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    RECIPES » Seasonings + Sauces » Boiling Crab Sauce Recipe; The Whole Sha-Bang Copycat

    Boiling Crab Sauce Recipe; The Whole Sha-Bang Copycat

    May 5, 2022 · Last updated: May 5, 2022 by Gina · This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

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    Copycat Boiling Crab Sauce Recipe on shrimp and sausage. ingredients for the sauce

    If you like spicy shrimp and seafood boil, then you will definitely want to make this copycat Boiling Crab sauce recipe, better known as the whole sha-bang. This spicy-sweet buttery sauce is the perfect cajun seasoning for all your favorite seafood. Sauce up your favorite seafood with a hint of old bay seasoning, cayenne pepper, lemon, and garlic, all wrapped up with a spicy, medium heat.

    Copycat Boiling Crab Sauce on shrimp and sausage
    PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER

    This great seafood sauce can be made ahead of time and then when your company arrives all you have to do is boil your seafood and veggies. Drain and toss in this spicy sauce and serve. If you are looking for some sides to go with your seafood try my coleslaw with cilantro recipe or this famous Green Jacket Salad.

    Jump to:
    • 😋Why this sauce is so good
    • 🛒 Ingredient notes
    • 🔪 Step by step instructions
    • What seafood is best in a seafood boil?
    • 🦀 How to use boiling crab sauce
    • 💭 Cooking Tip
    • 🔀 Variations
    • ❓ FAQ
    • Storage tips
    • More dinner ideas
    • Recipe

    😋Why this sauce is so good

    • This sauce is perfect for all types of seafood, veggies, and sausage.
    • When you make your sauce, you can turn the heat up or down depending on your preference. If you like a really spicy sauce, add more cayenne pepper. 
    • The best part is that you can easily create a one-pot meal using this seafood boil recipe. Perfect for a family dinner or a big party. 

    🛒 Ingredient notes

    This sauce is quick and easy to make before you start cooking your seafood.

    Copycat Boiling Crab Sauce ingredients
    • Butter: This is a proper butter sauce, so use real butter, not margarine or a butter substitute. 
    • Lemon juice: Pick a large fresh lemon to juice, not the green bottled kind.
    • Garlic: Don't use already minced garlic. Get fresh garlic cloves and mince them yourself.
    • Old Bay Seasoning: There are copycat brands out there, but it's best to be brand-specific on this one. 
    • Hot sauce:  Use your favorite brand like Texas Pete, Franks, or Louisiana hot sauce. 
    • Cajun seasoning: My favorite is Tony Chachere's Original Creole for this recipe.

    See the recipe card for a complete list and quantities.

    🔪 Step by step instructions

    In a medium saucepan, add two sticks of butter. Melt butter over medium-low heat.

    1. Add freshly minced garlic to the melted butter and simmer for 3 minutes. Be sure to stir the butter mixture continually. If it begins to boil, turn your heat down some. You want the mixture to simmer lightly.
    saute garlic and seasonings mixed in butter

    2. Next, add Cajon seasoning, Old Bay Seasoning, smoked paprika, lemon pepper seasoning, sugar, onion powder, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, hot sauce, and water.


    Simmer the seafood boil sauce over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring every so often, so it does not burn or stick to the bottom of your pan.

    bowl of shrimp and sausage, then boiling crab sauce being toss in the bowl

    3.-5. Add 3 - 4 pounds of steamed or boiled seafood into a large bowl. Add the sauce and toss to coat everything well. You could also use a large food-grade bag to sauce the seafood in if you prefer.

    ⭐ Hint: Don't use all the sauce to coat your seafood and vegetables. Pour some in small individual bowls as a dipping sauce.

    What seafood is best in a seafood boil?

    The beauty of this spicy buttery sauce is that it goes well with so many kinds of seafood. The Boiling Crab restaurant is the originator of this sauce. You pick your favorite seafood for them to add the boiling crab recipe sauce (whole shabang sauce) to at the restaurant. 

    • Blue crab
    • Dungeness crab
    • Snow Crab legs
    • King crab legs
    • Lobster
    • Shrimp
    • Crawfish
    • Oysters, Clams, and Mussels

    🦀 How to use boiling crab sauce

    The delicious sauce is an easy recipe to make and can be used in a variety of seafood dishes. 

    Low Country crab boil 

    Also known as Beaufort Stew or Frogmore Stew, this classic dinner turns out perfect when you sauce it with this boiling crab sauce recipe.  

    Our family tradition has been to eat a low country boil every Christmas Eve for the past 30+ years. Hence the reason for sharing this recipe with you. 

    picture

    We fill a large stock pot with water and add my homemade seafood boil recipe in a bag. 

    seafood seasoning boil on a spoon and in mesh bags

    Turn up your heat to a boil. Add potatoes to the boiling water. A few minutes later, add the corn, then sausage, and crab legs. Last, throw shrimp in the pot. We have found it is best to spread out cooking the ingredients so nothing gets overcooked. 

    • Snow crab legs
    • Shrimp in the shell
    • Red potatoes
    • Fresh corn on the cob
    • Spicy sausage
    • Cocktail little sausage: We put these in for the kids because they don't like the larger spicy sausage.

    Drain the seafood and veggies. Place it all in a big bowl or large plastic bag. Pour in your boiling crab sauce and toss to coat. That's it. It's dinner time! 

    💭 Cooking Tip

    We cook our seafood boils outside in a large Stainless Stockpot with Basket. We hook our fish cooker burner up to a propane gas canister.

    Louisiana crawfish boil

    A crawfish boil is another family favorite. We cook it the same way we make our low country boil but only put in crawfish instead of shrimp and crab. 

    Shrimp boil

    A shrimp boil recipe can consist of just shrimp, or you can add in sausage, lemon halves, potatoes, and corn on the cob. Dain and toss it in the boiling crab sauce.

    🔀 Variations

    Sometimes we do not follow an exact recipe when adding ingredients to our large stockpot. Some years we change it up by adding some of these ideas. 

    • whole peeled onions
    • whole artichokes
    • lime halves
    • asparagus: I place a pound or so in a veggie mesh cooking bag

    ❓ FAQ

    What do you put on the table for seafood boil?

    For easy cleanup place a plastic disposable tablecloth on the table. Next, line the table with several layers of newspaper. Toss your seafood boil right on the newspaper to serve.

    How long should I boil the crab?

    Small crabs need to be cooked in boiling water for 8 - 10 minutes. Large crabs weighing around 2 pounds should be boiled for 15 to 20 minutes.

    What is Bloves sauce made of?

    Bloves sauce has fresh onions, garlic, butter, and a variety of spices such as garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, chili powder, and cajun seasoning mixes.

    Storage tips

    If you would like to make this a day or two before you need it that is just fine. Follow the recipe instructions. When finished cooking cool to room temperature. Pour into a glass jar and seal with a tight fighting lid. Will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

    Reheat the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not allow it to boil, it could burn to the bottom of the pan.

    Copycat Boiling Crab Sauce Recipe on shrimp and sausage

    More dinner ideas

    • Spicy Thai Chicken Recipe
    • Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Legs Recipe
    • Pan-Seared Tilapia with Lemon Butter
    • Masters Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe; Copycat

    Love a recipe you've tried? 😋 Please give it a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!

    🎉 Be sure and sign up to get your free Party In The Freezer Ecookbook. I'll send it right to you and keep you up to date with all that is happing on Intentional Hospitality

    Recipe

    boiling crab sauce on shrimp and sausage

    Boiling Crab Sauce Recipe; The Whole Sha-Bang Copycat

    Gina
    If you like spicy shrimp and seafood boil, then you will definitely want to make this copycat Boiling Crab sauce recipe, better known as the whole sha-bang. This spicy-sweet buttery sauce is the perfect cajun seasoning for all your favorite seafood. Sauce up your favorite seafood with a hint of old bay seasoning, cayenne pepper, lemon, and garlic, all wrapped up with a spicy, medium heat.
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share by Email
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Seasoning and Sauces
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Calories 28 kcal

    Equipment

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 garlic cloves fresh large size, peeled and minced
    • 2 sticks butter
    • 1 tablespoons Cajun seasoning I like to use Tony Chachere's Original Creole seasoning
    • 1 tablespoons Old Bay
    • 1 tablespoon Smoked paprika
    • 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper *optional If you like it spicy add 1 - 4 teaspoons
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice fresh squeezed
    • 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
    • 1/4 cup water

    Instructions
     

    • In a medium saucepan, add two sticks of butter. Melt butter over medium-low heat
    • Add freshly minced garlic to the melted butter and simmer for 3 minutes. Be sure to stir the butter mixture continually. If it begins to boil, turn your heat down some. You want the mixture to simmer lightly.
    • Next, add Cajon seasoning, Old Bay Seasoning, smoked paprika, lemon pepper seasoning, sugar, onion powder, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, hot sauce, and water.
    • Simmer the seafood boil sauce over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring every so often, so it does not burn or stick to the bottom of your pan.
    • Add 3 - 4 pounds of steamed or boiled seafood into a large bowl. Add the sauce and toss to coat everything well.

    Notes

    Note* This recipe will sauce 3 to 4 pounds of seafood.  Serving size is figured for 1/2 pound of coated seafood per person.
    ⭐ Hint: Don't use all the sauce to coat your seafood and vegetables. Pour some in small individual bowls as a dipping sauce.
    Tips
    • Butter: This is a proper butter sauce, so use real butter, not margarine or a butter substitute. 
    • Lemon juice: Pick a large fresh lemon to juice, not the green bottled kind.
    • Garlic: Don't use already minced garlic. Get fresh garlic cloves and mince them yourself.
    • Old Bay Seasoning: There are copycat brands out there, but it's best to be brand-specific on this one. 
    • Hot sauce:  Use your favorite brand like Texas Pete, Franks, or Louisiana hot sauce. 
    • Cajun seasoning: My favorite is Tony Chachere's Original Creole for this recipe.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 11/2 pound of seafoodCalories: 28kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 47mgPotassium: 106mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1392IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
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    About Gina

    Hey y'all, I am here to help you build community and nurture faith around your table. You will find fun party ideas and delicious recipes for easy-to-make meals and party food. I want to help you create a table where people come together, enjoy a meal and linger with good conversation.

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