The seafood boil, explained

Shellfish, corn on the cob and potatoes, cooked together in one big, heavily seasoned pot, then served all at once in the middle of the table: that’s a seafood boil. Shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels: whatever went into the pot comes out together, mostly still in the shell and dripping with flavour.

There are no neat portions and no knife-and-fork manners. Everyone reaches in, cracks, peels and shares. It’s loud, messy and sociable, and that’s the point.

Louisiana and the Cajun boil. The seafood boil grew up in south Louisiana, among the Cajun communities of the bayous and the Gulf coast. In crawfish season, families fill huge outdoor pots with water, cayenne, salt, lemon and bay, then add crawfish, crab or shrimp with corn, potatoes and often smoked sausage. The lot is drained and tipped onto a table lined with newspaper. That’s the Cajun seafood boil: the seasoning lives in the water, and the heat soaks into everything.

The Viet-Cajun twist. From the late 1970s, Vietnamese families settled along the Gulf coast, many working as shrimpers and fishermen. They made the boil their own with garlic, butter, citrus and lemon pepper. The big change was the sauce: the seafood was tossed through a rich, buttery sauce after cooking and served in a bag to hold the heat. That sauce-first style spread across America, and it’s the version most people in the UK now know.

Our take. Shrimp & Co. sits firmly on the sauce side of the family. Our boils come in our own signature boil sauce, and the house sauces on the rest of the menu travel well beyond Louisiana, from Creamy Cajun to Thai Curry and Bombay.

Every boil comes with corn on the cob, boiled egg and potatoes in our signature boil sauce: creamy, with a hint of spice and tang. You choose rice, chips or boil-sauce noodles to go with it, and every boil comes in two sizes, one for one person and one for two.

Then pick your seafood:

• Give Me Everything Boil: lobster tail, king shrimps, snow crab and swimmer crab, with princes shrimps, mussels, octopus tentacles and calamari. Our biggest boil.
• Captain’s Choice: lobster tail, king shrimps, princes shrimps, mussels and calamari. A must-try.
• Deep Sea Medley: baby octopus, octopus tentacles and queen shrimps. Our newest boil.
• I Seafood, I Eat It: princes and medium shrimps, mussels, calamari and snow crab clusters.
• Crabtastic Boil: soft-shell crab and blue swimmer crab, for the crab lovers.
• Surfside Mix: shrimps and crabs, made for cracking and sharing.
• Shrimp Treasure Pot: princes, medium and queen shrimps.

See every boil, side and sharing platter on our menu.

The boils are all about the signature boil sauce. The rest of the menu runs on six house sauces, two dry rubs and four levels of heat, which you choose on any shrimp dish.

• Shrimp & Co Saucy Spicy: butter-based, fruity and tangy, with a hot kick.
• Lemon Garlic: butter-based, zesty and fresh.
• Cheesy Piri-naise: butter-based and indulgently cheesy.
• Creamy Cajun: cream-based, with warm Cajun spice.
• Thai Curry: coconut-based, fiery with a sweet edge.
• Bombay Sauce: butter-based and aromatic, with a gentle, warming heat.

Prefer it dry? Choose the Original Signature Seasoning, our classic house spice, or the smoky, peppery Cajun Spice Seasoning.

Then set the heat: Smooth Sailing, Captain’s Kick, Boiling Point or Inferno. Not sure? Start lower. You can always add heat, but you can’t take it away.

Want to try more than one sauce? Order a boil for the table and add a shrimp dish, such as Party for Two, in a different sauce.

There’s no wrong way, but a few tricks help.

1. 01

   Gloves on. Shells and sauce get everywhere. Keep napkins close and wear something you don’t mind splashing.

2. 02

   Open it slowly. A fresh boil holds its heat, and the first rush of steam is hotter than it looks.

3. 03

   Start with the shrimp. Twist off the head, peel the shell away from the legs, then pinch the tail and the rest slides out. Drag it back through the sauce on the way.

4. 04

   Crack crab at the joints. Snap snow crab legs at the joint and the meat slides out. Soft-shell crab is the easy one: you eat it whole, shell and all.

5. 05

   Squeeze the lobster tail. Press the sides until the shell gives, then ease the meat out.

6. 06

   Use a mussel as tongs. An empty shell is the best tool for the next one.

7. 07

   Mop up the sauce. That’s what the corn, potatoes, egg and your rice, chips or noodles are for.

Most of all, share it. Pile it in the middle, pass things round and fight fairly over the last king shrimp.

Your first boil. Go for the Captain’s Choice: a bit of everything, lobster included, without going all in. To keep it simple, the Shrimp Treasure Pot is all shrimp.

For two. Pick one boil in the size for two and add a starter, such as the Deep Sea Sampler or Garlic Treasure Bread.

For a group. Order two or three different boils so everyone gets a taste, then add a sharing platter for anyone who fancies grilled chicken, lamb chops or ribs alongside. Platters run from plates for one or two up to the VIP Feast.

Little sailors. Children aged 8 and under have their own menu, with Popcorn Shrimpy, Lil’ Tenders and Mini Mac N Cheese.

Booking. Book a table through OpenTable from each restaurant’s page, or call the restaurant, especially for a big table.

Four restaurants in London and Birmingham, with a fifth on the way. Here’s where to find us.

London

• Shrimp & Co. Brixton: 207 Ferndale Road, London SW9 8BJ.
• Shrimp & Co. Walthamstow: The Scene, Cleveland Place, 269 High Street, London E17 7FD.

Birmingham

• Shrimp & Co. Broad Street: Unit 6a, Five Ways Leisure Centre, Broad Street, Birmingham B15 1AY.
• Shrimp & Co. Star City: Watson Road, Nechells, Birmingham B7 5SA.

Middlesbrough

Coming soon to Corporation Road, Middlesbrough.

Each restaurant’s page has its opening hours and how to get in touch.

• What is a seafood boil?

  Shellfish such as shrimp, crab, lobster and mussels, cooked with corn on the cob and potatoes in a well-seasoned pot, then served all together for the table to share by hand. It started as a Cajun tradition in Louisiana.

• Is a seafood boil spicy?

  It can be as mild or as hot as you like. Our signature boil sauce is creamy with a hint of spice and tang, and our shrimp dishes come in four heat levels, from Smooth Sailing to Inferno.

• What comes with a seafood boil at Shrimp & Co.?

  Every boil comes with corn on the cob, boiled egg and potatoes in our signature boil sauce, plus your choice of rice, chips or boil-sauce noodles.

• How many people does a seafood boil feed?

  Every boil comes in two sizes: one for one person and one for two. For a group, order a few different boils to share and add a sharing platter.

• Can I eat a seafood boil if I have an allergy?

  A seafood boil is built around shellfish, and our dishes may contain or come into contact with common allergens including nuts, gluten, dairy, eggs, crustaceans, molluscs and fish. Please speak to a team member about any allergy or dietary need before you order. Our full allergen guide is coming soon.

• Where can I get a seafood boil in London or Birmingham?

  Shrimp & Co. serves seafood boils in Brixton and Walthamstow in London, and on Broad Street and at Star City in Birmingham. Middlesbrough is coming soon.