Crab boil sauce, used to season seafood like crab, shrimp, and crawfish, is spicy and delicious. Spices, herbs, and veggies are boiled with seafood in a pot. After straining, the liquid is used to season fish.
Garlic, onions, celery, lemon juice, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and other spices are typical crab boil sauce components. Depending on the cook and area, the recipe may vary.
The spicy crab boil sauce is a dish I recently tried and loved. This sauce goes well with crab legs, prawns, and lobster. This sauce elevates fish! Its robust flavors enhance seafood’s, natural sweetness.
How To Make Crab Boil Sauce
The ease of making this sauce caught my interest. This delicious sauce can be made quickly with a few easy ingredients and cooking techniques. It’s ideal for spicy food lovers because you can adjust the spice level.
I love making cooked crab with a tasty crab boil sauce. Today, I’ll share my recipe’s step-by-step directions. In this definitive blog post, I’ll walk you through making the ideal crab boil sauce, including some variations to suit your taste.
Step 1: Crab Boil Sauce Ingredients
The first step in making crab boil sauce is to gather all of your ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 lemons, halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon allspice berries
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Note: If you prefer a spicier sauce, feel free to adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to your liking.
Step by Step Instructions to Make Crab Boil Sauce
Step 2: Prep Your Seafood
While the sauce is cooking, it’s time to prep your seafood. I prefer to use fresh crab, but frozen crab works just as well.
You’ll need about 2-3 pounds of crab per person. Make sure to rinse the crab thoroughly under cold water and remove any excess shells or debris.
Step 3: Cook the Sauce
Now it’s time to cook the sauce. In a large pot, combine all of the ingredients listed above with 4-5 quarts of water.
Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. This will allow all of the flavors to meld together and create a rich, spicy sauce.
Step 4: Strain the Sauce
Once the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes, it’s time to strain out the solids. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onion, garlic, celery, and bay leaves from the pot.
Then, use a fine mesh strainer to strain the remaining liquid into a large bowl. Discard the solids.
Step 5: Add the Seafood
Now it’s time to add the seafood to the pot. Carefully place the crab in the pot and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the crab.
Make sure to stir the crab occasionally to ensure that it cooks evenly.
Step 6: Serve and Enjoy
Once the crab is cooked through, it’s time to serve and enjoy! Remove the crab from the pot with a pair of tongs and place it on a platter.
Serve the crab with the crab boil sauce on the side for dipping. You can also sprinkle a little extra cayenne pepper or paprika on top for an extra kick.
Crab Boil Sauce Variations
If you want to switch things up and try a different flavor profile, here are a few variations of crab boil sauce that you can try:
- Lemon Garlic: Add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic and the juice of 1 lemon to the sauce for a bright, citrusy flavor.
- Creole: Add 1 chopped green bell pepper, 1 chopped red bell pepper, and 1 chopped jalapeno pepper to the sauce for a spicy Creole twist.
- Asian-inspired: Add 1 tablespoon of grated ginger and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to the sauce for an Asian-inspired flavor.
What to Use With Crab Boil Sauce
Crab stew sauce is ideal for crab legs. Steam or cook crab legs and serve with sauce.
Shrimp: Crab stew sauce also complements shrimp. Before serving, sauté, grill, or roast prawns and put in the sauce.
Lobster: Lobster and crab stew sauce are delicious together. Serve lobster meat cold or warm with gravy.
Crawfish: Crawfish is a Cajun favorite, and crab boil sauce complements its bold flavors. Boiled crawfish with Cajun spices and sauce on the side.
Fish: Crab stew sauce works with fish. Pan-sear or bake a fish piece and top it with sauce.
How to Store Crab Boil Sauce
Crab boil sauce can be refrigerated for a week in a sealed container. Freeze it for three months if you won’t use it in a week.
Before freezing, cool the sauce to room temperature. Leave space at the top for freezing growth. Before using, thaw the sauce overnight in the fridge.
Crab Boil Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 lemons halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon allspice berries
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions
- While the sauce is cooking, it's time to prep your seafood. I prefer to use fresh crab, but frozen crab works just as well.
- You'll need about 2-3 pounds of crab per person. Make sure to rinse the crab thoroughly under cold water and remove any excess shells or debris.
- Now it's time to cook the sauce. In a large pot, combine all of the ingredients listed above with 4-5 quarts of water.
- Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. This will allow all of the flavors to meld together and create a rich, spicy sauce.
- Once the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes, it's time to strain out the solids. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onion, garlic, celery, and bay leaves from the pot. Then, use a fine mesh strainer to strain the remaining liquid into a large bowl. Discard the solids.
- Now it’s time to add the seafood to the pot. Carefully place the crab in the pot and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the crab. Make sure to stir the crab occasionally to ensure that it cooks evenly.
