I recently cooked a seafood boil for my family. We all love seafood, and we eat it often. Living in New England allows us to eat fresh seafood, pretty much year round. My dad fishes a lot, so his deep freezer always has some fish. My man buys lobster and mussels often. My step daughter eats lobster any chance she gets, and my son loves pretty much all kinds of seafood. We usually don’t sit down and eat a bunch of seafood together though, and I thought this was a good chance for us to eat a bunch of seafood, all while getting messy in the comfort of our own home. How else can you really enjoy lobster and corn on the cobb??
I’ve made this a few times, and I think the secret is all in the layering. You want to put the foods that cook the longest and give the most flavor at the bottom.
- 3 large onions, cut into large wedges
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 bottle pale ale or medium-bodied beer
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 pounds small new potatoes (white, red, or a combination)
- 1 pound linguicia (chorizo is a spicier substitute), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Coarse salt
- 6 1 1/2 pound lobsters (I make sure everyone has their own)
- 3-5 pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed well
- 4 ears of corn, husked and halved
- 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed well
- 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, shell-on
- 2 lemons, halved
- 5-6 tablespoons unsalted butter for dipping (optional)
- Combine onions, garlic, beer, and water in a large stockpot. Place a steamer basket on top of onions.
- Add potatoes, linguicia, and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil.
- Add lobsters; cook over high heat, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Add clams and corn; cook, covered, for 8 minutes.
- Add mussels and shrimp; cook covered, until clams and mussels open and shrimp are cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove seafood, corn, potatoes, and linguicia using tongs, and transfer to a large platters or a few rimmed baking sheets.
- Squeeze lemons over platter.
- Serve with melted butter.