If you love spicy seafood, you will want to learn how to make this crab boil sauce recipe.
This sauce will work well with all your favorite food by enhancing the dish’s flavor with various ingredients.
This recipe will surely bring your food to the next level. If you are curious, let’s scroll down this post to discover!
Table of Contents
What Is Crab Boil Sauce?
The crab boil sauce, also called Whole Sha bang sauce, is well-liked in Boiling Crab, a famous seafood restaurant.
This sauce includes various delicious ingredients combined together. It will affect the taste of your seafood.
Besides seafood, this condiment can go with various dishes such as sausages, shrimp, veggies, corn, and potatoes.
You can turn down or up the heat when making the sauce, depending on your interest.
If you want a spicy sauce, consider adding more chili powder or cayenne pepper than usual. It’s perfect for any party or family dinner.
Let’s keep reading to know how to make it!
How to Make Crab Boil Sauce
It’s not excessively challenging to make crab boil sauce at home as long as you have the following ingredients and our guides!
Ingredients
Before cooking, ensure you prepare all the essential ingredients below:
- Garlic: 2 minced cloves
- Butter: 1 cup
- Paprika: 1 ½ tablespoon
- Lemon juice: 1/2 cup
- Old Bay seasoning: 2 tablespoons
- Cajun seasoning: 1 ½ tablespoon
- Sugar: 1 ½ tablespoon
- Oregano: 1 tablespoon
- Cayenne pepper: 1 tablespoon
- Lemon pepper: 1 tablespoon
- Chili powder: 1 tablespoon
- Louisiana hot sauce: 2 tablespoons
- Water: 1 cup
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare a medium cooking pan. Add 1 cup of butter to the pan. Melt it over moderately low heat.
Step 2: After the butter melts completely, reduce the heat. Next, add minced garlic to the pan and cook for around 3 minutes.
Ensure to stir the mixture constantly. If it starts to boil, try slightly turning down the heat to simmer the mixture.
Step 3: Add the following ingredients, including paprika, Old Bay seasoning, lemon pepper, Cayenne pepper, hot sauce, lemon juice, and water.
Note: You can use less spicy ingredients if you don’t love the pungent taste. However, if you prefer, add more than usual.
Step 4: Simmer the sauce over medium-low heat for around 15 minutes. Remember to stir it constantly, so it won’t stick to the pan’s bottom or burn.
Step 5: Add all remaining ingredients to the pan and stir well. After that, allow the sauce to simmer for around 5 minutes.
Step 6: Serve it with your food right away. Scroll down to get some recommendations to use with this sauce!
Note: You want a thicker sauce, don’t you? Let’s look at the following ways!
Add cornstarch
- After cooking the sauce, turn down the heat slowly.
- Mix the cornstarch with water.
- Pour this liquid into the sauce. Remember to stir constantly, and the sauce will thicken immediately.
Add minced onions
- You can thicken your sauce with minced onions, and the taste of this dish won’t change considerably.
- Consider 1 or 1 ½ onions for your sauce.
- After adding to the pan, remember to mince the onions nicely for a better result.
How to Serve Crab Boil Sauce
Serve alongside a couple of lemon wedges or slices. Given how thick the crab boil sauce tastes, some added fresh acid is always pleasant.
You don’t have to serve all the batches of sauce at once. However, it’s best to keep it warm before using it.
Serve bigger seafood, crab, or crawfish spreads in single ramekins or dishes with sauce. Besides, you can use it as a dipper for the following dishes:
- Shrimp
- Snow crab legs
- Lobster tails
- Smoked sausages
- Andouille sausage
- Ed potatoes
- Sweet corn
- Clams
- Crusty bread pieces
Also, it enhances the taste and richness of cooked chicken and thin pork pieces.
Additionally, you can prepare a batch and use the leftovers to drizzle the sauce over salmon, cook mussels, or dip shrimp.
How to Store and Use Leftover Crab Boil Sauce
You can make a big batch of crab boil sauce and use it for several days with proper storage methods.
Below are some tips for storing this sauce properly:
- Before storing the sauce, ensure it is completely cool at room temperature.
- Pour it into an airtight glass container.
- You can keep it in the fridge for 4 – 5 days.
If you want to use the refrigerated crab boil sauce, pour it into a pan and heat it over medium-low heat to avoid burning the pan’s bottom.
Otherwise, you can use a microwave to reheat it. Continually stir for 20 seconds at a time.
FAQs
What Liquid Do You Use for a Crab Boil?
If you cook crab boil with New England style, you can use liquids, including water or wine.
What Are Good Sauces for Crab?
If you are looking for some good sauces to serve for crab, you can try these recommendations:
- Brandy Mayonnaise
- Chive Emulsion
- Clarified Butter with Chiles and Garlic
- Diablo Sauce
- Ponzu Sauce
- Tartar Sauce
How Many Minutes Should You Boil Crab?
The answer depends on the pound of your crabs. For instance, you should cook three-pound crabs for around 20 minutes.
However, you only need about 15 minutes to cook smaller crabs of 1 ½ – 2 ½ pounds.
Why Do You Put Vinegar in Crab Boil?
Vinegar softens the crustaceans’ carapace and makes them simpler to pluck, giving the crabs an excellent taste.
It’s best to use plain white vinegar. Otherwise, it’s acceptable to replace this liquid with red wine vinegar.
Can You Boil Crab Too Long?
The short answer is yes! It depends on your taste. However, if you overcook your crabs, their meat is more rubbery and hard to eat.
Is It Better to Boil or Steam Crab?
According to Wiley Food Science & Nutrition, it’s better to steam crabs instead of boiling them.
Although the difference between these cooking methods is minor, steamed seafood has a better texture and taste.
If you have never steamed this seafood before, you can watch this video to get helpful guidelines and tips:
How Healthy Are Crab Boils?
This sauce may be unhealthy because the fat content is relatively high, despite lean protein. Remember that the ingredients of this dish contain butter.
Final Thoughts
You can make crab boil sauce at home with the ingredients and cooking methods mentioned above.
Moreover, it’s best to store this condiment properly by keeping it in the fridge if you can’t use it up at once.
Hopefully, this recipe will be helpful for you! Don’t hesitate to contact us if you want a longer list of dishes to serve with this sauce.
Thanks for taking the time to follow this post!
Crab Boil Sauce
Equipment
- 1 medium cooking pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 minced cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 ½ tbsp paprika
- 1 ½ tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon pepper
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Prepare a medium cooking pan. Add 1 cup of butter to the pan. Melt it over moderately low heat.
- After the butter melts completely, reduce the heat. Next, add minced garlic to the pan and cook for around three minutes.
- Ensure to stir the mixture constantly. If it starts to boil, try slightly turning down the heat to simmer the mixture.
- Add the following ingredients: paprika, Old Bay seasoning, lemon pepper, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, lemon juice, and water.
- Simmer the sauce over medium-low heat for around 15 minutes. Remember to stir it constantly so it won’t stick to the pan’s bottom or burn.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the pan and stir well. Then, allow the sauce to simmer for around five minutes.
- Serve it with your food right away!
Notes
- Calories: 612
- Total Fat: 63.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 39.5 g
- Cholesterol: 163 mg
- Sodium: 2084 mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 14.4 g
- Dietary Fiber: 4.1 g
- Sugars: 7.8 g
- Protein: 2.6 g
