Zatarain’s Copycat Crab Boil Mix

4 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons whole allspice
2 tablespoons dill seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
8 bay leaves
Salt and cayenne pepper (or liquid hot sauce) to taste.

Combine all dry ingredients thoroughly. Place in a square of muslin or cheesecloth and tie securely with string, like a large sachet spices. Add salt and cayenne or hot sauce to the water to taste, then bring to a boil.

When water for seafood is boiling, add the bag and boil for several minutes, until the boiling liquid is tinted and seasoned, then add vegetables and/or shellfish and cook until done, depending on what you’re using.

Yield: Enough crab boil seasoning for 5 pounds of seafood.

Journal:

1/10/2016 – Mixed one batch using about 1T of ground All Spice (did not have whole) and brown mustard seed. Boiled 4 qts. water with 5T salt and a lemon cut in half. Added 1/2 of the bowl of seasoning loose plus a little more All Spice as it seemed to have settle to the bottom of the bowl and 1/2 did not get into the pot. Boiled slow for 20 minutes then added the 3 lbs. of 16-20 headless shrimp that were near room temp due to prior luke-warm water bath for 15 minutes. Before return to boiling, 10+ were floating so removed them with strainer spoon to ice cubes in SS bowl. Poured a little of the pot liquor into the ice enough to float everything. Ice did not melt completely. Left the shrimp in for maybe 30 minutes.  TASTE – Shrimp peeled easily and were crunchy–not tough or chewy. Needed more salt. Try 1/2C in 4 quarts. The 4 quarts of water could have easily done 4 lbs.  Seasoning is much better than today’s Zatarain from the store in the cachet. Need to get whole All Spice.

7/08/2017 – At Farm with Royal Reds.  Very pleased with the crab boil as it had the carport smelling like old-time crab boil with strong full aromas. The shrimp had the flavor but not overpowering.