Published: by Sarah Baumeister · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment
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This seafood boil sauce recipe is full of cajun flavor, can be made in less than 20 minutes and is perfect for dipping or pouring over your favorite seafood boils and steam pots.
There's nothing quite like a classic seafood boil. Steamed seafood like shrimp, king or snow crab legs, and mussels, paired with classic additions like andouille sausage and corn and potatoes are begging to be topped with this cajun seafood boil sauce. This garlic butter sauce is great even as a dipping sauce for plain shrimp or lobster tails (try these air fryer lobster tails for a super easy way to prepare them).
Seafood boils themselves are delicious, the bold flavor of the sauces that accompany them are what take them to the next level! Buttery goodness? Check. Cajun flavors? Check. Spicy and lemony? Check! Make this sauce as is or adjust it to your liking using any of the substitutions listed below. However you do it- this sauce is finger lickin delicious.
Makethis a true cajun seafood feast by pairing it with air fryer crab cakes and remoulade sauce and a bowl of slow cooker gumbo.
Jump to:
- Ingredient Notes
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make
- Recipe Tips
- What to serve seafood boil sauce with
- More seafood recipes
- Recipe FAQs
- Seafood Boil Sauce Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: The base of a garlic butter seafood sauce is, you guessed it, butter. Almost all recipes that you will find on Season and Thyme use unsalted butter, this way you control the amount of salt that goes into the recipe.
- Onion and Garlic: These season thesauce beautifully. Make sure to mince them up finely so that there are no chunks.
- Old Bay Seasoning: What's a seafood sauce recipe without classic Old Bay seasoning? Old Bay hascelery salt, spices (including red pepper and black pepper), and paprika. It's a great base of flavor for this sauce.
- Cajun seasoning: Cajun seasoning differs from Old Bay in that it is made with simpler ingredients and is often spicier. Having a combination of the two gives more layered flavor to the sauce. It a main flavoring agent in this Instant Pot Cajun Shrimp.
- Lemon Juice: With the heavy flavors and rich butter, lemon juice helps to cut through with a bit of acidity.
- Fish Stock or Chicken Stock: Stock helps to thin out the sauce a bit and mellow the flavor. You can use chicken stock or fish stock. I like to use the stock that my seafood boil was cooked in, because SO MUCH FLAVOR.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it spicier by adding red pepper flakes or tabasco sauce.
- Thin out the sauce by adding additional stock. Start with ¼ cup chicken stock or fish stock and add more if needed.
How to Make
Step 1. To a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
Step 2. Add minced onions and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant, around 5 minutes.
Step 3. Add spices and cook for 1-2 minutes. This helps the dried spices to really reach their full flavor potential.
Step 4. Whisk in broth and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
Step 5. To finish,add lemon juice and fresh parsley.
Step 6. Serve poured over top your seafood or as a dipping sauce on the side.
Recipe Tips
- Dice all of the seasonings finely so that they permeate the entire seafood butter sauce.
- You'll notice there is a lack of salt added to this recipe, and that's because Old Bay and cajun seasoning can both be quite salty! Feel free to add salt to taste.
- This seafood boil recipe can be made ahead of time and reheated on the stove when ready to enjoy. It will solidify when placed in the fridge because of the butter, but will melt back to its original state after a minute or two of low heat on the stove.
What to serve seafood boil sauce with
Serve this sauce to accompany any of the following:
- seafood boils
- king crab legs or snow crab legs
- air fryer salmon
- shrimp
- lobster tails
More seafood recipes
- Baked Mediterranean Cod
- Baked Pesto Butter Salmon
- Mexican Tuna Salad
- Baja Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage
Recipe FAQs
What is in seafood boil sauce?
Seafood boil sauce contains a combination of butter, garlic, and spices such as Old Bay seasoning, cajun seasoning, paprika, and red pepper flakes.
How long does seafood boil sauce last night in the fridge?
This sauce will last up to a week in the fridge. When serving, pour into ramekins or over seafood itself rather than dipping directly into the pot, this will help keep the sauce fresh.
What makes seafood boil sauce thick?
Butter! Butter and reducing the sauce for at least 5 minutes once you add in the stock.
If you tried thisSeafood Boil Sauce Recipeor any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟star ratingand let me know how it goes in thecommentsbelow. I love to hear from you.
Seafood Boil Sauce Recipe
Sarah Baumeister
A finger lickin good Seafood Boil Sauce Recipe that's just asking to get poured over your favorite seafood like crab legs and shrimp.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Course Homemade Sauces
Cuisine Cajun
Servings 8 servings
Calories 224 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup onion minced
- 2 tsp. cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. paprika
- ½ cup chicken stock or fish stock
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ½ lemon juiced
Instructions
Mince onions and garlic finely.
To a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
Add minced onions and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant, around 5 minutes. Add spices and cook for 1-2 minutes. This helps the dried spices to really reach their full flavor potential.
Whisk in broth and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
To finish,add lemon juice and fresh parsley.
Serve poured over top your seafood or as a dipping sauce on the side.
Notes
- You'll notice there is a lack of salt added to this recipe, and that's because Old Bay and cajun seasoning can both be quite salty! Feel free to add salt to taste.
- This seafood boil recipe can be made ahead of time and reheated on the stove when ready to enjoy. It will solidify when placed in the fridge because of the butter, but will melt back to its original state after a minute or two of low heat on the stove.
Nutrition
Calories: 224kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 212mgPotassium: 112mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1884IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
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