Summer Seafood Boil

*Sigh.* This has been a sad week. I’ve seen it on your Facebook news feeds.  I’ve heard coworkers lament over the situation.  The news has rubbed it in our faces.  The kids went back to school.  Oh Summer.  Why are you such a tease?  This upper 70-degree weather here in Lincoln has me mourning over the long hot days that linger into October down in TX.  I know the last days of summer are quickly slipping through our fingertips, so I’m going to keep this post short so you can go out enjoy what’s left of my favorite season.

When summer first began this  year, I made a list of dishes I wanted to try my hand at before the season was over.  I had been muddling over trying a seafood boil for quite some time, and decided this was the year to try it.  Fresh summer corn, crawfish, shrimp, meaty potatoes, and spicy seasoning all having a party in a pot.  Turns out, this was my favorite meal of the season.  It was so sublime that Ryan said he felt like a king at a feast while we ate it.  Call him King Crawfish.  If you think you need a crowd to have a seafood boil you are wrong.  Seafood boil for two? Check.  Comin’ right up.

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Summer Seafood Boil

Seafood boil for 2 (with leftovers) cooked in a home kitchen on a conventional stove. Soak up the last tastes of summer!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 2 hearty servings with leftovers for the next day

Ingredients

• 3 quarts water 12 cups
• 1 can 12 ounces beer (optional - we used Samuel Adams Summer Ale)
• 1/4 cup OLD BAY® Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 lemon sliced into 1/4'' thick circles
• 8 small red potatoes
• 1 large onions cut into wedges
• 4 whole cloves garlic
• 4 ears fresh corn shucked and halved crosswise
• 2 pounds unpeeled jumbo shrimp 21 to 25 count
• 2 pounds crawfish we had to use frozen pre-cooked because that's all we could find in NE
• Accoutrements: lemon wedges 1 tablespoon melted butter per person, crusty bread, and plenty of hot sauce

Instructions

• Bring water, beer, and seasonings to boil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot on high heat.
• Add potatoes, lemon pieces, garlic, onions. Cook at a steady boil for 10 minutes.
• Add corn. Cook 7 minutes.
• Stir in shrimp and crawfish. Cook 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.
• Drain cooking liquid (I strained mine and froze it for seafood risotto or paella). Pour contents of pot into large serving bowl or platter.
• For an authentic Louisiana-style set up, serve your seafood boil on a table covered with newspaper.
• Fill your plate and squeeze fresh lemon juice over everything. Spread the softened garlic on crusty bread and dip in the strained broth. Dip your bites in a drop of melted butter, hot sauce, or both!

Notes

The shrimp and crawfish taste great cold the next day. Corn and tater's can easily be heated in a bit of leftover broth.