Seafood Boil in a Bag – Steamy Cajun seasoned seafood in a buttery, garlicky sauce fresh out of the oven? Get ready for one of my favorite delicious seafood recipes that makes for a stunning presentation too! 🤩
Did I mention it’s insanely easy? The whole meal comes together in just about an hour, with no special cooking techniques required. It’s totally low-stress, with little prep work, and it always comes out perfect! 💯
And the gorgeous presentation! Bright red seafood, corn, and potatoes garnished with fresh lemon wedges and chopped parsley. The colors, textures, and shapes are a feast for the eyes. Your guests will love it.
Seafood Boil…in a Bag?
Ok, yes! We’re putting bags in the oven. But please don’t put ordinary ziplock bags in the oven! Nylon, heat-resistant oven bags (they usually stand up to 400℉/205℃) work fine for our seafood recipe.
I love oven bags because they make almost any meat juicy and tender by locking in liquid as the meat cooks. A seafood boil-in-a-bag recipe is no exception. We’re making the most of our buttery garlic sauce by cooking everything in the oven bags.
Recipe Ingredients
- Seafood – Snow crab legs and shrimp are my favorite options, but you could add other seafood. I’ve tried lobster tail and mussels, which were delicious.
- Vegetables – Potatoes and corn are a must for me, along with chopped red onion.
- Sausage – Andouille sausage was made for seafood boils! You could use another sausage variety, but I highly recommend andouille when pairing sausage with seafood.
- Eggs – Hard-boiled eggs don’t crop up in every seafood boil in a bag, but it’s a beautiful addition. Try and see if it isn’t amazing!
- Garlic Butter Sauce – Now for the secret sauce. Melted butter, garlic cloves, chicken broth, Old Bay and Creole seasoning, paprika, and cayenne make for the most sensational butter sauce you’ve ever tasted.
- Oven Bags – This isn’t technically an ingredient. But you do need either large oven bags or small ones for this recipe.
How to Make Seafood Boil in a Bag
Prepare the Ingredients
- Heat – Bring a large pot with water on the stove to boil on medium-high. The pot should be large enough to fit the potatoes and corn.
- Add Veggies – Rinse the potatoes and then add them, alongside the corn, to the pot, season with salt and leave to boil for 12-15 minutes. (Photo 1)
- Check if the potatoes are ready by piercing them with a fork. They should be fork-tender but stay intact. And the corn will change in color from a lighter to a more intense yellow, with fuller, plumper kernels. When both are well cooked, remove them from the water and set them aside.
- Cook the Sausage – Slice the andouille sausage into ½-1″ pieces diagonally. Heat a skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook until lightly browned (3-5 minutes). Transfer the sausage to a plate and set it aside. (Photo 2)
Make the Butter Sauce
- Saute Veggies – Add butter to the saucepan. When the butter melts, add the diced red onion and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. (Photos 3-4)
- Season – Next, add the chicken broth, Old Bay seasoning, Creole seasoning, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for 5-7 minutes. (Photo 5)
- Final Stretch – Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add fresh lemon juice and parsley. Mix well and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and set aside. (Photo 6)
Assemble the Bags
- Preheat the oven to 400℉/205℃. Place the bags in a large bowl to stabilize while filling.
- Assemble – Add the thawed snow crab legs, deveined shrimp, andouille sausage, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, and corn to the oven bag (divide the ingredients between the bags evenly). (Photo 7)
- Add Sauce – Drizzle the butter sauce throughout and tie the oven bag to seal it. Toss the contents around in the bag to ensure the sauce coats everything. (Photo 7)
Bake the Seafood Boil
- Bake – Place the bags on a baking sheet pan or dish and place them in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping the bags halfway during cooking. (Photo 8)
- Rest – Remove the bags from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before opening (be careful of the hot steam).
- Serve – Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges, and your seafood is ready.
Recipe Variations
- Thai-inspired: Lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, Thai chilies, fish sauce, and coconut milk deliver amazing flavors. Serve with steamed rice. 🍚
- Milder Seafood Boil: Omit the Cajun seasoning and add thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Garnish with additional fresh herbs before serving. 🌿
- Italian Seafood: Toss seafood, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, garlic, lemon slices, olive oil, oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper in the bag. Serve with crusty bread. 🥖
- Regular Seafood Boil: There is a seasoning mix made for seafood boils. Feel free to take that shortcut.
- Cajun Seafood Boil Recipe: If you can find Zatarain’s Shrimp and Crab Boil, you’ll have an authentic Cajun dinner.
Tips and Tricks
- This recipe serves 4-5 people, but if you’re feeding a crowd, feel free to double, triple, or even quadruple it.
- Please don’t put regular plastic bags into the oven! Only oven-safe bags specifically designed to withstand heat are safe for this recipe.
- For a fun twist on this recipe, use single-serving seafood boil bags. Let your guests assemble their own, adding what they like! Just keep track of where you place each guest’s bag on your baking tray.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Bake seafood boil in a bag fresh, but you can do some of the prep work ahead. Prep all the ingredients and assemble them in the bags. Store them in the fridge, and put them in the oven when you’re ready to go.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve steaming hot seafood boil straight from the bag on a big serving platter.
Seal leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. To reheat, add butter to a saucepan set to medium heat. Cook low and slow until everything is nice and warm.
FAQs
This recipe is still a seafood boil, even though it’s going in the oven. That’s because the bag allows the seafood to steam and simmer in all those lovely juices. You leave a seafood bake uncovered in the oven.
Sure! Just make sure you thaw your seafood before adding it to the bag to cook in the oven.
They add extra protein to the meal and soak up all those amazing flavors, making them extra tasty. Plus, they look pretty with all the other ingredients. 😍
What Goes With Seafood Boil in a Bag
While seafood boil in a bag is a complete meal, there are a couple of sides I like to make. First is homemade garlic bread because you’ll want to sop up that sauce. Second, hot steamed jasmine rice has a beautiful flavor and goes great with everything in the boil. It’s an excellent way to stretch this meal if you’re on a budget too!
More Sensational Seafood Recipes to Try
Conclusion
From prep work to clean up, a seafood boil has never been this easy (or delicious 😉). Already a fan of seafood boil in a bag? Let me know all your best pro tips in the comment section below!
Seafood Boil in a Bag
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Ingredients
- 1 pound small red potatoes, halved
- 6 mini ears corn on the cob
- 2 sticks (240g) unsalted butter (1 cup)
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice (adjust to suit taste)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 pounds (900g) snow crab legs Thawed
- 1 pound (450g) raw shrimp large, Deveined
- 16 ounces (450g) smoked andouille sausage, sliced into 1-inch slices diagonally
- 6 whole eggs hard-boiled
Instructions
- Bring a large pot with water on the stove to boil on medium-high heat. The pot should be large enough to fit the potatoes and corn.
- Rinse the potatoes and then add them, alongside the corn, to the pot, season with salt, and leave to boil for 12-15 minutes. To check if the potatoes are ready, pierce them with a fork. They should be fork-tender but not falling apart.
- To check if the corn is ready, notice the change in color from a lighter to a more intense yellow, and the kernels become fuller and plumper.
- When both are cooked, remove them from the water and set them aside.
- Slice andouille sausage into ½-1″ pieces diagonally. Add sliced sausage in a skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, add sliced sausage, and cook until slightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate and set aside.
- Add butter to the saucepan. When the butter melts, add the diced red onion and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Next, add chicken broth, Old Bay seasoning, Creole seasoning, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir well. Reduce the heat to low and allow to cook for about 5-7 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add fresh lemon juice and parsley. Mix to fully combine. Cook for an additional minute, then turn off the heat and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉/205℃. Place the bags in a large bowl to stabilize while filling.
- Add the thawed snow crab legs, deveined shrimp, sliced andouille sausage, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, and corn to the oven bag (Divide ingredients into the bags equally). Drizzle the butter sauce throughout and tie the oven bags to seal them.
- Toss the contents around in the bags to ensure they are fully coated with the sauce.
- Place the bags on a sheet pan or in a baking dish and place it in the oven.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping the bags halfway during the cooking process.
- Take the bag out of the oven and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes before opening (hot steam will escape when opened).
- Garnish with parsley, arrange lemon wedges around the spread and your seafood is ready to be served.
Tips & Notes:
- This recipe serves 4-5 people, but if you’re feeding a crowd, feel free to double, triple, or even quadruple it.
- Please don’t put regular plastic bags into the oven! Only oven-safe bags specifically designed to withstand heat are safe for this recipe.
- For a fun twist on this recipe, use single-serving seafood boil bags. Let your guests assemble their own, adding what they like! Just keep track of where you place each guest’s bag on your baking tray.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Shery Sullivan says
How much water in the potatoes and corn? Covered? I’ll be adding lobster tails, and do we cut up the crab legs? I mean separate them. Just cut thru that heavy looking white part? A lot of questions but this is my first try.
Imma says
Hi Shery!
For the boiling of the potatoes and corn, just add enough to cover them. Cook covered. And yes you can cut up the crab legs for easier handling. Hope this helps.
mary h says
I haven’t made this recipe yet, but I do have a question, how much broth did you use?
My grandson and I love boils like this, so I cannot wait to make it.
Also, can this be cooked on a grill??
Imma says
It’s ½ a cup. Thank you for catching that. I’ve fixed the recipe card.
Imma says
I wouldn’t put a plastic bag on the grill, but you could create a sealed package with aluminum foil. Spray the individual pieces of foil with non-stick spray, divide the ingredients like you would for the bags, then fold the edges upward, add the liquids, fold the top over to seal and leave space for steam, and grill for 15-20 minutes, and open the foil packets carefully. Most of the recipes would be the same. Let me know how it goes if you grill it