Town & Country April recipe: Seattle-Style Seafood Boil

Seattle-Style Seafood Boil

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Yield: 6-8 Servings

Description: Roll up your sleeves and gather around the table for a Pacific Northwest inspired seafood boil featuring sweet Dungeness crab, shellfish, and smoky sausage simmered with lemon, herbs, and warm spices. Use the freshest seasonal seafood you can find, like spot prawns, clams, or mussels and serve it all with garlic butter and crusty sourdough for a hands-on coastal feast.

Ingredients:

Boil Base:

• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 sweet onion, quartered (Walla Walla when in season)
• 1 cup white wine or lager beer
• Water (enough to fill large stockpot halfway)
• 2–3 bay leaves
• 3–4 sprigs fresh thyme

Spices for Broth:

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

Seafood & Add-Ins:

• 1 ½ pounds small potatoes
• 12 ounces sausage, sliced (andouille or kielbasa)
• 4 ears corn, quartered
• 3 pounds Dungeness crab, cleaned and halved
• 1 pound clams, scrubbed
• 1 pound mussels, debearded and scrubbed
• 1 pound large shrimp (spot prawns if available)

For Serving:

• Chopped fresh parsley
• Warm garlic butter
• Sourdough bread

Preparation:

1. Fill a large stockpot halfway with water (about 3 quarts). Add lemon slices, onion, wine or beer, and all broth spices. Bring to a rolling boil and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the liquid.
2. Add potatoes first and cook for 10–12 minutes until just tender.
3. Add sausage and corn and cook for 5 minutes more.
4. Gently add crab and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Finally, add clams, mussels, and shrimp. Cover and cook 5–7 minutes, until shellfish open and shrimp are opaque. Discard any clams or mussels that do not open.
6. Carefully drain and spread everything out over a parchment-lined table or large serving platter. Sprinkle generously with chopped parsley. Serve immediately with warm garlic butter and plenty of sourdough bread for dipping and soaking up the broth.

Options: 

1. Ask your fishmonger to clean and crack the crab for easier serving.
2. For added spice, increase red pepper flakes or add a spoonful of chili crisp to the garlic butter.
3. To make it lighter, skip the sausage and add extra shellfish.
4. For extra PNW flair add a piece of fresh kelp to either the pot and/or on your table for serving.

Locally owned Shoreline Town & Country Market is located on the upper level of Shoreline Place, 15505 Westminster Way N, Shoreline WA 98133.