What Is Seafood Boil Sauce Made Of?

Seafood boil and seafood sauce are two different things. Seafood sauce is a dreamy dip that accompanies your seafood boil to dredge all of your luscious bites through before popping them in your mouth. The classic recipe has boil stock, garlic, lemon juice, cajun seasoning, and lots of butter. Begin by melting one cup of butter for every cup of finished sauce you want to serve. Once melted (not boiling), add your aromatics and cook over medium heat for about three minutes until soft, then add 1-2 tablespoons of seasoning depending on how you like it, and finish with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Serve it warm and in ample amounts. It's the key to your next seafood boil. 

Just as every seafood boil is unique, so is every sauce. Take this method and give it a twist by adding finely chopped onions or celery, chili flakes for heat, dashes of Tabasco, mayo if you like a creamier sauce or fresh herbs like oregano or parsley. Cajun spice never disappoints generally consisting of black pepper, paprika, and onion and garlic powder. But feel free to substitute with Old Bay for notes of sweet grass from the celery salt and smoke from the paprika or creole seasoning with additions of chili pepper and cayenne, or scorpion spice mix. If you whip up this sauce outside a seafood boil, you can use other stocks like fish, chicken, veggie, or clam juice. 

A seafood boil is generally a party on the ocean that includes boiling large amounts of shellfish in big pots to enjoy on the coast with family and friends. The best boil comes down to the freshest and tastiest shellfish. The more flavorful the stock, the better the boil.

No one knows exactly when these gatherings began, but it's believed the concept came to America with the French Canadian cajun people as they settled in Louisiana. Boils have taken hold along the Eastern seaboard in differing forms. In Louisiana, crayfish is the rage, shrimp is common in the low country, blue crabs along the Chesapeake, and clams frequent the boils of New England. Corn-on-the-cob, andouille sausage, and small red potatoes are tasty ingredients that can be thrown into the pot. To make a boil for six people, boil four quarts of water for three pounds of seafood. 

Start with the water, then add a bottle of beer (drink another if that's your thing). Then add a stick of butter, four to five tablespoons of seasoning of your choice, the juice of one lemon, six cloves of garlic, one cup of onions, and a cup of fresh herbs. Boil stock for at least 15 minutes, then add potatoes (one pound), sausage (one pound), corn (four ears), and your favorite shellfish in the order of time required to cook each (three pounds), with the goal of each item being perfectly cooked and finished all the same time. It's like a game. Once cooked, serve on picnic tables with newspaper, mallets, and tons of boil sauce to make your summer complete.