How to Throw a Seafood Boil
Everything you need to pull off a crowd-pleasing low-country boil.
Everything you need to pull off a crowd-pleasing low-country boil.
How-to · 2026-06-25
A seafood boil is the easiest way to feed a crowd and look like a hero doing it. Here's how to plan, shop and cook one, or skip the work entirely and let us cater it.
The classics: shrimp, crawfish or crab, smoked sausage, corn on the cob and baby potatoes, all simmered in heavily seasoned water. Add lobster or king crab to make it a feast.
Plan on about 1 to 1½ pounds of seafood per person, plus sides. For 10 guests, that's roughly 10–12 lbs of shrimp/crab, 5 sausages, 10 ears of corn and 3 lbs of potatoes.
1. Fill a big stockpot two-thirds with water, add boil seasoning, lemon halves and a little salt; bring to a rolling boil.
2. Add potatoes; boil 10 minutes.
3. Add sausage and corn; boil 5 minutes.
4. Add crab/crawfish; 5 minutes.
5. Add shrimp last; 2–3 minutes until just pink.
6. Kill the heat, let everything soak 5–10 minutes to drink up the seasoning, then drain and pour out onto a newspaper-lined table.
Old Bay or a Louisiana boil blend is the backbone. Want heat? Add cayenne or extra crab boil. Finish with a garlic-butter drizzle and serve with lemon, hot sauce and plenty of napkins.
Short on time or feeding a big group? Caplinger's seafood boils and catering bring the whole spread to your event across the Indy metro, you just host.