H
HardScrabble
Guest
abooja had a pic of her seafood boil a few weeks back and it made me hungry for one of my own. The following is the recipe I been using for a long time, makes a real good and fun meal for group!
Sometimes the group is just me and the wife in which case I cut the recipe in half.
Shellfish Boil
½ cup mustard seeds
6 Tbsp coriander seeds
¼ cup whole allspice
¼ cup dill seeds
2 tsp whole cloves
12 small dried red chilies
16 bay leaves
8 quarts water
12 small new potatoes, scrubbed
2 large onions, unpeeled, cut in half crosswise
2 lemons, halved
1 ¼ cups plus 1 Tbsp salt
¼ cup plus 1 tbsp cayenne
1 large head garlic, cut in half crosswise
1 pound andouille sausage, cut in 1 inch pieces
4 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut into thirds
2 pounds crawfish
5 pounds crabs, Dungeness, blue, stone, king or snow
2 (1 pound each) lobsters
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 dozen clams, littleneck, steamer, razor, or Manila
1 cup melted butter, warm
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Place the first seven ingredients in cheesecloth and tie with butchers twine. Put the seasoning bag, water, potatoes, onions, lemons, 1 ¼ cups salt, ¼ cup cayenne, and garlic in a large stockpot. LARGE stockpot, I use a 22 quart one. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and boil for 15 minutes. Add the sausage, corn, crawfish, lobster, and crabs. Using a long handled spoon, stir around and press the contents of the pot down well into the water. Cover the pot and return to a boil. Boil for two minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon cayenne. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and clams. Return to the heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Drain. Turn the shellfish boil onto newspaper. Serve with melted butter, and garnish with parsley. ( I usually ignore the garnish stuff)
Serves 4 to 6 people usually, though I have seen 3 people do serious damage to a batch.
Sometimes the group is just me and the wife in which case I cut the recipe in half.Shellfish Boil
½ cup mustard seeds
6 Tbsp coriander seeds
¼ cup whole allspice
¼ cup dill seeds
2 tsp whole cloves
12 small dried red chilies
16 bay leaves
8 quarts water
12 small new potatoes, scrubbed
2 large onions, unpeeled, cut in half crosswise
2 lemons, halved
1 ¼ cups plus 1 Tbsp salt
¼ cup plus 1 tbsp cayenne
1 large head garlic, cut in half crosswise
1 pound andouille sausage, cut in 1 inch pieces
4 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut into thirds
2 pounds crawfish
5 pounds crabs, Dungeness, blue, stone, king or snow
2 (1 pound each) lobsters
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 dozen clams, littleneck, steamer, razor, or Manila
1 cup melted butter, warm
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Place the first seven ingredients in cheesecloth and tie with butchers twine. Put the seasoning bag, water, potatoes, onions, lemons, 1 ¼ cups salt, ¼ cup cayenne, and garlic in a large stockpot. LARGE stockpot, I use a 22 quart one. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and boil for 15 minutes. Add the sausage, corn, crawfish, lobster, and crabs. Using a long handled spoon, stir around and press the contents of the pot down well into the water. Cover the pot and return to a boil. Boil for two minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon cayenne. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and clams. Return to the heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Drain. Turn the shellfish boil onto newspaper. Serve with melted butter, and garnish with parsley. ( I usually ignore the garnish stuff)
Serves 4 to 6 people usually, though I have seen 3 people do serious damage to a batch.
