Shrimp Boil with Clams and Lemon

We love eating a great meal outdoors with lots of friends, and one of our favorite summer-time meals is a shrimp and clam boil. It couldn’t be simpler, more delicious, or more fun to eat! All of the ingredients get cooked in one pot, and once they’re done, you just throw some newspaper down on a table outside, pour the strained contents of the pot onto the newspaper, roll up your sleeves, and dig in! It’s always a huge hit with everyone sitting around the table.

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  • Serves: 2
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 Lemons, halved, plus more for serving
  • 3 Bay leaves
  • 0.25 cup Old Bay
  • 0.5 Bunch Thyme, tied togehter
  • 1 Onion (medium), quartered
  • 1 head Garlic, halved
  • 1.5 pound Potatoes cut in 1/2
  • 24 Littleneck Clams, scrubbed (about 1 lb 4 oz)
  • 2 pound Jumbo shrimp with heads and tails
  • Kosher salt
  • 1.5 pound Sausage or kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces
Directions
  1. Fill a huge stockpot, preferably fitted with a basket insert, with about 4 quarts of water.
  2. Keep in mind that when you add the solid ingredients the water level will rise, so don’t fill the pot up more than halfway. Squeeze the lemons into the water, tossing in the halves too.
  3. Add the bay leaves, salt, seasoning, thyme, onions, chiles and garlic; bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. You want a very aromatic broth with plenty of salt and spices.
  5. Taste it; don’t be afraid to make it strong so some of the flavor can penetrate and get absorbed by the potatoes and other ingredients. Adjust seasoning with salt.
  6. Add the potatoes to the pot to give them a head start; simmer for 20 minutes.
  7. Now add the sausage (and corn if you are adding); cook another 5 minutes, making sure everything stays covered with the liquid. Add the clams and boil for 8 to 10 minutes until they open.
  8. Then toss in the shrimp and shut off the heat. Cover the pot and let the shrimp steep in the flavor for 15 minutes.
  9. Drain and spread the shrimp, sausage, clams, potatoes, and onions out on a newspaper-covered table.
  10. Serve with lemons and plenty of napkins. Reserve the broth to make Shrimp Cocktail Shots.