A shrimp boil party is one of my favorite kinds of parties – feed a crowd with no dirty dishes! This is also a completely portable party. My easy shrimp boil recipe makes for an instant success no matter where you are! Read on to pull off the ultimate shrimp boil.

Looking for a great party beverage that can be made in a picture? How about my margaritas. So easy and delicious. You will be all set for a fun and memorable party.

shrimp boil

Shrimp Boil

My favorite spot is on the beach, but a classic shrimp boil is a meal that’s perfect for outdoors anywhere. Between the fresh shrimp, lemon wedges, the ears of corn and sausage, this meal is a sure summertime hit.

The following recipe uses 1 large 34 quart turkey fryer with a strainer basket that goes almost to the top of the pot. One pot serves about 10-12 people. When we have a large crowd, we borrow an extra turkey fryer or two.

Ready to get started? First, cover your entire table with freezer paper, shiny side up. Now let the cooking begin!

Shrimp Boil Shopping List

Here is everything you need to host a shrimp boil:

  • 2 Zatarain’s Crab “n” Shrimp Boil in Bags
  • 1/2 bottle Zatarain’s Crab “n” Shrimp Boil oil
  • 1 Cup salt
  • 3-4 large onions (peeled and quartered)
  • 2 lemons cut in half
  • 6-10 whole ears of corn, cut in half, or 12-24 frozen small corn on the cob
  • 3 lbs Kielbasa cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 3 pounds large raw shrimp in shells (about 25 per lb)
  • 2 whole bulbs garlic, unpeeled with top sliced off
  • 18-24 small red potatoes
  • Freezer paper
  • Squeezable butter, spicy mustard and cocktail sauce
  • 2 baguettes sliced into 1 inch slices
  • 1 34 quart turkey fryer with strainer basket that goes almost to the top of the pot

Download this handy Printable Shopping List and Instructions to help you gather all your supplies!

How to Host a Shrimp Boil

First, fill the turkey fryer about 2/3 full of water. Bring to a boil and add your shrimp boil seasoning. My recipe calls for 2 packages of Zatarain’s Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil in a Bag, 1/4 – 1/2 bottle Zatarain’s Shrimp and Crab oil, and 1 cup of salt and garlic. Boil for 15 minutes.

shrimp boil recipe

Next, add your potatoes, and boil for 7-8 minutes.

shrimp boil directions

Corn goes in next for 5 minutes. If your corn is frozen, you might need to turn up the heat for a minute to get your water boiling again.

shrimp boil ingredients

Now add kielbasa, cut into two-inch pieces. Cook for 8 minutes.

Shrimp boil ideas

Add onions. Squeeze lemon juice into pot, and then toss the lemons into the water, boil 3- 4 minutes (oops picture is wrong – add the garlic at the beginning!)

shrimp boil party

Now add shrimp, and cook 5 minutes or just until shrimp turns pink. Remember not to overcook the shrimp!

shrimp boil adding shrimp

Turn off the heat, and immediately pull basket from the water and let drain.

shrimp boil- training

Shrimp Boil Recipe

Download the recipe card below or print the shopping list above.

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shrimp-boil-001.jpg
5 from 13 votes

Shrimp Boil

EASY & FUN Party idea. Guests will love this delicious meal and you will love the easy clean-up.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 34 quart turkey fryer with strainer basket that goes almost to the top of the pot

Ingredients  

  • 2 Zatarain’s Crab “n” Shrimp Boil in Bags
  • 1/2 bottle Zatarain’s Crab “n” Shrimp Boil oil
  • 1 Cup salt
  • 3-4 large onions peeled and quartered
  • 2 lemons cut in half
  • 6-10 whole ears of corn cut in half or 12-24 frozen small corn n the cob
  • 3 lbs Kielbasa cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 pounds large raw shrimp in shells about 25 per lb
  • 2 whole bulbs garlic unpeeled with top sliced o
  • 18-24 small red potatoes
  • Freezer paper
  • Squeezable butter
  • spicy mustard
  • cocktail sauce
  • 2 baguettes sliced into 1-inch slices

Instructions 

  • Bring water to a boil in a covered pot with large strainer basket (ll pot 2/3 full)
  • Add garlic, Zatarain’s spice bags, Zatarain’s oil and salt – boil for 15 minutes
  • Add potatoes – boil for 7 – 8 minutes
  • Add corn – boil for 5 minutes (if corn is frozen you may need to turn up the heat to get the water boiling again)
  • Add kielbasa – boil 8 minutes
  • Squeeze lemons into pot and then throw them in along with the onions – boil 3 – 4 minutes
  • Add Shrimp – boil for about 5 minutes or just until shrimp turns pink –don’t overcook.
  • If you don’t want to eat right away, turn off heat, pour a bag of ice into the pot and let sit 15 minutes,
  • drain and pour onto table covered in freezer paper.
  • OR
  • Turn off heat lift basket out of pot, allow to drain and then immediately pour onto your table covered with freezer paper (shiny side up).
  • Sprinkle sliced baguette down the table. Serve with squeezable butter, mustard and cocktail sauce–squeezed directly on the table. Encourage guests to squeeze cloves of garlic onto corn and potatoes.

Nutrition

Calories: 876kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 365mg | Sodium: 11627mg | Potassium: 2046mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 111IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 263mg | Iron: 8mg
Servings: 12
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Cindy Hopper

Ready to serve your shrimp boil? Pour contents of basket onto your freezer paper-covered table.

shrimp-boil

Serve with sliced baguette sprinkled down the table and bottles of squeeze butter, cocktail sauce, and spicy mustard.

Remember NO knives, forks, spoons or plates allowed! This is all finger food and condiments are squeezed directly onto the table! When finished just roll up the paper and give everyone a finger wipe!

shrimp boil party

Put on some Cajun Zydeco (zi-dee-coe) music and have a great time!

A big thanks to our dear friends Jeff and Cathy for showing us how to have the best party ever!

Shrimp Boil Tips

  • I use shell-on shrimp and prefer the larger sizes. If you use shelled shrimp, cook for only 3 minutes!
  • Shrimp cook very fast. If they start to curl into a circle, you’re overcooking them.
  • If you don’t want to eat right away, turn off the heat, pour a bag of ice into the pot and let sit 15 minutes, drain and pour onto the table.
  • OR Turn off heat, lift the basket out of the pot, allow to drain and then immediately pour onto your table covered with freezer paper (shiny side up).
  • Serve with extra lemon wedges and garlic at the table.
  • Serve with hot sauce if you’ve got some spice fans at your party.
  • If you’re having a bigger dinner, there’s plenty of food that goes great with a shrimp boil. Coleslaw, mac and cheese, and pasta salads are all easy cookout staples.
  • Some recipes call for adding crab or crayfish into the shrimp boil. It’s all good!

How do you devein a shrimp?

Raw shrimp are sometimes deveined, but not always. The “mud vein,” the black line on the back of a shrimp, is its digestive tract. It won’t hurt you to eat, but many people find it kind of gross when it’s filled with grit.

If you want to devein your shrimp before your shrimp boil, just use a sharp paring knife to make a cut along the top of the back. Then take the tip of the knife and slip it under the mud vein. It comes out of big shrimp pretty easily.

Remember to wash your hands well after handling the shrimp!

How do you make a boil? Got any shrimp boil recipe variations or serving tips? Leave a comment!

Need to feed a crowd? Try this Ham Buns Recipe. For more fun ideas… try these summer hacks.

I would love to keep you fully stocked with creative ideas, yummy recipes, fun crafts, and loads of free printables. Subscribe to Skip to my Lou to get new ideas delivered to your inbox. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram for all my latest updates.


About Cindy Hopper

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Comments

  1. Tried this for the first yesterday, wife, our two childred, son-in-law, two grandson kids and myself…. We had a blast, food was great, everyone eat to much. Can’t wait to do it again, and again …….

  2. What a wonderful idea it was!!! We did this, just as directed, for a send-off-to-law-school party for our son and his friends. We set up long tables in our backyard, covered the tables with plastic red-checked tablecloths, lit candles, turned on the music and started cooking. We ate under the stars and laughed at his college and high school stories until midnight. It takes a bit longer than expected to get it all cooked, so plan for about an hour even though it seems like it would be quicker.
    Thanks for the printable shopping list!

  3. I’ve always heard this called Low Country Boil; ALWAYS order this when it is on the menu in a restaurant. I’m the only one who would eat this at my house, but will likely make it at some point for a crowd. Thanks so much for the recipe.

  4. I have made this a couple of times; if you don’t have Zatarains crab and boil seasoning bags, use dried mustard seed, coriander, allspice, and old bay seasoning along with cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper to taste. I used about 1 tsp each of mustard and coriander, and then 2 Tbsp of old bay, plus a pinch of allspice. I just guessed honestly and it was great.

  5. WHAT?! You have LEFTOVERS?! We’ve made this using this recipe as a starting point many times and plan to again tomorrow night. We change it up a little here and there according to what is readily available at the time. For instance my husband has gone clamming recently and a friend of his left some various crab boil seasonings here. I usually add celery, too – I thought I went to a crawdaddy boil in Florida once where celery was included, but I could be mistaken. We also use venison sausage because our freezer is overflowing with it! Thanks for the initial guidance!

  6. After tweeting about this recipe I thought I’d actually come and leave a blog comment. I pretty much followed your recipe though I had to hunt high and low for the boil in bag and was never able to find the Zatarain’s oil. I added a bit of tomato paste, and browned my Kielbasa a bit for some color and texture before throwing it in the pot. Overall, it was a very easy dinner and I look forward to doing it party style.

    I do have a tip for your readers though. I just finished making shrimp salad with some of the leftovers, with a little advanced planning and a few more ingredients (hot dog rolls, mayo, lettuce, onion and celery, fresh herbs optional [parsley, cilantro, tarragon or dill] tomato optional) you can easily enjoy a lunch of shrimp rolls and sausage on a bun the next day.

  7. I’m going to give you the secret step that almost every one of these recipes misses with alarming consistency. I agree with all the steps, however, the sausage or meat can go on step one if you really like the spices. Additionally, you should use fresh whole shrimp with shorter cook times (2 – 3 minutes)…but those are minor details.

    The real secret to a true shrimp boil is the finish and no one seems to get it right or even address it.

    The TRUE secret is to stop the cooking process very quickly and allow the seasonings to penetrate the foods at the end of the game (especially the ship shells). Instead of simply draining the water and pouring out on the table, add 5 pounds of ice to bring the water down to around 175 and quickly add a large quantity of salt. This allows all the food to soak in the yummy seasonings to a whole new level. If you like it REALLY spicy, allow 20 minutes of soak time, 15 minutes is medium and 10 minutes is for little girls. The salt in the water somehow opens things up and really gets the flavor to pop.

    This technique will get the spices into the shrimp as well as the corn, potatoes, garlic, sausage and whole mushrooms (not listed but a huge bonus…trust me).

    My family lives 40 miles south of New Orleans (Buras). Trust me; this is old school to us.

  8. THis is so much fun! We did this one a while back and will do it again this coming weekend for my moms 69th birthday! Thanks for posting this!!!!

  9. This is a camping tradition for us now. It feeds multiple people and is easy after a day of wakeboarding and tubing. I am so glad we found this site for the recipe!

  10. In South Carolina, we call this Frogmore Stew! Nothing’s better than Carolina shrimp…well, maybe that there are no dishes to clean after having this for dinner:-)

  11. This is now my most favorite site, and I can’t WAIT to give this party a try as soon as the weather is nice enough! Thanks so much for such great content. . .and a beautiful site too. Nice!

  12. We have done this several times always great in fact my wife bought the items home for one yesterday the new red potatoes are outstanding in flavor
    We alos have topped it off with small clams,corn is better fresh but you got to use what you can get

  13. LOVE love love this idea.
    Definately trying it when our weather warms up…
    So, in August.
    Can’t wait!!

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