Onion Boil Cajun Shrimp Sausage (Printable Version)

Classic Southern boil combining shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn, and onions with bold Cajun seasoning.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 2 pounds large raw shrimp, shell-on, deveined

→ Meats

02 - 1 pound andouille sausage or smoked sausage, sliced into 1-inch pieces

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 large yellow onions, quartered
04 - 4 ears corn, cut into thirds
05 - 1.5 pounds small red potatoes, halved

→ Seasoning & Aromatics

06 - 4 cloves garlic, smashed
07 - 1 lemon, halved
08 - 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning
09 - 2 bay leaves
10 - 1 tablespoon kosher salt
11 - 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

→ To Serve

12 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
13 - Fresh parsley, chopped
14 - Lemon wedges

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Fill a large stockpot with 4 quarts of water. Add quartered onions, smashed garlic, lemon halves (squeezed into the water and then dropped in), Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, kosher salt, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil over high heat.
02 - Add halved red potatoes to the boiling broth and cook for 15 minutes until just beginning to soften.
03 - Add corn pieces and sliced sausage to the pot. Continue boiling for 10 more minutes.
04 - Add shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and just cooked through.
05 - Drain the mixture through a large colander. Discard bay leaves and lemon halves. Spread the contents on a newspaper-lined table or large serving platter.
06 - Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one pot, so cleanup is almost as easy as the cooking itself.
  • The flavor builds naturally from the water itself, meaning no extra sauce required, just butter and lemon.
  • You can feed a crowd without spending hours in the kitchen, which feels like a small miracle.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and adaptable to whatever protein or vegetable you have on hand.
02 -
  • The water itself becomes your sauce, so don't skip seasoning it properly at the beginning, this is where the magic lives.
  • Shrimp takes only minutes, so have everything prepped and your colander ready before they even touch the pot.
03 -
  • Squeeze your lemon halves into the water before dropping them in so the juice infuses the broth from the very beginning.
  • Keep your heat high and your water at a steady boil, a lazy simmer won't develop the same depth of flavor.
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