FOOD NEWS
The Crucial Step You Can't Skip With Your Seafood Boil
BY KYLE GRACE MILLS
To make a seafood boil, a sea stock is made with crawfish, shrimp, lobster, and clams. To make it extra flavorful, you should be seasoning the water of your boil.
Unlike other dishes where you can season the exterior of the protein, the shell-protected crustaceans featured in a boil must be seasoned by the boiling water.
Go heavy with spices for a true-blue Cajun crawfish boil. Combine cayenne and red pepper flakes with paprika, garlic, oregano, thyme, citrus zest, and bay leaves.
If you prefer a Viet-Cajun-style boil, add a garlic butter sauce with classic Cajun seasoning and Vietnamese flavors, like ginger, lemongrass, scallions, and citrus.
For Lowcountry, use the savory and sweet mix of allspice, cardamom, garlic paprika, mustard powder, dill, and celery salt, or opt for the relatively mild Old Bay seasoning.