Seafood Boil in a Bag with Garlic Butter

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This Seafood Boil in a Bag recipe includes step by step instructions for how to prepare a homemade low country feast with crab legs, shrimp, potatoes, corn and sausage. This dish is cooked in an oven bag and drizzled with a Cajun lemon garlic butter sauce.

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What’s a Seafood Boil in a Bag?

It’s a dish that includes a variety of seafood, such as shrimp, crab legs, or crawfish, along with vegetables like corn on the cob and potatoes. It’s all cooked together in a large bag along with spices, butter, and/or broth.

The bag is sealed and cooked in a large pot of boiling water, on a grill, or baked. Once the seafood and vegetables are cooked through, the bag is opened and the contents are dumped out onto a large platter or newspaper-lined table for serving.

The seafood and vegetables are often served with butter or a variety of dipping sauces.

Check out our post on What is a Seafood Boil for additional commentary and tips.

What Type of Bag to Use

Use an oven bag that will hold 4-5 pounds at least. You can find one at your local grocer or here on Amazon. Oven bags are great for cooking juicy, tender meat and vegetables. It’s also great for easy clean up. I grab the turkey size to be sure it can all fit.

What Type of Seafood to Use

You can use whatever you like in this recipe. I use snow crab legs and large shrimp. Here are other options that you can use with very little adjustment to cook time:

• Crawfish
• Lobster
• Scallops
• King Crab Legs
• Dungeness Crab

You will also love my Cajun Crawfish Boil and Cajun Shrimp Boil recipes!

What Type of Vegetables to Use

Common vegetables you will find in a boil are potatoes, corn, and onions. You can add in whatever you like. I recommend steaming or boiling it first in order to ensure the texture is soft:

• Celery
• Carrots
• Sweet Potatoes
• Broccoli
• Green Beans

Boil Vegetables First

Keep in mind the potaotes and corn have longer cook times than the seafood. You will need to cook those first before adding it to the seafood. Par boil these first will ensure your seafood isn’t overcooked while you wait for the potatoes to soften.

Par boiling is when food is partially cooked in boiling water before it is finished cooking by another method, here it will be finished off in the oven. The food is usually boiled for a shorter period of time than it would be if it were being fully cooked in boiling water. The purpose of par boiling is to partially cook the food so that it can be finished cooking more quickly or evenly using another method.

Seafood cooks extremely fast. It also isn’t cheap! To ensure your money is put to good use, boil your vegetables first.

Garlic Butter

You will need butter, garlic, lemon, white wine (or broth), and Old Bay Seasoning. I also add Cajun seasoning because I prefer a kick in the taste.

The star of a boil is the garlic butter that seasons the entire dish. Butter adds a rich, creamy taste and texture to the seafood.

Lemon is great when cooking seafood because it adds a bright, acidic taste that complements the delicate flavor of seafood. Lemon helps balance out the richness of the seafood and butter used in the dish. It also gives a freshness to the dish.

Garlic works wonderfully here because it adds a strong, pungent taste that complements the delicate flavor. Garlic’s strong flavor can help add a depth of flavor to the dish.

How to Make Seafood Boil in a Bag

Full detailed instructions are below in the recipe card.

1. Boil the potatoes and corn.
2. Place a skillet or saucepan on medium heat and add the butter.
3. When melted, add the remaining ingredients and stir. Stir.
4. Add the shrimp, crab legs, sausage, potatoes, and corn an oven bag. Drizzle the butter sauce throughout. Tie the bag to seal it.
5. Toss the contents around in the bag to ensure the butter is fully coated.
6. Place the bag on a sheet pan or in a baking dish in the oven.
7. Bake.

How to Tell When the Seafood is Done/Cooked

Cooked shrimp will turn pink and opaque. The shrimp will also become firm when you touch it. Perfectly cooked shrimp usually has a C-shape, as opposed to a tightly curled O shape.

Check out our guide on How to Tell if Shrimp is Cooked here.

Most crab legs will come precooked and often frozen. Sometimes, if it’s sold thawed, then it has been thawed from frozen. After the crabs are caught they are cooked on the boat and then flash-frozen right on the spot.

Crab should be cooked until the flesh is pearly or white, and opaque. You won’t be able to tell much by the outside color, because when you bought them they were already pre-cooked and orange. Examine the shoulder (this is the large white part of the cluster). It should be pearly white.

Different Ideas on How to Season

• Lemon Pepper Seasoning
• Cajun Seasoning
• Creole Seasoning
• Homemade Ranch Seasoning
• Homemade BBQ Seasoning and Rub

How to Reheat

My favorite way to reheat is on the stove using additional butter. Microwaved seafood can turn out mushy, so I avoid it.

More Seafood Recipes

Nobu Miso Black Cod
Crab Risotto
Seafood Pasta Salad
Smoked Lobster Tail
Grilled King Crab Legs
Baked Cod in Foil
Salmon Fried Rice
Seafood Lasagna