Crock Pot Shrimp Boil (+Video)
Shrimp boils don’t have to be hard and labor intensive! This Crock Pot Shrimp Boil is nearly effortless. Indulge in a flavorful feast any night of the week with this hassle-free recipe!
AN ENTIRE MEAL IN YOUR SLOW COOKER
Normally shrimp or crab boils are a meal reserved for special occasions where a huge batch is made and takes a lot of planning and effort! It can also be pretty expensive and it makes a lot! And what if you are craving a shrimp boil but you don’t need to feed 30 people?! Well now you can have a simple and absolutely delicious shrimp boil any time you want with this Crock Pot Shrimp Boil recipe! And best of all, clean up is a breeze! Satisfy your craving for shrimp boil without all the work with this amazing slow cooker recipe.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
No. The potatoes require a longer cooking time than the other ingredients, so you just cannot simply toss everything together at a low temperature or you’ll end up with overcooked shrimp.
Yes, you can change the shrimp for crawfish or crab meat. You will definitely need to add these at the end and pay attention as they may cook at different times.
Yes but you cannot add the corn or shrimp in at the beginning. The corn will turn too mushy and the shrimp will overcook. You’d add the corn in during the last 2-3 hours of cooking and the shrimp in during the last half hour or so. I tested this recipe a few ways and cooking on high and doing it in stages produced the best results. And you might think, ‘Why use a slow cooker on high when you can just make it on the stove top?” I found that using a slow cooker (as opposed to making it on the stovetop) gave the individual ingredients time to really soak up the flavors without being overcooked. Everything gets more infused with those garlic and old bay flavors.
Yes. I tested this a few ways and really preferred it in the slow cooker. But you would pretty much cook it the same way. Add the water, hot sauce, lemon juice and garlic to a large pot and bring to a boil then add the potatoes and bay leaves. Cook for about 10 minutes until potatoes are starting to get fork tender. Then add the fresh corn and smoked sausage and cook for about 5-6 minutes. Lastly add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes until pink. Drain water, remove bay leaves and put shrimp boil on a baking sheet. Melt 1/4 cup of butter and drizzle over the shrimp boil and sprinkle with some fresh chopped parsley and serve!
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- red potatoes – I think the red potatoes hold up best through the cooking process and don’t fall apart as easily as a softer potato might.
- small head of garlic – you can lightly smash the garlic before adding to the pot to get a stronger garlic flavor.
- bay leaves – this is optional but I think it adds that slight background flavor that really adds to the other layers of flavor in this.
- water – you can use vegetable or seafood broth instead but make sure to opt for a low/no sodium version since the Old Bay seasoning adds plenty of salt.
- Old Bay seasoning. -this is really what gives this dish the most flavor. It’s what gives it that true authentic shrimp boil taste.
- hot sauce – I used Frank’s, but you can use your favorite. I do not think this made the dish spicy at all but if you are completely against any spice at all, just leave it out.
- fresh squeezed lemon juice – I do not like the bottled lemon juice at all. I think it really spoils the other flavors in this dish. Go with fresh squeezed here. It only takes a few seconds to do.
- smoked andouille sausage – if you can’t find andouille sausage just go with any other smoked sausage like kielbasa.
- corn – you can use frozen corn on the cob that has been slightly thawed
- raw shrimp – I like the tails cut off but this is optional – you can use frozen shrimp, just thaw first
- salted butter – this is optional but I like to top this off with a bit of melted butter before serving.
HOW TO MAKE CROCKPOT SHRIMP BOIL
Add the potatoes, garlic cloves and bay leaves to the bottom of a 6 quart oval slow cooker. Pour the water, Old Bay seasoning, hot sauce and lemon juice on top of the potatoes and stir. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.
Add the sliced sausage and corn to the slow cooker and cook on high for another 2 to 3 hours, or until the potatoes are soft and corn is cooked through. Add the shrimp to the slow cooker, gently stir, cover and cook on high for about 15 minutes or until the shrimp becomes pink and cooked through – shrimp cooks very quickly in the crock pot when it is on high. You don’t want to over cook or the shrimp might become rubbery.
Drain most of the juices. Melt butter and drizzle on top of shrimp boil and top with freshly chopped parsley (optional).
You can serve straight from the slow cooker or transfer the shrimp boil (using a slotted spoon) to a serving platter or serving dishes. If serving this way, I wouldn’t add the melted butter until you’ve transferred it over to your serving platter. Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
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Crock Pot Shrimp Boil (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds red potatoes, quartered
- 1 small head of garlic, cloves removed and peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups water
- ¼ cup Old Bay seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon hot sauce (I used Franks)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 pound smoked Andouille sausage, sliced
- 3 ears corn, shucked and sliced into thirds
- 2 pounds raw shrimp, tails removed
- lemon wedges, for serving
- ¼ cup butter, melted (optional)
- 3 Tablespoons fresh minced parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Add the potatoes, garlic cloves and bay leaves to the bottom of a 6 quart oval slow cooker. Note: for a stronger garlic flavor, smash the garlic slightly before adding.
- Pour the water, Old Bay seasoning, hot sauce and lemon juice on top of the potatoes and stir. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.
- Add the sliced sausage and corn to the slow cooker and cook on high for another 2 to 3 hours, or until the potatoes are soft and corn is cooked through.
- Add the shrimp to the slow cooker, gently stir, cover and cook on high for about 15 minutes or until the shrimp becomes pink and cooked through – shrimp cooks very quickly in the crock pot when it is on high. You don’t want to over cook or the shrimp might become rubbery.
- Drain most of the juices. Pour melted butter on top of the shrimp boil and sprinkle the top with fresh chopped parsley.
- You can serve straight from the slow cooker or transfer the shrimp boil (using a slotted spoon) to a serving platter or serving dishes. If serving this way, I wouldn't add the melted butter until you've transferred it over to your serving platter.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- If you really love garlic, try adding some garlic powder or minced garlic to the melted butter at the end and drizzle that over everything.
- Unfortunately, this cannot all be cooked together at the same time as the potatoes take longer to cook than the other ingredients so just throwing it all in on low won’t work.
- This makes 4-6 servings total, depending on how big a serving you desire.
- Frozen shrimp can be used, just make sure it is thawed.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Have you tried making this in a larger portion? Like for 8 people? Would love to do this for camping
Cajun Shrimp Boil…now your Talk’in my language. It’s great with Frozen Sweet Corn from your local Grocer. kick it up a knotch or two with a side of Jalapeño Corn Bread and a few Cold Beers. Enjoy it anyway you desire.
yummy
Wonderful.
great recipe and easy to cook in a crock pot
Thank you. Love it! And it doesn’t take all day before you can enjoy.