Here's a great Shrimp Boil Recipe, also known as a Low Country Boil Recipe to feed from 6 to 200 people along with tips and tricks to help. While shrimp boil is common on the Gulf coast, you can also make it at home, wherever you are in the world.
When we moved to Texas to start our vineyard, it took another 5 years for our house in Alabama to sell! When it did, it was paaaarrrty time!
And, what better way to party than with the perfect shrimp boil recipe!
Shrimp Boils or Low Country Boils are very common on the Gulf coast. But for some reason, there are just not that many of them in West Texas! But our location and lack of coastline didn't stop us.
Our oldest daughter and her husband vacationed on the Texas coast and brought back shrimp. A lot of frozen shrimp! As a result, they have had quite a few shrimp boils.
Her husband worked out the proportions of the ingredients for the following recipe. It was great - I didn't even have to worry about researching to create the perfect recipe!
All I had to do was tell him how many people I wanted to feed and viola. He provided the recipe!
Seasoning Instructions
It was recently brought to my attention that my international readers may not have access to the Zatarain's spice mix that I use. So, I came up with a Shrimp Boil Seasoning that works great!
The following mix is equal to 1 bag of the Zatarain's spice mix. Be sure to increase the amounts for the quantity you are making.
Shrimp Boil Seasoning:
- 4 tablespoons dill seeds
- 4 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 4 tablespoons mustard seeds
- 4 teaspoons cayenne (this has a nice kick to it but is not super hot)
- 8 bay leaves
Instructions
In this recipe, I'm providing proportions to feed from 6 to 200 people.
For our celebration, we expected around 110 people and 100 ended up attending.
This is an easy recipe that just requires a bit of time. Be sure to have everything washed, cut, and kept separately - this can be done the day before.
- Bring water to a boil. Add potatoes and seasoning bags. Wait 10 minutes.
- Add carrots, corn, and sausage. Wait 10 minutes.
- Add bell peppers, celery, jalapenos, and habaneros. Let cook for 5 - 10 minutes.
- Add the frozen shrimp. Wait for 5 - 8 minutes. The shrimp should be pink and tender.
- Drain the water and dump the shrimp boil onto a table with a festive plastic tablecloth or place it in a serving dish - allow everyone to help themselves!
Serving Suggestions
While this Shrimp Boil or Low Country Boil is a meal to itself, you can certainly serve side dishes if you want. Here are my top suggestions:
- Creamy Coleslaw Recipe - a delicious and healthy side that's perfect for BBQs.
- Bread - Sourdough Bread or Whole Wheat Bread are both delicious and you can even make the dough into rolls if you choose.
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes - a quick recipe that is a delicious alternative to mashed potatoes.
Tips
Not only is this shrimp boil recipe delicious, but it's also deceptively easy to make. Whether you are serving a large crowd or a small gathering, this meal lends itself to minimal work the day of your event.
- Be sure to purchase shrimp that is in the shell and de-veined. Why? When you are boiling the shrimp in a pot of water, it will dry out and not taste as good if you use pre-shelled ones.
- If you are cooking in large quantities, make sure you plan ahead with your supplies and time. We used 10-gallon stockpots over propane burners. Obviously, that is a lot more water than people normally boil, so be sure to allow plenty of time. It took us about 30 minutes to get the water to boil.
- To save time on the day of your event, chop the meat and vegetables the day before. You can definitely delegate that work to a trusted child or teenager if you need extra help getting everything done.
- If you do not want to serve the shrimp boil on a plastic tablecloth put all the cooked food into serving containers, which is what I did.
That's it! While we had a bunch of fun making and eating our shrimp boil, the sweetest part was celebrating and enjoying the company of our friends and family.
📋 Recipe
Shrimp Boil
Ingredients
To Serve 6
- 2 bags seasoning I use Zatarain's - See Notes for options.
- 3 pounds red potatoes
- 1 bags baby carrots
- 1 large bags of small corn on the cob frozen
- 1 bell pepper
- ½ bunch celery
- 1 jalapeños
- 1/10 habanero pepper
- 3 pounds shrimp
- 3 pounds sausage
To serve 25:
- 7 bags seasoning I use Zatarain's - See Notes for options.
- 13 pounds red potatoes
- 3 bags baby carrots
- 3 large bags of small corn on the cob frozen
- 3 bell peppers
- 1 bunches celery
- 2 - 3 jalapeños
- ½ habanero pepper
- 13 pounds shrimp frozen
- 13 pounds sausage
To Serve 50:
- 15 bags seasoning I use Zatarain's - See Notes for options.
- 25 pounds red potatoes
- 5 bags baby carrots
- 6 large bags of small corn on the cob frozen
- 6 bell peppers
- 3 bunches celery
- 4 - 6 jalapeños
- 1 - 1 ½ habanero pepper
- 25 pounds shrimp frozen
- 25 pounds sausage
To Serve 100:
- 30 bags seasoning I use Zatarain's - See Notes for options.
- 50 pounds red potatoes
- 10 bags baby carrots
- 12 large bags of small corn on the cob frozen
- 10 bell peppers
- 5 bunches celery
- 8 - 12 jalapeños
- 2 - 3 habanero pepper
- 50 pounds shrimp frozen
- 50 pounds sausage
Instructions
Keeping everything separate:
-
Wash and cut potatoes into large chunks
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Wash and cut celery and bell peppers into large slices
-
Slice jalapenos
-
Cut sausage into ¾" - 1" slices
Cooking:
-
We cook in batches using the amounts for 25 people. Total cooking time is 60 minutes after the water boils and you begin adding the ingredients.
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Bring water to a boil.
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Place seasoning bags in a mesh bag or cheesecloth.
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Add potatoes and seasoning bags.
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Wait 10 minutes.
-
Add carrots, corn, and sausage.
-
Wait 10 minutes.
-
Add bell peppers, celery, jalapenos and habaneros.
-
Let cook 5 - 10 minutes.
-
Add the frozen shrimp.
-
Wait for 5 - 8 minutes. The shrimp should be pink and tender.
To Serve:
-
Drain the water and dump the shrimp boil onto a table with a plastic tablecloth or place in serving dish - allow everyone to help themselves!
-
Enjoy!
Notes
Helpful Tips For Making A Shrimp Boil
- First, be sure to purchase shrimp that is in the shell and de-veined. ]
- Second, if you are cooking in large quantities we use 10-gallon stockpots over propane burners. Obviously, that is a lot more water than people normally boil, so be sure to allow plenty of time. It took us about 30 minutes to get the water to boil.
If you do not have access to Zatarain's spice mix: Use the following tied in a muslin cloth to equal 1 bag of the Zatarain's mix.
- 4 tablespoons dill seeds
- 4 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 4 tablespoons mustard seeds
- 4 teaspoons cayenne (this had a nice kick to it but wasn’t super hot)
- 8 bay leaves
Jefferson says
did you split the seasoning and re-season after each batch or put all of the seasoning in at the beginning?
Dina-Marie says
Jefferson, we re-seasoned each batch but did not dump out the previous water - just add more seasoning as you do other ingredients.
Emily Kemp says
Wow, sounds like a great celebration. I bet this was so delicious!
Jeremy says
Thank you for posting this. Going to do my first ever boil for around 70 people in a couple of weeks. Going with your proportions! Really appreciate the info!
Dina-Marie says
Jeremy, so glad and enjoy!
Jeff says
What size Zatarain's boil package? I'm seeing 3oz, 4oz & 16oz packages.
Dina-Marie says
Jeff, I didn't realize there were different sizes! Our local store only carries the 3 oz size so that is what I use.
Jennifer says
I can’t tell you how much I love you right now! Doing a “low-country boil” up here in Canada next weekend. It was bad enough I wasn’t sure how to do it, never mind trying to figure out the portions! Nonetheless, I’ve done my research. I think I can use Old Bay seasoning in place of Zatarains to taste, as we don’t have the variety of their products available to our American neighbours. Wish me luck! I will use potatoes from the garden and local corn, shrimp from Costco, and a good (spicy) sauasage from the butcher. This isn’t really a Canadian thing to make, so I am excited to share your culture with my friends and family. The portion calculator is SO APPRECIATED
Dina-Marie says
Jennifer, I am so glad it helped! And, yes, you can use Old Bay without any problems. I hope everyone enjoys it and I look forward to hearing about your party.
Melissa Brandon says
Our son is getting married Sept 15, 2018 and he requested a shrimp boil for his rehearsal dinner since we are from SE Texas. I am planning on feeding 35-40 people , but am also serving Gumbo, French bread, and deserts. Should I prepare recipe for the 25 only or the recipe for 25 and half the recipe for the extra 10 people?
Dina-Marie says
Melissa, with the sides, I would probably fix for 25 people. But, if you don't mind having leftovers, then doing the half recipe would also be fine. I hope it goes well and congratulations!
Sarah says
I love this post. I love making my boils in an insta pot, however this only holds 8 quarts, so I would need to do a few batches to feed 25 people. Do you have thoughts on making boils in batches? How to keep things warm? Chafing dish? Thoughts?
OR should I buy a huge pot and cook on my stove?
Help!
Thanks!
Dina-Marie says
Sarah, I would get a large pot just for the ease of it but if you do it in batches, I would keep it warm in chafing dishes. I hope this helps.
Karen says
Hi! I'm a little confused about your proportions, as the "100" recipe seems to only be double the "25" recipe. Could you provide a little clarification?
Dina-Marie says
Karen, you are right - thank you so much for bringing this to my attention! I recently did an update for how recipes are displayed and these values were messed up. I have updated the post to be correct. Thanks again!
Melissa Brandon says
How long will shrimp boil stay hot if you put in an ice chest after cooking ?
Dina-Marie says
Melissa, I would think for quite awhile. That being said, this is also good when it cools a bit.
Marie says
This was delicious. We served this up and then followed up with your sour cream cheesecake. Both were lovely. I cut this down for 6 and it worked great :)
Dina-Marie says
Marie, I am so glad you liked it - Thanks for taking the time to comment!