A crab boil is a social event where boiled crabs are eaten, a kind of seafood boil.

Louisiana and New Orleans

Boiled seafood in southern Louisiana tends to be spicier than that found in other parts of the country. Homemade crab boil recipes call for abundant amounts of hot sauce,

cayenne pepper The cayenne pepper is a type of '' Capsicum annuum''. It is usually a moderately hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes. Cayenne peppers are a group of tapering, 10 to 25 cm long, generally skinny, mostly red-colored peppers, often with ...

, salt, bay leaf, lemon, and garlic. Mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and allspice are popular extra options. Many people will start with a commercial crab boil product and then supplement it with extra pepper. The leading commercial product is

Zatarain's Zatarain's is an American food and spice company based in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States that makes a large family of products with seasonings and spices that are part of the cultural cuisine and heritage of Louisiana and New Orlean ...

which comes in two forms. One is a mesh bag with seasonings inside that will steep into the water. The second is a liquid concentrate that can be added directly to the water. The concentrate form can also be used as a flavor enhancer for soups. Other regional crab boil companies are Tony Chachere's, and Rex Crab Boil. Note that even when boiling shrimp or crawfish, most recipes call for adding ''crab boil'' packets as a seasoning.

Carolinas

The Lowcountry boil, Tidewater boil, and Frogmore Stew are variations on the same theme in North and South Carolina.

References

External links

SC Beaufort Stew

Zatarain's Crab boil

Rex's Home Page

Mild Carolina boil

{{Herbs and spices Seafood Spices Louisiana cuisine