• bookmarks
    My Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Membership Benefits
  • Recipes
  • Meals
  • Holidays
  • Food Trends
  • News
  • Kitchen Tips & Tools
  • All Videos
  • About Us
  • Newsletter
  • Follow
Privacy NoticeTerms Of Use
Skip to Content
Logo
  • Recipes
  • Dinners
  • Summer Recipes
  • Kitchen Tips
  • News
Subscribe
sign in
  1. Meals & Cooking
  2. Recipe Headquarters
  3. Seafood Boil

Seafood Boil

By Lena AbrahamUpdated: Jul 28, 2021
VerifiedApproved by the Delish Test Kitchen
Star
Be the first to review!
seafood boil
Joel Goldberg
Yields:
4 - 6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
40 mins
Arrow Circle Down IconJump to recipe

If you love a messy, dig-in-with-your-hands meal, make yourself a seafood boil. This seafood boil, to be exact. It's loaded with all the boil mainstays, and cooked in a flavorful broth that's heavy on the Old Bay.

Make sure you prep all your ingredients before putting your pot over heat; this dish is all about timing, and you don't want to overcook your seafood. (The sausage, corn, and potatoes are a bit more forgiving.) If you'd like to leave out the beer, it can be replaced with water.

How you serve this boil is entirely up to you. Some prefer to mix the broth from the boil with butter and pour over the seafood, while others go for straight butter and lemon wedges. Because I can never have enough Old Bay, I like keeping a small bowl of the stuff on my plate so I can dip my seafood (or potatoes!) in butter first, then coat in more Old Bay. Rich, salty, and so satisfying.

Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!

No big pots in your kitchen? Try our Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil instead!

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp.

    extra-virgin olive oil

  • 12 oz.

    smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, cut into 1” slices

  • 1

    white onion, quartered 

  • 8

    garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • 3 qt.

    water

  • 1

    (16-oz.) can lager, such as Narragansett 

  • 1 cup

    white wine vinegar

  • 1/2 cup

    Old Bay, plus more for serving 

  • 4

    dried bay leaves 

  • 2 Tbsp.

    granulated sugar

  • 1 Tbsp.

    kosher salt

  • 1 tsp.

    freshly ground black or white pepper

  • 1 lb.

    small red potatoes, halved if large 

  • 3

    ears sweet corn, shucked and halved

  • 1 lb.

    littleneck clams, cleaned 

  • 1 lb.

    medium shell-on shrimp

  • 4 Tbsp.

    butter, melted

  • lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

    1. Step 1In a large stock pot over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, cut sides down, until golden on both ends, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate. Add onion and garlic cloves to pot and let cook, undisturbed, until they begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
    2. Step 2Add water and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add beer, vinegar, Old Bay, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.
    3. Step 3Add potatoes, cover, and cook until mostly tender (a fork should slide in with a little resistance), about 8 minutes. Add corn and clams, cover, and cook 5 minutes more, until most clams are open and corn is bright yellow. Add shrimp and cooked sausage, cover, and cook until shrimp is pink and opaque and sausage is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.
    4. Step 4Drain cooking liquid and discard onion, bay leaves, and any unopened clams. Transfer seafood, potatoes, sausage, and corn to serving bowls or a newspaper-lined table. Serve with melted butter, lemons, more Old Bay, and plenty of napkins.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Not Your Average Dinners

sliced corned beef brisket

Corned Beef Brisket

potstickers

Pot Stickers

a casserole dish filled with elbow macaroni, ground beef, and a creamy sauce

Hamburger Casserole

easy homemade ramen delishcom

Homemade Ramen

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
birria tacos recipe

Best Birria Tacos

celebrity eats the kardashians

Haitian-Style Mac & Cheese

dish, food, cuisine, ingredient, macaroni and cheese, macaroni, tuna casserole, produce, comfort food, staple food,

Lobster Mac & Cheese

garlicky lemon mahi mahi in a cast iron pan with lemon slices and asparagus

35 Healthy One-Pan Dinner Recipes

grilled artichoke

Grilled Artichokes

kimbap  delishcom

Kimbap

yakitori grilled chicken skewers

30 Easy Japanese-Inspired Recipes

tomato butter roast chicken

50 Sunday Dinner Ideas

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Logo
x
tiktok
youtube
facebook
instagram
pinterest
NewsletterSubscribeManage SubscriptionAbout UsDelish Test KitchenMedia KitCommunity GuidelinesAdvertise With UsOther Hearst SubscriptionsDelish Unlimited Membership SupportTurn off Web Notifications
Hearst Lifestyle and Design Group - A Part of Hearst Digital Media

A Part of Hearst Digital Media

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.

©2025 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy NoticeCA Notice at CollectionYour CA Privacy Rights/Shine the LightDAA Industry Opt OutTerms of UseSite Map
Cookies Choices