Onion Boil Cajun Shrimp Sausage (Printable)

Juicy shrimp, smoky sausage, potatoes, corn, and onions simmered with Cajun spices for a festive meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Seafood

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

→ Meats

02 - 1 lb 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 lbs 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 tbsp kosher salt
11 - 1 tsp black peppercorns

→ To Serve

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

# Method:

01 - Fill a large stockpot with 4 quarts of water. Add onions, 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 potatoes and cook for 15 minutes until just beginning to soften.
03 - Add corn pieces and sausage. Boil for 10 more minutes.
04 - Add shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes until shrimp are pink and just cooked through.
05 - Drain the boil through a large colander. Discard bay leaves and lemon halves.
06 - Spread the mixture out on a newspaper-lined table or a large serving platter. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

# Expert Pointers:

01 -
  • One pot means one cleanup, and honestly, that's half the reason this becomes a regular dinner instead of a special occasion.
  • The shrimp cooks in minutes while everything else gets tender and absorbs all that briny, spiced flavor you can't replicate any other way.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and feels fancy enough for company but casual enough to eat standing up over newspaper.
02 -
  • Don't let the shrimp sit in the pot after they turn pink—they'll keep cooking from residual heat, and overcooked shrimp is the one thing that can ruin this whole meal.
  • The timing windows are tight by design, so have everything prepped and ready before you start boiling, because once you get going, you're moving fast.
03 -
  • Prep everything before you start boiling—once that water is going, there's no time to chop or measure.
  • Buy the best sausage you can find because it's really the only ingredient doing heavy lifting in terms of flavor, and good quality makes a real difference.
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