Shrimp Boil Recipe

This extremely flavorful shrimp boil recipe is jam-packed with jumbo shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes that are boiled in a perfectly seasoned broth. If you’re looking to serve many people, look no further than this delicious recipe.

Shrimp is one of my favorite things to eat. It’s delicious, easy to prepare, and cooks quickly. Try my Shrimp Scampi Recipe or Shrimp Po’Boy If you feel the same.

Shrimp boil

A shrimp boil is a combination of spices and herbs that are infused into boiling water, where the shrimp is then cooked. It’s common to cook corn, potatoes, and sausage along with the shrimp to stretch the recipe and provide starch and vegetable. The exact process can be done with lobsters, crab, crawfish, or fish instead of shrimp. This is sometimes known as a low country boil.

Shrimp boils extend from seafood boils which have origins in Gulf Coast states as well as the Carolinas and New England. They were created to bring the community together as a traditional boil makes a lot of food and is traditionally served drained and spread out on a table for all to enjoy.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Seasoning – I love my seafood seasoning blend. You can also use your favorite seafood boil spice blend, such as old bay, or Zatarain’s.
• Lemons – I like to add whole squeezed lemons to the boil to add citrus flavors.
• Herbs – Adding some bay leaves and thyme sprigs will help make a very flavorful poaching liquid.
• Onion – You can use a white, yellow, or sweet onion.
• Potatoes – Red potatoes are the classic potato to use. However, you can also use smaller baby Yukon potatoes in this shrimp boil.
• Corn – Shucked corn cut down to 2” pieces is best for cook times and easy eating.
• Sausage –  I prefer Polish sausage, but you can use any sausage, like a banger or Italian sausage.
• Shrimp – Large shrimp, like 16/20 or U15 or less, are best used in this recipe.
• Clams – This is optional, but I like adding a few fresh clams to expand the seafood in the boil.

How to Make a Shrimp Boil

1. Bring 3 gallons of water to a soft boil along with the spice blend, lemons, bay leaves, thyme, and onions. Note: the water should taste as salty as the ocean, so you may need to add more salt.
2. Next, add in the potatoes and cook for 4 minutes.
3. Add in the corn. Cook for another 4 minutes.
4. Add the sausage and cook for 4 minutes, then add the clams and cook for 4 minutes.
5. Finally, turn the heat off, add the shrimp, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked and the clams have opened.
6. Drain the shrimp and clam boil and serve on a newspaper or a large serving platter.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done cooking, or else the seafood can overcook. You can keep everything warm in the hot water with the heat turned off for up to 15 minutes before serving.

How to Store: Cover and keep the shrimp boil, drained from the water, for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. This recipe will not freeze well.

How to Reheat: Add the desired number of ingredients to a 13×9 pan along with 1 cup of water or fish stock. Cover it with foil and bake it in the oven at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until warm.

Chef Notes + Tips

• A soft boil is when bubbles regularly break the water’s surface compared to a rolling boil, where it is constant.
• You can use smaller shrimp; pay attention, as they cook quickly.
• For ease of eating, I prefer to buy a deveined shell-on shrimp.

More Shrimp Recipes

• Fried Shrimp
• Shrimp Bisque
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Shrimp and Grits
• Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

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Shrimp Boil Recipe

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5 from 9 votes

This flavorful shrimp boil recipe is jam-packed with jumbo shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes that’s boiled in a perfectly seasoned broth.

Servings: 10

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 recipe for seafood seasoning
• 3 lemons, sliced in half
• 3 bay leaves
• 20 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 peeled roughly chopped yellow onions
• 5 pounds red potatoes
• 6 ears shucked corn, each ear cut into thirds
• 2 pounds polish sausage, cut into 1” to 2” pieces
• 18 fresh clams
• 3 pounds jumbo deveined shell-on shrimp
• coarse salt to taste

Instructions

• Bring 3 gallons of water to a soft boil along with the spice blend, lemons, bay leaves, thyme, and onions. Note: the water should be as salty tasting as the ocean so you may need to add more salt.
• Next, add in the potatoes and cook for 4 minutes.
• Add in the corn. Cook for another 4 minutes.
• Add in the sausage and cook for 4 minutes, then add in the clams and cook for 4 minutes.
• Finally, turn the heat off completely add the shrimp and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked and the clams have opened.
• Drain the shrimp and clam boil and serve on a newspaper or a large serving platter.

Notes

Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done cooking, or else the seafood can overcook. You can keep everything warm in the hot water with the heat turned off for up to 15 minutes before serving.

How to Store: Cover and keep the shrimp boil, drained from the water, for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. This recipe will not freeze well.

How to Reheat: Add the desired number of ingredients to a 13×9 pan and 1 cup of water or fish stock. Cover it with foil and bake it in the oven at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until warm.

A soft boil is when bubbles regularly break the water’s surface compared to a rolling boil, where it is constant.

You can use smaller shrimp; pay attention, as they cook quickly.

For ease of eating, I prefer to buy a deveined shell-on shrimp.

Nutrition

Calories: 595kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 46gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 284mgSodium: 1001mgPotassium: 1699mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 136IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 145mgIron: 4mg

Course: Main

Cuisine: American, english

Author: Chef Billy Parisi