Confession… I meal plan but sometimes don’t want to eat the meal that I planned. While a roast chicken sounded good last week, today, eh…not so much. This is how the frozen seafood boil was created. It was a late night, I was hungry, and I didn’t want leftovers of whatever I made for dinner that night. Then, a craving for seafood boil came along. I had all of the ingredients on hand, but nothing was thawed out because it wasn’t on the meal plan for that week. It’s funny how creative you can be when you’re hungry.

My first thoughts were, seafood doesn’t take that long to thaw, maybe I could put it in a bit a water for like an hour. But I was hungry and didn’t want to wait that long and since giving up is not an option (teehee), I persevered. I remembered making both ground beef and chicken from frozen, could I do the same with seafood?

That’s where this recipe came about. I went ahead and hit record on my phone just to document the progress. If it failed, it would sure be a funny story, but if it succeeded, then my craving would be satisfied and I would have found myself another quick, 20-minute meal.

How to make a seafood boil

A seafood boil is generally made by combining seafood of choice (crab, shrimp, lobster, mussels), sometimes adding in corn and potatoes, and boiling in a seasoned broth or water until cooked.

My frozen version has all the elements of a seafood boil but cooked in the instanpot instead of boiling.

Frozen Seafood Boil

Ingredients

1 1/2 pound snow crab legs frozen

1/2 – 3/4 pounds jumbo shrimp frozen

12 oz andouille sausage chopped, frozen

2- 4 corn niblets frozen

1 pound red potatoes chopped

1 lemon juiced

1 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning

2 teaspoons creole or cajun seasoning

1 1/2 cups water

Tools you may need:

Instant Pot

How to do it

Place trivet inside of instant pot.

Pour in water, then old bay seasoning.

Layer on crab legs first, then shrimp, then potatoes, and finally sausage on top of trivet.

Add juice of lemon, then remaining seasonings.

Close and seal Instant Pot lid.

Pressure cook for 4 minutes.

Quick release when time is up.

Serve immediately.

FAQ’s

Is the crab easy to peel for this method?

Yes, I noticed the crab is easier to peel being cooked from frozen instead of thawed.

Can I use different types of seafood?

I’m sure you could try mussels, clams, or even lobster in the instant pot but not sure the outcome of cooking those from frozen.

How to reheat a seafood boil

Reheat your leftover seafood boil in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes.

What seasonings to add to a seafood boil?

Cajun, Creole, and/or Old Bay Seasonings are typical. But you could also add lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne.

Also try:

Beef Yakamein