Viet-Cajun Seafood Boil

5 from 2 votes

Enjoy a seafood extravaganza at home with a Viet-Cajun Seafood Boil! A vibrant and bold combination of Cajun spices and Vietnamese cuisine. Dig into this incredibly delicious, garlicky, and spicy feast filled with lobster, shrimp, clams, corn, and potato. Spicy garlic butter completes the meal!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Viet-Cajun

Keyword: Seafood Boil, Viet-Cajun

Servings:

Calories: 1079kcal

Author: The Subversive Table | Lis Lam

Equipment

Small saucepan
Large Stockpot
Mesh Strainer
rimmed sheet pan *for serving

Ingredients

Spicy Garlic Butter Sauce

1 cup unsalted butter
1 head garlic (about 12 cloves) (minced)
1 stalk lemongrass (bruised and minced)
2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
10 grinds freshly cracked pepper

Broth:

6 cups water
4 stalks lemongrass (bruised and minced)
2 heads garlic (halved)
3-inch piece ginger (sliced)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
2 Tbsp Cajun/Creole seasoning

For the Seafood Boil:

2 lbs red potatoes
4 smoked sausages (cut in chunks)
3 lbs clams
2 lbs shrimp (with heads and tails intact)
4 ears corn (cut into thirds)
4 1lb -1.5lb lobsters (make sure they are all the same weight for an even cook time)

Instructions

Make Spicy Garlic Butter Sauce:

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, lemongrass, cayenne, and salt. Simmer until softened and flavors combine, about 5 minutes.

Make Broth:

Add water, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, Cajun seasoning, and Old Bay into large stockpot. Bring to a boil and simmer until flavors combine, about 5 minutes. The broth should be flavorful and spicy, almost too salty.

Add ingredients:

Add potatoes and sausages. Cover and boil for 8-10 minutes, until potatoes are almost done. (The potatoes and sausages take longer to cook than clams, shrimp, and corn.)
Add clams, shrimp, and corn. Cover and boil until clams open and shrimp are pink and curled, about 4-5 minutes.
Using a mesh strainer, transfer potatoes, sausages, clams, shrimp, and corn to a tray. Leave behind broth and aromatics (garlic, ginger, lemongrass). Cover tray loosely with foil and set aside.
Bring broth to a boil. When the broth is furiously simmering, add lobsters. Cover and boil until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. The lobsters should be bright red. Transfer to tray with tongs.
Serve with Spicy Garlic Butter Sauce divided evenly into 4 ramekins. Also, serve the broth in small bowls for additional dipping. Enjoy!

Notes

*I use N'wlins Cajun Seasoning, which contains salt. Check the label of your cajun seasoning. If it doesn't include salt, taste the broth and adjust. You can add more salt or fish sauce if necessary.

Nutrition