Cajun Garlic Butter Crab & Shrimp Boil Foil Packets for Two

Name: Cajun Garlic Butter Crab & Shrimp Boil Foil Packets for Two
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup Unsalted Butter (1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)); 22 cloves Garlic (14 to 16 cloves garlic (minced) — up to 16 + 4 to 6 cloves garlic (smashed) — up to 6 + 4 to 5 cloves garlic (smashed) — up to 5); 10 tbsp Cajun Seafood Boil Seasoning (4 tablespoons Cajun seafood boil seasoning (salt-free preferred, see notes) + 3 tablespoons Cajun seafood boil seasoning (salt-free, see notes) + 3 tablespoons Cajun seafood boil seasoning); 5 tbsp Kosher Salt (1 tablespoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal, added gradually, ¼ teaspoon at a time, tasting as you go) + 3 tablespoons kosher salt (Diamond crystal, see notes) + 1 tablespoon kosher salt); 1 tbsp Lemon (1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon) + 1 whole lemon (halved) + 4 wedges lemon (about ½ lemon) + lemon wedges); 1.17 cup Beer (⅔ cup beer (amber, pale ale, or lager, can sub stock) + ½ cup beer (¼ cup per packet, split between bottom and top layers)); 3 tbsp Lemon Juice (3 tablespoons lemon juice); 2 tbsp Hot Sauce (2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce); 5 tbsp Parsley (3 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped) + 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped, optional for serving)) — optional; 3 pieces Water (3 quarts water (use a 3-quart or larger saucepan) + ½ cup reserved par-boil water (¼ cup per packet, split between bottom and top layers)); 6 sprig Thyme (4 to 6 sprigs thyme — up to 6 + 2 sprigs thyme); 4 pieces Bay Leaves (2 whole bay leaves + 2 whole bay leaves); 10 oz Red Potato (10 to 12 ounces baby red potatoes — up to 12); 2 pieces Corn (2 ears sweet corn (about 10 to 12 ounces shucked, each cut into about 5 pieces (10 small cobbettes total))); 6 oz Andouille Sausage (6 ounces andouille sausage (sliced ½ inch thick)); 6 oz Shrimp (6-8 ounces large shrimp — up to 8); 1 cup Seafood Boil Sauce (1 cup Cajun garlic butter seafood boil sauce (from above, ½ cup per packet, split between bottom and top layers) + Cajun garlic butter seafood boil sauce (about half the batch from above, reserved for dipping)); 1 ½ lb Snow Crab Cluster (1½-2 pounds snow crab clusters (about 1 to 2 per packet, depending on size) — up to 2); 4 pieces Egg (4 whole hard-boiled eggs); 4 pieces Orange (4 wedges orange (about ½ navel orange)); 0 pieces French Bread (toasted French bread with butter); 1 pinch Filé Powder (1 pinch filé powder (sprinkled over each open packet just before serving, optional )) — optional

Cajun Garlic Butter Crab & Shrimp Boil Foil Packets for Two - Main Course (American)

60 minAmerican

Servings2

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Ingredients

For 2 servings

Unsalted Butter1 cup · 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
Garlic22 cloves · 14 to 16 cloves garlic (minced) — up to 16 + 4 to 6 cloves garlic (smashed) — up to 6 + 4 to 5 cloves garlic (smashed) — up to 5
Cajun Seafood Boil Seasoning10 tbsp · 4 tablespoons Cajun seafood boil seasoning (salt-free preferred, see notes) + 3 tablespoons Cajun seafood boil seasoning (salt-free, see notes) + 3 tablespoons Cajun seafood boil seasoning
Kosher Salt5 tbsp · 1 tablespoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal, added gradually, ¼ teaspoon at a time, tasting as you go) + 3 tablespoons kosher salt (Diamond crystal, see notes) + 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Lemon1 tbsp · 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon) + 1 whole lemon (halved) + 4 wedges lemon (about ½ lemon) + lemon wedges
Beer1.17 cup · ⅔ cup beer (amber, pale ale, or lager, can sub stock) + ½ cup beer (¼ cup per packet, split between bottom and top layers)
Lemon Juice3 tbsp · 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Hot Sauce2 tbsp · 2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce
Parsley5 tbsp · 3 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped) + 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped, optional for serving) · optional
Water3 pieces · 3 quarts water (use a 3-quart or larger saucepan) + ½ cup reserved par-boil water (¼ cup per packet, split between bottom and top layers)
Thyme6 sprig · 4 to 6 sprigs thyme — up to 6 + 2 sprigs thyme
Bay Leaves4 pieces · 2 whole bay leaves + 2 whole bay leaves
Red Potato10 oz · 10 to 12 ounces baby red potatoes — up to 12
Corn2 pieces · 2 ears sweet corn (about 10 to 12 ounces shucked, each cut into about 5 pieces (10 small cobbettes total))
Andouille Sausage6 oz · 6 ounces andouille sausage (sliced ½ inch thick)
Shrimp6 oz · 6-8 ounces large shrimp — up to 8
Seafood Boil Sauce1 cup · 1 cup Cajun garlic butter seafood boil sauce (from above, ½ cup per packet, split between bottom and top layers) + Cajun garlic butter seafood boil sauce (about half the batch from above, reserved for dipping)
Snow Crab Cluster1 ½ lb · 1½-2 pounds snow crab clusters (about 1 to 2 per packet, depending on size) — up to 2
Egg4 pieces · 4 whole hard-boiled eggs
Orange4 pieces · 4 wedges orange (about ½ navel orange)
French Bread0 pieces · toasted French bread with butter
Filé Powder1 pinch · 1 pinch filé powder (sprinkled over each open packet just before serving, optional ) · optional

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Steps

1Make the Cajun garlic butter seafood boil sauce
2Melt the butter gently in a saucepan over low heat (no browning). Add the minced garlic and cook slowly until soft and fragrant but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the Cajun seasoning and let it bloom for 30 to 60 seconds, then add the salt gradually, tasting as you go. Stir in the lemon zest, then add the beer and simmer 1 to 2 minutes to cook off the raw alcohol edge.
3Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, hot sauce, and parsley. Keep the garlic pale and give the beer its full simmer; these two steps are what separate a glossy, balanced sauce from a bitter or boozy one. For the full sauce recipe and all the ways to use it, see our Garlic Butter Seafood Boil Sauce.
4Prep
5Preheat the oven to 400°F. Tear two sheets of heavy-duty foil, about 18 by 24 inches each. Standard foil tears under the weight of the food and the sharp ends of the crab legs, so use heavy-duty here, and always bake on a sheet pan to catch any leaks.
6Hard-boil and peel the eggs. (These can be done up to 5 days in advance and stored peeled in cold water in the fridge.)
7Par-boil the potatoes and corn
8Bring the water to a boil with the kosher salt, Cajun seafood boil seasoning, halved lemon, smashed garlic, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs. Season this water aggressively. Under-seasoned water means under-seasoned potatoes, and this is your one shot to get flavor all the way into them.
9Add the whole baby potatoes to the boiling water. Par-boil creamer-size potatoes for 8 to 10 minutes, or regular baby reds for 10 to 12 minutes, until almost fully cooked: a knife slides through easily but the potato still holds its shape. The packet steam is gentle and finishes the cooking rather than doing it, so take the potatoes further than you think you should.
10Add the corn cobbettes for the last 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve some of the par-boil water for the packets. Drain the potatoes and corn and set aside to cool slightly.
11Build the packets
12Combine the Cajun seafood boil seasoning and kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside; you will use this sprinkle throughout the build. (If your seasoning blend already contains salt, go light here and taste as you build.)
13Lay a sheet of foil flat. In the center, layer the par-boiled potatoes, the andouille, corn, and smashed garlic. Sprinkle some of the seasoning-salt mix over the top. Pour over the reserved par-boil water, the beer, and about half of the garlic butter sauce.
14Press the shrimp down into the buttery liquid pool at the bottom of the packet so they are submerged or nearly so, touching the liquid rather than floating on top of the food. This is the single most important step. Shrimp sitting on top of the food will not cook through even at a full 25 minutes; down in the liquid, they cook perfectly.
15Set your snow crab on top (1 cluster if large, 2 if smaller). Nestle the eggs around it. Tuck in the lemon wedges, orange wedges, a bay leaf, and a few sprigs of thyme. Avoid overstuffing the packet; an overfilled packet is hard to seal and will leak steam, leaving you with dry seafood. Leave enough foil at the edges to crimp a tight seal.
16Pour over the remaining garlic butter sauce, and sprinkle the remaining seasoning-salt mix on top. Tuck the sharp ends of the crab legs inward so they do not pierce the foil. If a packet tears, patch the hole with a small piece of foil, or set it tear-side up on the sheet pan. You can wrap a second layer of heavy-duty foil around the packet for insurance, but it slows the cooking, so add 5 to 10 minutes and check that the shrimp are cooked through.
17Seal and bake
18Bring the long sides of the foil up and crimp tightly in the center, then crimp each short end. The seal is what traps the steam, and the steam is what cooks the food. A leaky packet means dry seafood.
19Bake on a sheet pan for 25 minutes.
20Rest 2 minutes, then open carefully (watch for steam) by slicing across the top with kitchen shears. Garnish with fresh parsley and extra lemon, and serve with the reserved garlic butter sauce, toasted French bread, and a cold beer.