We may earn a commission when you click on the affiliate links in this post.
This crab boil is so much fun to make and it’s so easy! The seasoned butter sauce is out of this world delicious and brings the whole dish together.
A Coastal Favorite
There are few things more impressive (or more delicious) than a colorful, buttery crab boil. We just got back from a fantastic Oregon Coast trip where we cooked up the ultimate crab boil and it was a huge hit! I mean, what’s a trip to the coast without some kind of seafood boil? We made a feast for our whole group for the same cost it would’ve taken to buy a single meal at a local restaurant. It was absolute, buttery heaven! I can’t wait for you to try it!
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
A large stock pot with an inner basket is ideal when making any kind of seafood boil. The inner basket is super helpful for removing everything from the pot and draining off the excess liquid with ease. I used this 32QT Aluminum Cooker Pot from Camp Chef and it was the perfect size since this recipe makes such a large amount. You can also use a regular stock pot and a colander for draining after the boil is done.
Crab Boil Ingredients
- Boil liquid – this includes water, broth, onion, lemons, sugar, garlic, and seasonings. Some people also like adding a can of beer to the boiling liquid.
- Crab – I used Dungeness crab, precooked (most crab is precooked when you buy it)
- Shrimp – This is totally optional but I love the addition of shrimp
- Smoked sausage – You can also use andouille sausage or kielbasa
- Potatoes – For sake of ease and also taste, I like to use small, gem potatoes or baby red potatoes
- Corn on the Cob – Break corn cobs into halves or thirds
- Butter sauce – This is a MUST for a good crab boil. I like brushing the garlic butter sauce over the cooked ingredients and also serving the excess on the side for dipping.
How To Do a Crab Boil Step-By-Step
- Prepare the boil liquid (first boil): Add the boil liquid ingredients (water, broth, onion, lemons, sugar, garlic, and seasonings) to the pot and bring to a simmer to combine all the flavors.
- Add potatoes, corn, and sausage (second boil): Boil for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes aren’t quite fork tender. It’s ok if they are still firm in the middle.
- Prepare seasoned butter: I like to prepare the seasoned butter while the potatoes are cooking so it is ready to go when the boil is done.
- Add the crab and shrimp (third boil): Adding these too soon will make the shellfish too tough. You only want to boil these for 7 minutes or until heated through. Drain off all excess liquid and discard onion, lemon, and garlic cloves.
- Put it on a platter: Arrange the remaining ingredients on a large platter or baking sheet. Brush with seasoned butter.
- Serve with butter: Serve remaining butter on the side for dipping.
What Type of Crab is Best
I used Dungeness crab for this but any kind of crab will work. I like using Dungeness crab legs because they aren’t as hard and spiky as king crab legs and you can just crack them with your hands. They also have a good amount of tender meat. Snow crab is also a good choice but typically has less meat than Dungeness. It is best sourced locally and eaten the same day it is caught but if you don’t have that luxury, the crab from Costco is a great second choice. If you are using larger crab legs like king crab or using fresh crab that hasn’t been precooked it may need to cook a little longer.
Crab Boil Butter Sauce
The seasoned crab boil butter sauce is what brings everything together. You can pour it all over all the ingredients and toss it to coat everything, or brush it on and serve the remaining butter on the side (this is what I like to do). I like having the butter on the side so I can really douse the crab in butter before eating it. I love it dripping in butter for each bite. This butter sauce is also perfect on our Shrimp Foil Packets.
Tips, Additions, and Substitutions
Add hot sauce – Add a few dashes of hot sauce such as Tabasco or Crystal to the boil or in with the melted butter for more of a kick.
Switch up the seasonings – Replace the Old Bay seasoning with Zatarains Crab Boil Seasoning, Spike seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or any kind of seafood seasoning. If you can handle a kick, you can use a spicy Cajun seasoning like Tony Chacheres. You can also just add a teaspoon or two in addition to any of these seasonings.
Additions – try adding lobster tails, clams, mussels, jumbo shrimp, andouille sausage, kielbasa, or even hard boiled eggs (not my favorite but some people like it) to the boil.
Serving ideas/garnishes – The sky’s the limit when it comes to serving a crab boil. You can serve it over a bunch of newspapers, on a table top, on baking sheets, or a very large serving platter. I am too OCD to just pour it out over a table so I usually opt for serving it over a baking sheet with sides of the buttery sauce, lemon wedges, and fresh parsley for garnish.
What to Serve with a Seafood Boil
The beautiful thing about seafood boils is that the entire dinner is all cooked up in one pot. There is no need for extra side dishes because it’s all right there. However, if you are serving a large group or just want to make the boil go further, you can always add some side dishes like potato salad, Hawaiian mac salad, or even just a green classic chef salad. Or you can keep with the seafood theme by serving with our favorite clam chowder and our famous homemade dinner rolls. You can’t go wrong with any of these options!
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! It’s best to leave them whole while boiling so they stay juicy and flavorful. You can crack them open after cooking, once they’ve cooled just a bit. If you prefer, you can snip small openings along the shells before boiling to help the seasoning get inside.
Crab legs should be a vivid orange-red when heated through. If they still look dull or pale, they likely need a few more minutes. Make sure your pot is large enough to keep a steady boil once the crab legs are added.
Season generously! We use a quarter cup of seafood boil mix (like Old Bay or Zatarain’s) along with lemon, garlic, and a few shakes of hot sauce. The crab legs will soak up the flavors as they heat. Just be careful not to over-salt the water.
More Crab Recipes
California Rolls
Cold Crab Dip
Crab Pasta Salad
Crab Salad Sandwich
This Crab Boil is a true crowd-pleaser. Messy, flavorful, and so much fun to share! It’s perfect for summer cookouts, beach trips, or backyard dinners with friends. If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear how your boil turned out! Leave a rating and comment below with your favorite seafood add-ins. 🦀🌽🍋
Crab Boil with Seasoned Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 gallons water
- 2 quarts chicken broth
- 1 large onion, cut in wedges
- 8 garlic cloves, whole and peeled
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 lemons, halved (plus more for garnish if desired)
- 4 pounds small potatoes, red and yellow
- 24 ounces smoked sausage
- 6 corn cobs, halved
- 1 pound shrimp, raw, peeled, with tail on
- 4 Dungeness crab sections, (cooked)
Seasoned Butter
- 1 cup butter, (2 sticks)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seafood seasoning
- hot sauce, (optional, a few dashes or to taste)
- parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring the water, chicken broth, onion, garlic, sugar, Old Bay, paprika, salt, and lemons to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes.
- Add potatoes, cut sausage and corn to the stock pot and boil for 15-20 minutes. Check at 15 minutes to make sure potatoes aren't getting too soft. You don't want them to be quite fork tender yet. Prepare the seasoned butter (below) during this boil.
- Add crab and shrimp to the stock pot and boil for 7 minutes.
- Remove and drain well. Remove onions, lemon, and garlic cloves and spread the remaining ingredients over a baking sheet or very large platter. Brush with seasoned butter (below) before serving and garnish with fresh lemons.
Seasoned Butter
- Melt butter in a small saucepan on low. When butter is melted, whisk in remaining ingredients and keep on warm until ready to serve. Brush onto the crab boil and pour remaining in bowls for dipping.
Equipment
- large stock pot with inner basket
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe?
We want to hear from you! Please leave a review.
Love it! Includes all the beautiful food from God!!
Agreed! Thanks Cookie!
Turned out great! The perfect amount for my family of six. This was my first time doing a crab boil btw.
Thank you, Shannon! I’m so happy your family had success with your first crab boil! 😀
I plan to make this on the weekend. Do you add the butter sauce to the boil?
No, you will brush the seasoned butter on the crab, shrimp, and vegetables after you boil them and remove them from the boil. I also like to serve the butter on the side as a dipping sauce for the crab and shrimp. Thanks for asking! You are going to love it!
You are so right about the butter sauce! I want to dip everything in it! It’s a hearty, delicious meal!
I had never made a boil with crab before and this was absolutely wonderful! Loved every bite!
I remember watching mukbang videos on Tiktok and I’m glad I came across this recipe. Soooo easy and delicious. We had fun!