this Shrimp Boil recipe. Since receiving the recipe, we’ve tweaked it to meet the tastes of our family and friends.

How To: 3 Step Party Prep

1. Buy Party/Boiling Supplies – Boiling Pot/Kit, propane, tent, platters, décor, newspaper/table cloths, tables, & chairs. This recipe is for an outdoor cookout, so plan to have a cooking space for the propane tank and boiling pot/stand setup. We set up cooking space under a 10′ x 10′ canopy tent in case it rains and also to provide a cooking perimeter to prevent kids from running near the hot equipment. For this setup, at a minimum you need a large (30 qt.+) pot, steamer pot (perforated to pullout food easily), sturdy stand, and propane tank with open flame attachment for the stand.
2. Invite friends – or try a small batch on your own first to practice. When throwing a party, evite RSVPs help gauge headcount so you know how much food/wine to buy.
3. Buy Food/Wine – this recipe assumes 18 people; we are a hungry bunch so anticipate generous portions/left-overs. White wine pairs best due to spiciness, but drink what you like.

Ingredients – Serves 18

• Seasoning:
  • 3-4 packs Zatarain’s crab boil seasoning to season the water (they look like tea bags).
  • 1/3 -1/2 1lb. bag Slap Ya Mama Seafood Seasoning, my brother-in-law swears by it. Use 1/3 of bag directly in the water pot to level up the spice and taste. Save some to sprinkle on food when you take out of the cooking pot.
  • Hot sauce to taste, your choice. We use Tabasco.
• 5 lbs (35-40) small red potatoes.
• 8 heads of garlic.
• Bag Lemons.
• 16-18 Corn on the cob (ear/person). Best sourced from Iowa (my brother & sister in-law are Iowa farmers, I’m biased).
• 5-6 Packs Spicy Sausage (20-24 links). We use Jalapeño Sausage from a local grocery store (4/pack).  Precooked are best so you are just warming them up.
• 48 oz. Pack Non-Spicy Sausage (18 links). We use Apple Gouda from Costco.
• 6 lbs. Shrimp. Buy uncooked, frozen or fresh depending on availability. Thaw in refrigerator beforehand if frozen.
• 10 lbs. Crab claws. Be sure to have crab crackers.
• 3-4 loafs French bread.
• 1 lb butter for bread and melting dip if you want to make melted butter for crab.
• Ketchup & Horseradish for homemade cocktail sauce.
• Newspapers or plastic tablecloths.
• Boil Additions (optional):
  • Mussels.
  • Walleye cut up in bite size pieces.
  • Crawfish.

Cooking Prep

1. Boil & Season water with all the seasoning packs, garlic, lemons, salt (optional). Then add 1/3 bag of Slap Ya Mama and a few dashes of hot sauce to taste (optional). If you use Slap Ya Mama you don’t need to add the salt.
2. Shuck corn, cut in half.
3. Clean potatoes.
4. Cut sausages.
5. Cut and butter garlic bread.
6. Make homemade cocktail sauce (ketchup and tons of horseradish) or use store bought.

Note: We make a smaller, alternate non-spicy “Minnesota batch” for the Norwegians that think ketchup is spicy. We use two pots, one spicy and one not. But if you just have one pot, cook the non-spicy batch first then add seasoning and spices to the water.

Boil the Food: Cooking Order

1. Make sure pot is boiling with seasoning. Takes ~20 minutes.
2. Add Potatoes and let cook for a while (they take longest). Note, when adding food to boiling water get the food as close to water as you can to gently place in water (i.e. don’t just throw in) to prevent splash burns.
3. Add Sausage & corn.
4. Test the potatoes by removing one and cutting into with fork, done when soft.
5. Remove potatoes, sausage and corn, put into coolers to keep warm and sprinkle with Slap Ya Mama to taste.
6. Add shrimp, boil ‘til pink, remove and put in coolers.
7. Add crab, boil ‘til warm.
8. Place everything on platters or directly on table. Put crab crackers, napkins, and remaining Slap Ya Mama seasoning on table.

Party – Gather ‘round and enjoy!

Steps to go Full Dad Mode for success

1. Make an alternate, non-spicy batch.
2. Buy extra Apple Gouda sausage, everyone’s favorite, trust me.
3. Pair with white wine.

I’m from Minnesota and am not expert, traditionally Shrimp Boils are more popular in the southern U.S. So, if you have suggestions on how to make this better or more traditional, I’d love to read your comments.

Thanks,

Britt

About Post Author

Britt

Hey I’m Britt. I run Full Dad Mode to help people like you make the most of life.
I share helpful DIY how to’s and recipes designed to make busy lives easier.
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