How to Make Crab Boil

The bounty of the sea is a gastronomic delight for many diners and cooks. Crabs, in particular, are very well-liked for their flavor, and many people like to pick on the delicious crab meat and roe found inside. If you want to make eating fresh crab a fun activity for everyone to enjoy, you may want to consider an outdoor crab boil for a lunch gathering or a party.

What is Crab Boil?

Crab boil, also known as a seafood boil, is a collection of ingredients boiled together in a savory, seasoned broth. As the ingredients cook, the flavors blend and meld together to form a fantastic dish that can serve dozens of diners. While the main ingredient is crab, other ingredients that go well with seafood are also included in the dish. There are regional differences in the way crab boil is prepared, but the principle of boiling ingredients remains the same.
A large pot enough to fit in many whole ingredients is often used to cook crab boil, while a colander is used to hold the solid ingredients and steep them in the broth. Some kitchen supply stores sell pots and kettles exclusively made for making crab boil.

Ingredients

There’s no single way to make crab boil. Crab boil is best prepared by eyeballing the amount of ingredients you put in it, with your own preferences and tastes adjusted:

• Water
• Whole crab (make sure to use large crabs to maximize the amount of crab meat)
• Salt
• Cracked black peppercorns
• Powdered crab boil mix (you can use your own combination
• Hot sauce
• Tomato paste
• New potatoes (or red-skinned potatoes)
• Corn
• Bratwurst
• Lemons
• Onions
• Garlic heads
• Scallions
• Crab legs and claws (Learn how to cook crab legs)
• Whole shrimp
• Firm white fish fillets
• Clams or mussels

Steps

To make crab boil, follow these steps:

1. Place the salt, peppercorns, crab boil mix, hot sauce, tomato paste, scallions, onions, and garlic in the kettle and fill it with water.
2. Bring the stock to a rolling boil until all of the powdered ingredients have dissolved.
3. Place the solid ingredients inside the colander, or the kettle basket. Generally it is a good idea to put all the crabs and potatoes in the bottom of the kettle because they take longer to cook, and so that they can absorb all the seasonings from the broth. Softer ingredients like fish fillet, shrimp, and bratwurst can go on top of the basket.
4. Allow the crab boil to cook on a rolling boil for about 10 minutes. If you want to preserve the texture, you may want to stagger the you cook the ingredients. For a 10-minute cooking time, boil the potatoes first, wait three minutes, followed by the rest of the ingredients except the shrimp and crab legs, and cook the shrimp and crab legs at the last minute.
5. Lift up the basket from the pot and allow the ingredients to drain. Save the stock and serve the crab boil.

The same recipe for crab boil can be used for other seafoods like lobster and crayfish. With these steps, you can make a terrific crab boil that you can serve to your family, friends, and guests. If you enjoy learning this recipe, you’ll surely be interested in reading how to cook a lobster.