We didn’t do turkey this Thanksgiving. No one really eats turkey in my family so it wasn’t worth the time and effort. Instead, we opted for a seafood boil. It’s quicker to make and everyone enjoys grabbing their favorite seafood. This year, we did King crab legs, clams, large shrimp, sausage and sweet corn. The sauce that brought everything together was a fiery and buttery garlic lemon pepper. It was made with six ingredients: garlic, butter, cayenne, lemon pepper seasoning, Old Bay seasoning and Cajun seasoning. The best part? Everything came together in under 30 minutes. If you have half an hour to spare, you too can make a feast fit for a King.
The seafood was steamed before going into the sauce. I used a tiered steamer. On the first layer, I placed the corn since they take the longest to cook (about 15-20 minutes). Then I placed another tier over the corn with shrimp. Shrimp cooks in about 5-7 minutes. Clams were next. They take about 8-10 minutes. As soon as the clams opened up, I scooped them out to prevent overcooking. Overcooked clams mean empty shells and no one wants that.
The King crab legs came precooked from the store. I simply chopped them up into small chunks and cut them open with a kitchen sheers for easier eating. Having someone struggle over opening crabs or cracking a tooth is no fun. My good deed for the day is doing the hard work for them. I placed the King crab legs into the steamer for a few minutes just enough to warm up.
By the time I was done with the shrimp, clams and warming up the crab, the corns were done. I removed everything from the steamer and tossed them in the garlic butter lemon pepper sauce that I made beforehand.
Seafood Boil Sauce: Garlic Butter Lemon Pepper
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
A seafood boil with King crab legs, clams, shrimp, sausage, and sweet corn, all tossed in a fiery garlic lemon pepper sauce—perfect for a feast.
Ingredients
Seafood
- 3 sausage links (cut into chunks)
- 4 ears of corn (cut into chunks)
- 3 lbs precooked King crab legs (cut into chunks and precut with kitchen sheers)
- 3 lbs clams
- 2 lbs shrimp (head-on)
Sauce
- 4 sticks of butter (1 lb/16 oz)
- 3 heads of garlic (chop in food processor or through a garlic press)
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
- 2 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper (if not available, substitute with paprika or chili powder)
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
Instructions
- Steam the Seafood: Corn takes about 15-20 minutes. Clams (8-10 minutes) and shrimp (5-7 minutes).
- Prepare the Butter Sauce: In a medium size sauce pan, melt butter on medium high heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add Old Bay seasoning, Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning, cayenne and sugar. Stir until combined. Add to seafood.
- Serve: Serve hot with your choice of dipping sauces and sides. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
