Summer is meant for outdoor dinners and simple seafood dishes. Shrimp Boils are so easy to make but look so impressive and complex! This one-pot recipe is perfect for parties and brimming with a blend of spices. Between the light and delicious shrimp, beautifully spiced smoked andouille sausage, sweet corn on the cob, and fork tender red potatoes, everyone can find something they love. It’s great for leftovers and meal prep too — if you have any left, that is!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Ingredients Used
Shrimp: This is truly my favorite seafood because it’s easy to cook and ready in just minutes! You can add other seafood to the mix, too, like crab legs. I used large shrimp here, but in general, you’d want to use large or jumbo shrimp for a shrimp boil. Check out my how to poach shrimp post to learn more about shrimp sizes. Andouille sausage: This delicious Cajun sausage adds some extra spices to the mix. Some are spicier than others, so it’s easy to vary the heat in your shrimp boil recipe. Baby red potatoes: It’s not a shrimp boil without potatoes! I like baby red potatoes because they hold up well when boiled, but you can use baby yellow potatoes, too. Or regular red potatoes that you’ll have to chop up. Corn: I chop the ears of sweet corn into smaller cobs for easy serving and fast cooking. Old Bay seasoning: I sometimes buy this classic seasoning, but it’s so easy to make at home, too! I bet you have everything you need in your spice cabinet already. Find my recipe for old bay seasoning here! Lemons: Fresh lemon juice adds brightness to this shrimp boil recipe. I use them in the boil liquid and a spritz again before serving. Yum! Butter: For the most decadent shrimp boil, add some melted butter to the shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn at the end. It really takes it from good to great. Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make a Shrimp Boil
Follow these steps for the best shrimp boil recipe at home:
Tips and Tricks
This is one of my favorite summer dishes! You’ll impress your guests with these tricks to make the best shrimp boil for a crowd: Text here. Do not delete or change the title. Make sure you convert this reusable block to a regular block by: selecting this block (if necessary, use the up arrow to select the entire block, not the text within the block) and clicking the button that looks like two boxes overlapping each other.
Don’t overcook the shrimp. There’s nothing worse than a chewy, rubbery shrimp. Be sure to watch the pot once you boil the shrimp so they’re not overdone.Cook everything in phases. The potatoes take the longest to cook, so always add those to the mix first. Luckily, the sausage and ears of corn cook at about the same time, so they can be added together. The shrimp are always added last when it’s almost time to eat.Add more seafood. You can also add other seafood such as clams, crab, or lobster.Add more vegetables. Feel free to add more veggies such as green beans, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, okra, or even pearl onions. Serve with cocktail sauce. This shrimp boil recipe is packed with flavor and can be served as is! However, there’s something magical about perfectly succulent shrimp and homemade cocktail sauce. I always serve mine with cocktail sauce even if only I eat it. Make it on the grill. Throwing a pool party or cookout? Make this on the grill! You can use any heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven and follow the same steps. It adds a little smokiness to the mix.
Now that you’re a pro at making this shrimp boil, you’ll impress all your guests at the cookout! This recipe is easy to double or triple to feed a crowd a great meal with minimal work. Make sure to Pin this recipe so more people can enjoy it too! © Little Sunny Kitchen
