A good seafood boil sauce that pairs with an amazing pot of seafood and potatoes is one of life's great pleasures. This post is all about how to make a super easy homemade sauce.
Over the years, I have found that the "boil" part of the seafood boil is labor intensive and often strips flavor instead of adding it.
So my favorite seafood boil these days is to throw a pan of jumbo shrimp in the oven and bake it for 15 minutes. In the meantime I boil some tiny potatoes and make this dreamy spicy butter sauce.
Plate it all up together and I have a homemade version of a fancy seafood boil in under 20 minutes, complete with a delightful dipping sauce.
Yes, please!
Here is what you need to make Homemade Seafood Boil Sauce:
8 tablespoons butter
½ medium red onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
½ teaspoon cayenne, optional
½ cup seafood stock
Step-by-step instructions:
To begin, combine butter, garlic and onion in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and saute for 4-5 minutes until tender and fragrant.
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.
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.
Once you've blended the sauce, taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve over baked colossal shrimp, or as a dipping sauce for king crab legs, crawfish boil, or your favorite type of seafood.
FAQs about Homemade Seafood Boil Sauce:
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.
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.
Seafood stock is available on Amazon, but if you're in a hurry, grab a jar of clam juice or substitute vegetable stock.
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.
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.
Hungry for more delicious seafood sauces? Try these next!
Vietnamese Cajun Crawfish Boil Sauce
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Homemade Seafood Boil Sauce
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
It's buttery and garlicky and spicy - everything you want in a sauce for your shrimp, potatoes, rice, vegetables...it adds flavor to anything it touches!
Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter
5 garlic cloves, diced
½ medium red onion, diced
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
½ teaspoon cayenne, optional
½ cup seafood stock
Instructions
Combine butter, garlic and onion in a saucepan. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until garlic and onion are fragrant and tender. Add Old Bay Seasoning, lemon pepper and cayenne, if using. Cook for another minute. Add seafood stock and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Use an immersion blender for 20-30 seconds to emulsify the butter sauce until smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning.
Serve immediately over baked shrimp, potatoes or vegetables.
Notes
Emulsifying the sauce is optional - without blending you'll have a traditional seafood boil sauce. Blending creates a richer, creamier experience that is magical!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Seafood
Keywords: shrimp boil sauce, shrimp sauce, butter sauce, seafood boil sauce, seafood butter garlic sauce
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