Homemade Buttery Seafood Boil Sauce

Name: Homemade Buttery Seafood Boil Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons butter; 5 garlic cloves, diced; 1/2 medium red onion, diced; 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning; 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, optional; 1/2 cup seafood stock

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A really good Seafood Boil Sauce that pairs with an amazing pot of seafood and potatoes is one of life's great pleasures. This recipe is all about how to make a super easy homemade sauce.

buttery sauce poured over shrimp and potatoes

This homemade version of a fancy restaurant seafood boil sauce can be ready in under 20 minutes, giving you the perfect dipping sauce, drizzle or drench for your seafood boil.

Here is what you need to make this recipe:

ingredients for recipe laid out on a table and labeled.

Before we get to the step by step directions, a few notes about the ingredients:

Butter: salted butter is my preference, but use what you have, then taste and adjust the salt level before serving the sauce.

Stock: the recipe calls for seafood stock, but substitute clam juice, veggie stock or chicken stock, if you're cooking for meat-eaters.

Old Bay: this iconic spice mix is the backbone of our seafood boil party. Substitute your favorite seafood seasoning, cajun seasoning, or take a look at the Best Subs for Old Bay for another option.

Cayenne: for a spicier sauce, increase the cayenne. For a mild experience, omit it.

Full ingredient list and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Cook aromatics

To begin, combine butter, garlic and onion in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and sauté for 4-5 minutes until tender and fragrant.

onions and garlic sautéing in butter in a pot

2. Add seasoning

Add Old Bay Seasoning, lemon pepper and cayenne, if using, to the pan. Stir and cook for about a minute, allowing the spices to bloom. Then add ½ cup seafood stock. Bring back to a simmer for 2-3 minutes.

3. Blend sauce

At this point, you have traditional seafood boil sauce. You're welcome to stop now and use the sauce to cover your favorite seafood. But I've found that if I blend the the sauce for 20-30 seconds using an immersion blender, the emulsified sauce is rich and creamy and luscious over seafood.

sauce being blended with a stick blender

Once you've blended the sauce, taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Serve with your favorite seafood!

Serve over baked colossal shrimp, or as a dipping sauce for king crab legs, stone crab claws, crawfish boil, or your favorite type of seafood.

Seafood Boil sauce next to a plate of shrimp and potatoes

Looking for more delicious sauce recipes?

FAQs and Serving Suggestions:

Can I make this spicier?

Absolutely - you can increase the cayenne pepper. I recommend adding ¼ teaspoon additional and let it cook in the sauce for a few minutes before adding more. Another way to increase the spicy factor would be adding a tablespoon of hot sauce like Tabasco or Texas Pete. You can also add ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or, for a smokier heat, try a teaspoon of ground chipotle chili powder.

Can I make this milder?

Spice levels are a matter of personal preference and everything can be modified! The easy fix is to omit the cayenne from the seasoning list. Old Bay has a small amount of heat in the spice mixture, so start by adding ½ tablespoon of Old Bay, then simmer, taste, and adjust seasoning. If you omit the cayenne, you could add a few drops of hot sauce instead to add a balance to the rich, salty flavors. A few drops of Worcestershire sauce or an extra squeeze from a few lemon wedges will also mellow out spice.

I can't find seafood stock - help?

Seafood stock is available on Amazon, but if you're in a hurry, grab a jar of clam juice or substitute vegetable stock.

What can I do with leftover sauce?

I love using leftover spicy sauce as a starter for rice or quinoa. Add 2 tablespoons of the sauce to 2 cups of grains while cooking. Frozen vegetables also enjoy bathing in this seafood sauce recipe. Add a few tablespoons to your pot of frozen green beans or broccoli. As it cooks, watch the magic happen!

This sauce is also ideal as a dipping sauce or topper for almost all of your seafood market finds, including steamed clams, baked tilapia, seared salmon or steamed cod. Garlic butter seafood sauce is a great recipe that works well in almost any one of your seafood meal plans.

How to store leftover sauce?

To store, wrap the leftover seafood boil sauce tightly with plastic wrap in a small bowl or transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.