Recipe: Make a Seafood Boil

One of my most favourite things to make, and eat, for dinner, is seafood. When we travel to PEI, it will come as no surprise that we are constantly looking for local seafood to eat at the cottage, or bites like lobster rolls and fresh oysters when we are out and about at restaurants.

It’s been in our travels, to PEI, Florida and other locations, where our seafood boil obsessions have grown. When we find seafood boils on a menu, we tend to gravitate towards them.

During our March Break trip to Florida, we ordered it a few times. My mom likes to laugh at us because when Andy and I share a boil, there is a system in place, to ensure even distribution for all the tasty bites (naturally, just to be fair!)

So I started making them at home. I have been making fish, mussels and lobster at home for sometime, but now, I can create these boils where we get bites of all our favourite pieces. Recently, I hosted family for a large boil where we had multiple platters on the table and we just dug in.

Here’s how to make your own boil at home. I have provided the example to be for two, but, at the end, I’ve included instructions for how to multiply that when feeding a crowd.

Also, keep in mind that you can flavour your boil however you want – for example, if you find seasoning in your travels that you want to try, why not! Have fun and enjoy it. This is a meal meant to be served family style, and for sharing, to encourage conversation and togetherness.

Please note – as with all my recipes, I’m mostly sharing process here. Because there are a lot of times I wing amounts – but! I have made this over and over again and it’s pretty well the same process all the time! 

How to make a seafood boil

Gather your ingredients! Below is what I recommend but you can swap things out!

-Red potatoes (halved, boiled)

-Corn on the cob, cut into threes, boiled

-Chorizo (about 2 inches, cut into chunky bites)

-1 shallot, sliced

-1 piece of fish (cod, red snapper etc)

-2 cups of mussels (note – they are usually sold in a 2 pound bag. You can cook that entire bag separately, adding a few mussels to your boil pan, then just add the extra mussels later. Use a bit of seasoning and butter with some water when steaming your mussels to help make more broth. I mention this just because it likely won’t all fit into your pan but you still want to enjoy the deliciousness!)

-1 cup of pasta clams

-1 cooked lobster (tail, leg and claw meat) or some cooked crab legs (optional)

-Butter

-seasoning (I have used simply garlic and tomatoes in the past, or lately a teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning)

-splash of oil

-1 baguette

-1 lemon, into quarters

To prepare your seafood boil:

In advance, boil the potatoes and corn (separately) but have them warm and ready to go. This will save you having to balance the cooking time for those while monitoring the fish.

In a high edge pan, (cast iron works great), add some oil and when warm, at the chorizo.

Warm the chorizo and add the shallot.

Add a tbsp of butter and 1/2 or tsp of seasoning (some seasonings can be salty, so start with a little at a time)

Add the fish and let cook, browning on the bottom, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

When the fish is beginning to cook, and the mussel water is boiling, add in the mussels, clams and lobster claws/tail etc.

Cover to let the shells open up and finish cooking. (ensure your seafood is cooked for safety!)

Remove the lid and gently stir the liquid.

Serve the boil right to the table (on a hot plate), with lemon slices, and sliced baguette on the side (to dip in your broth).

Enjoy!

Making a seafood boil for a crowd

When making the boil for the crowd, the same principles and ingredients apply – but you will use more pots.

Because you will buy many more pounds of shellfish, more fish etc. It may be easier to do it all in steps.

Again, pre-cook the corn and potatoes (I kept them warming in the oven, covered, while I prepped the seafood). Toss these with butter and salt/pepper as you like just before serving.

In one large pot, you’ll steam the mussels.

In another, the clams.

And another, warm up your lobster/crab.

In a pan on the stove, cook the fish. When it’s done, warm through the chorizo bites.

The mussel pot will become your broth base. Use butter, seasoning and water to steam the mussels.

When serving, use a large, rimmed serving tray or roasting pan. Split the mussels into each serving pan. Then add fish to one side, the other seafood to the other, and evenly distrisbute the chorizo, corn and potatoes.