Recently I’ve noticed the trend of crab leg and seafood boil videos on my social media news feeds. Also, there are restaurants popping up all over our city for crab leg lovers. For as long as I can remember, shrimp has been one of my top favorite foods. I’ve never really liked, or even tried, many other types of seafood. But, somehow my daughters, ages 13 and 9, have grown fond of crab legs.

I am so fascinated watching people eat crab legs and seafood boils on my social media feeds, that I had to try one for myself. There are two restaurants near my home, and my girls and I tried it and couldn't decide on a clear winner. Although I am not a fan of crab legs, the shrimp and potatoes were stars for me.

After a few tries, we decided to make this a monthly family dinner 'event'. However, I didn't want to keep giving my money to restaurants after learning I could easily purchase these ingredients and make my own at home, with a greater portion size, for nearly the same amount of money.

Surprisingly, my first seafood boil turned out delicious, so I've been told. A few have reached out to ask for my recipe after posting some pics online, so I thought I would blog about it and share my recipe. I can't take all the credit, because I took ideas from friends and YouTube videos and tried to make them my own.

See my notes and videos below, and let me know how your seafood boil turns out! Feel free to add or remove ingredients. I am just listing what I used.

Main Ingredients - (I don't measure anything, sorry)

Snow Crab Legs
Shrimp (I prefer shell-on for this dish, because it is fun to peel and seems to hold more flavor)
Potatoes (I prefer mini red potatoes)
Corn
Smoked Sausage
Andouille Sausage
Butter
Minced Garlic

Dry Ingredients

Cajun Seasoning
Lemon Pepper
Paprika
Old Bay Seasoning
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Ranch Seasoning
Garlic Salt
Parsley

Step 1:

Ensure your seafood is thawed. My shrimp and crab legs were frozen, so I put them (separately) in a colander under running cold water for about 5 minutes or so.

Step 2:

After my first oven seafood boil, I learned that to ensure my ingredients all cooked evenly, it was important to cook my corn and potatoes prior to putting everything in the oven. While you are waiting for your seafood to thaw, start working on your corn and potatoes, cooking them until they are about about 75% done. I boil my corn, and put my potatoes in the microwave. You can actually boil together if you'd like. If putting your potatoes in the microwave, don't forget to pierce the potatoes with a fork.

Step 3:

While my corn and potatoes are cooking, I start to cut up my sausage. I like mixing smoked sausage and Andouille sausage because I get a surprise flavor with each bite.

Step 4:

Start seasoning! I didn't have bowls big enough to mix everything at once, but I tried to season the sausage, potatoes and corn together. And, then followed the same steps to season the shrimp and crab legs. I add all the dry ingredients (except the parsley - we will use that later). After adding all the dry ingredients, I add a little melted butter and start mixing everything together. The butter helps the seasoning stick.

One more thing! Don’t forget your gloves! :) I didn’t have any, so I was creative and used ziploc bags as gloves for my hands. Don’t judge me!

Step 5:

After I have seasoned the sides and the seafood, I add everything to a large pan. On the side, I melt more butter and stir in minced garlic and parsley flakes. After mixing together, I pour the mixture over the seafood and sides in the pan. (Excuse my poor recording skills below while trying to pour the mixture!)

Step 6:

Cover the pan with foil, and put in pre-heated oven (375 degrees) for about 15 minutes or until done.

Step 7: Garnish with lemon (if you'd like) and enjoy!