This Seafood Boil Sauce is the BEST sauce to serve with seafood boil, shrimp boil, and crab boil! It’s rich, spicy, buttery, and packed with garlic flavor! An easy Cajun sauce ready in 15 minutes!

I’ve been making this Southern seafood boil sauce for years 😍. It has been one of the most popular recipes on this blog since I shared it a few years ago! 

This week, I posted my favorite seafood boil where tender pieces of shrimp, crab, clams, potatoes, sausages, and corn are served up in this SUPER flavorful sauce that’s complete with all the fixings! 

While this sauce seems to be fancy, it’s actually very easy to make. It takes about 15 minutes to make on the stovetop with a few simple ingredients.

Why This is the Best Ever Seafood Sauce

When it comes to a seafood boil, it’s all in the sauce. Shellfish are great for soaking up whatever spices or sauce it’s paired with. 😋

• Quick: only 15 minutes on the stovetop
• Flavorful: elevates any dishes instantly with its rich, buttery, and garlicky flavor
• Versatile: pairs well with seafood, meats, and vegetables. You can make a large batch and drizzle it over EVERYTHING!

I didn’t think there was a way to mess up this recipe, but once I wanted to speed up the process, so I increased the heat. A big mistake! I ended up burning the butter and garlic, causing the sauce to taste bitter. So make sure you cook on LOW heat and be patient!

Seafood Boil Sauce Ingredients

All you’ll need for this sauce are some simple ingredients. Besides the Old Bay Seasoning, you probably have all the other ingredients in your fridge and pantry already.

• Garlic: Make sure your garlic is fresh and peeled. Feel free to add more garlic for some extra flavor.
• Unsalted Butter: Adds a nice rich and creamy texture to the seafood sauce. I recommend using unsalted butter so that you can control the salt level.
• Olive Oil: You can use regular olive oil or vegetable oil for this recipe.
• Onion: Use either yellow or white onion.
• Old Bay Seasoning: It adds great flavor to the sauce with layers of complex flavors.
• Chicken Broth: I recommend using low-sodium broth to reduce the salt intake.
• Lemon Pepper: Adds freshness and brightness to the sauce.
• Paprika: It adds a fruity and slightly sweet note with a bright color to the sauce. You can also use smoked paprika.
• Cayenne Pepper: It adds some heat to the sauce with a distinct fruity flavor.
• Red Pepper flakes: It will also make your sauce spicy, so you can adjust the amount to your preference.
• Lemon Juice: Adds a nice citrus zing to the dish.
• Brown Sugar: You can also use regular white granulated sugar.

How to Make Seafood Boil Sauce from Scratch

It couldn’t be easier. The secret to NEVER failing? Cook on LOW heat!

1. Add butter and oil to a saucepan over medium-low heat.

2. Once the butter is melted, add onions and stir fry until they’re soft. Then add garlic and sauté until fragrant.

3. Add Old Bay seasoning, lemon pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Mix together.

4. Turn the heat to low and add the remaining butter.

5. Simmer until the butter is melted, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and cook for a few minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.

6. Remove from heat. Pour the sauce over your favorite seafood boil or serve it as a dipping sauce.

That’s it!

Even Better with These Tips

• Cut your onions and garlic as finely as possible so that they can blend into the sauce perfectly! 
• If you prefer a milder seafood boil, adjust the amount of cayenne and red pepper you add. Even without the extra spice, your meal will be full of flavor thanks to the rest of the herbs and spices.
• Be sure to keep the heat on low to allow your sauce to slowly simmer to perfection.
• Feel free to add more butter if you prefer a richer sauce.

How to Use This Garlic Butter Sauce

Two Ways to Serve It with Seafood Boil

As you can see from the two serving options above, you can either DRIZZLE the seafood boil sauce over your seafood boil, shrimp boil, and crawfish boil, or DIP your food into the sauce!

Other Ways to Use This Versatile Sauce

• As a dipping sauce for boiled or sous vide seafood such as lobster, salmon, or crab legs.
• As a marinade for seafood or meat (steak, pork chops, or chicken).
• Sauces to flavor cooked rice or pasta.
• As a topping choice for tacos, salad, or vegetables.

Store and Reheat Leftovers

This sauce can easily be stored for an encore seafood boil. Pour any leftover sauce into an airtight container and store in the fridge for about 1 week. There are two options for reheating:

• Stove Top: Pour the seafood boil sauce into a pan over LOW heat. Add about 1 teaspoon of melted butter and water to smooth out the texture. Once it’s fully warmed up, remove from heat and serve. 
• Microwave: Add the leftover seafood boil into a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave in 15-second intervals until the sauce is warmed up. 

Watch How Easy it is to Make Seafood Boil Sauce

Watch How to Make Seafood Boil

Seafood Boil is a delicious, yet simple one-pot meal that’s great for feeding a group. If you’ll be adding potatoes to the mix, you’ll want to put those in first, along with corn. Next, add in sausage and onions, ensuring they’ve been cut into bite-size pieces. Add crabs and clams next.

Shrimp should be added last since they cook the fastest. They’ll be ready in about two minutes, so be sure not to overcook them. (See details in the recipe at the bottom of this post.)

If you love this seafood boil recipe…
Try my Blove’s sauce, sweet soy glaze, bulgogi sauce, KFC sauce, and duck sauce next!

If you tried this recipe, let me know how your Seafood Boil Sauce turns out in the comments below!