Garlic Butter Seafood Boil Sauce made with butter, garlic, onions, and lots of herbs and spices! The perfect sauce to dip or drench all of that delicious seafood in.
Check out this Garlic Butter Seafood Boil recipe, as well as this Garlic butter shrimp and Grits while you're here!
Seafood boils are already epic in and of themselves; but this sauce though! This sauce is EVERYTHING! Check out all of the rave reviews for yourself on this post: Garlic Butter Seafood Boil.
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In fact, I have had this burning desire to bottle it for y'all! Feel free to let me know in the comments how you feel about that. That's a whole different subject though.
It is so delicious, I decided to make a whole separate post dedicated to it! Actually, there were so many questions (like HUNDREDS), regarding the process. Therefore, a separate post is deemed necessary at this point!
I’ve had seafood boil before at family’s houses and restaurants but this … oh my goshhh, it was so delicious. His mother had crab legs before but just plain and no sauce and she absolutely loved this recipe, so did my boyfriend !!
-Val
Ingredients used for the Garlic Butter Seafood Boil Sauce:
- Butter- UNSALTED!
- Garlic
- Onion
- Chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
- Lemon
- Tabasco sauce
- Seasonings: Lemon pepper, garlic powder, paprika, Old Bay seasoning, Cayenne pepper, Red pepper flakes
- Sweet chili sauce (optional)
How to prepare the sauce:
Gather all of the ingredients you need, it always makes life so much easier! Either thinly slice the onion, or chop it. Melt the stick of butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
Roughly chop enough garlic to make 3 tablespoons, (about 2 whole heads of garlic, depending on size). After the onion is translucent, add the garlic to the pan. Saute the garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring often so that it does not burn.
Now add the juice of one whole lemon. Use a lemon juicer if you have one available- to avoid getting seeds in the sauce. Sprinkle in all of the seasonings and stir.
Add additional butter (if desired, see next section), and chicken broth or water. Using the sweet chili sauce is optional (but recommended). It offers a sort of sweet heat for the sauce. Combine well and simmer on low-medium for about 15 minutes so sauce can thicken.
How to make the sauce a bit healthier:
To achieve a somewhat healthier, or less fatty sauce, use less butter! One stick is definitely recommended. Instead of all four sticks of butter though, just use one. Add chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water in place of the additional butter.
Use two cups of chicken or vegetable broth, and two cups of water. Or all four cups of water, or vegetable or chicken broth. Honestly, the flavor of the sauce is still amazing. With all of the seasonings and spices, it's super flavorful.
What if I don't like spicy food?
For spicy sauce, use the full amount of Cayenne and red pepper flakes. If no spice or less spice is desired, definitely decrease or omit these seasonings.
Another pointer here- definitely adjust the seasonings to your satisfaction! There have been several comments where people suggest too much seasoning is used. Well, I promise that this sauce is DELICIOUS! However, feel free to adjust accordingly.
Can I make the sauce ahead of time?
Absolutely! Make the sauce a day or two ahead of time if desired. Let the sauce cool down completely, and place it in an airtight container or jar.
Store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to one week. The sauce can also be placed in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to eat it, just pop-it in the microwave and heat it up until it is warm.
What to do with leftover Garlic Butter Sauce:
As mentioned above, let the sauce cool down completely and place it in an airtight container or jar, and store it in the refrigerator. The sauce an be stored in the fridge for up to one week.
Additionally, sauce can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Leftover sauce always tastes SO much better! Grab it out of the refrigerator or freezer, and heat it up in the microwave or in a sauce pan over medium heat.
When to use the Seafood Boil Sauce:
Use the sauce to dip the seafood in after it is cooked. Or, make enough to pour over a seafood boil, and reserve some on the side to use for dipping.
When you check out the Garlic Butter Seafood Boil post, you will see a method for cooking the seafood in an oven bag. Pouring some of this sauce in the bag before putting it in the oven is the best method to cook it!
Garlic Butter Seafood Boil Sauce
Garlic Butter Seafood Boil Sauce made with butter, garlic, onions, and a whole lot of herbs and spices! The perfect sauce to dip or drench all of that delicious seafood in.
Ingredients
- 4 sticks Butter, unsalted (3 sticks optional read post and see notes below)
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 1 whole Onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons Garlic, diced
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- 4 cups Chicken or Vegetable broth or water
- 3 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 3 tablespoons Paprika
- 1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon Red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Lemon pepper seasoning, (optional depending on fresh lemon juice)
- 1-2 dashes Tobasco sauce
- 2 tablespoons Sweet chili sauce (optional)
Instructions
Melt one stick of butter and olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the sliced or chopped onions and sauté them until they become translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the Garlic and saute for 30 seconds to one minute, be sure to stir constantly so the garlic doesn't burn. Add juice of the lemon, and all of the seasonings. Adjust cayenne and red pepper to your level of desired spiciness.
If using additional butter, add the additional sticks now (see notes above about healthier option).
Pour in the chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water now (choose either or, not all three). Simmer the sauce until the butter is melted and the sauce reduces a bit, about 10 minutes.
Pour over your favorite seafood and/or reserve some for dipping.
Notes
One stick of butter is necessary, however do not use the remaining 3 sticks if it's not desired.
Add chicken broth or water to cut the fat ratio from the butter. Allow the sauce to simmer for at least 10 minutes so that it is not too thin/runny.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Pacific Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth, 32 oz -
Frank's RedHot Sweet Chili Sauce, 12 fl oz
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Land O Lakes Unsalted Butter, 1 lb.
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Manual Lemon Squeezer, Manual Citrus Press Juicer Large Stainless Steel Lemon Juicer Manual Juicer with Premium Quality Heavy Duty Solid Metal Squeezer
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OXO 1130880 Good Grips Wooden Corner Spoon & Scraper,Brown
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Carote 3 Quart Nonstick Saute Pan Deep Frying Pan with Cover, Non-Stick Jumbo Cooker Granite Stone Coating from Switzerland,9.5 inch
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1302Total Fat: 84gSaturated Fat: 34gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 43gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 349mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 8g
This website provides approximate nutrition information as a courtesy and for convenience only.
Partricia
I absolutely love this sauce. The onions are my favorite part. We used to eat seafood boils all the time but the price of crab legs is crazy. So I save a lot of money with this recipe!
Tamara J.
I love it! So glad you enjoy it. I love adding extra onions too!
Lilly
This sauce is sooo good and It comes together so easily. I made shrimp and grits and covered it with this sauce. It was amazing!
Jazz
This sauce is perfect and right on time for our summer seafood boils! I've already made a jar for this weekend.
Tamara J.
It is definitely great for seafood boils!
Shanna Jones
I can put this sauce on anything! I boiled some snow crab last weekend, and this sauce gave it so much flavor. So good!
Tamara J.
That's our favorite way to eat it too! Thanks for the review.
Jen
I see seafood boils all over the internet and I’ve been meaning to make one myself so this recipe is right on time! I am planning to serve this on the weekend and can’t wait. Thanks for sharing.
Crystal DaCruz
I once tried to mimic a seafood butter sauce from a local restaurant and I failed miserably - don't ask me how! Your recipe took all of the guesswork out and it was so delicious! It's definitely my go-to now! Thanks for sharing!
Tamara J.
That's so good to hear. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Robin
This sauce was so amazing I dipped some shrimp, fish and chicken into too. Delectable!
Tamara J.
Thanks for stopping by, I'm so happy you enjoyed it.
Chenée
I made this sauce for shrimp boil packets this weekend, and we are hooked! I can't believe how amazing the flavor was!
Tamara J.
Yay! I am so happy you all enjoyed it!
Britney Brown
We made this over memorial day weekend and it was such a hit! This sauce was Finger licking good!!
Tamara J.
Thank you Britney!
Marta
I will certainly be saving some cash with this recipe. It was the perfect pairing to our crab legs and I'm sure it will be great with other shellfish. Thanks for sharing!
Tamara J.
Yes, we have to save all of our coins! Especially when we can make it better at home! Thank you.
Brina
Sauce came out perfect. This has made My favorite Crab place lose money. No need to buy put when I can get same flavor sauce.
Ty So Much...????
Tamara J.
Brina!!! You just made my day, thank you so much for trying it, and for the review!
Dimples catering
I cannot wait to try this recipe it sounds delicious my birthday is this Friday and I want seafood for my day I will definitely follow up and let you know how it turned out thanks for sharing.
Tamara J.
Hey there! Happy early birthday! Yes I would love to hear how it went. Thanks for stopping by!