By Toni Bailey

IG @baileybeautifulbites

 

Courtesy of Toni Bailey.

In the rare instances that my small family of three is blessed to gather for a holiday, we enjoy this savory dish the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas while prepping our day-of meal. I’m originally from Greenville, SC, and like most, I enjoy the traditional soul food feast. But I’m also a seafood lover. The idea of a piece of King Crab meat dipped in garlic butter brings me pure joy! When we dine on our quick and easy seafood boil, we end up eating every single morsel over a weekend.

Note I cover my hair if it’s in a loose style, always wash my hands with soap and water, and always pray over every meal before I begin to prepare it. 

South in the City Seafood Boil

You can use any seafood you like, but for this version, we use:

2lbs Large Deveined Tail-On Shrimp

Juice of 1 or 2 whole lemons

4-6 King Crab Legs

12 Frozen Corn Cob Halves

1 Bag of Frozen Broccoli Florets or Fresh

6 Jerk Chicken Sausage Links Sliced in Rounds – Any Link Sausage will Work

6-8 Large Gold or Red Potatoes (We Prefer Gold) – Cut in Halves or Quarters

4-6 Boiled Eggs

4 Sticks of Butter

Minced Garlic

Worcestershire Sauce

Garlic Power Sauce

Brown Sugar

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Smoked Paprika 

Old Bay Seasoning

Cajun Seasoning

Thyme

Ground Black Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes or Cayenne Pepper

A Large Pot w/Lid

A Large Baking Pan

A Large Skillet

A Sauce Pan

Team Bailey Beautiful Bites: l-r Misty Carter, Darryl Moore, Nicole Green, Toni Bailey, Corey Nickerson

Instructions:

In a large pot, fill halfway with water or enough to cover crab legs and bring to a roaring boil.

Add a few generous shakes or at least two heaping tablespoons of all dry seasonings minus brown sugar.

(I don’t use exact measurements, I rely solely on my ancestors and my instinct)

Add crab legs (leave in shell) for 5-7 minutes and remove

Add corn 

Add Potatoes

Allow to boil until Potatoes are tender (not mushy)

In a large skillet, sauté shrimp, sausage, and broccoli with one stick of butter until thoroughly cooked.

Once corn and potatoes are done, drain water and add to a large baking pan

Add crab legs either in a shell or remove meat from the shell (we remove the shells)

Add cooked shrimp, broccoli, and sausage and butter you cooked them with

Remove boiled eggs from the shell and add whole

In a saucepan, melt three sticks of butter.

Add a generous shake (6-8) of Worcestershire Sauce

Add a generous shake (6-8) of Garlic Power Sauce

Add ¼ cup minced garlic

Add 2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar

Add all dry seasonings (1-2 tablespoons of each)

Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes

Slowly pour over all ingredients in a large baking pan and mix well.

Shake additional seasoning all over to taste (optional)

Pray and Feast!

Toni Bailey is the owner of Bailey Beautiful Bites, a Chicago catering company currently serving specialty clients.