Classical seafood boil usually brings you between 700 and 900 calories, especially if you consider the whole serving with shrimps, sausage stuffing, corn, potatoes and a slice of butter. If you add up to three slices of butter, then you quickly add more than 300 calories of pure fat. The first time when I actually counted the calories for that I was deeply surprised.

And only the stuffing itself already fills a lot, with 320 calories and 28 grams of fat for a serving of 4 units (really), it almost beats everything else on the plate.

Calories in a Seafood Boil

Shrimps, on the other hand, are surprisingly lean. A serving of 6 units of small shrimp meats have only 170 calories, with great 36 grams of protein and almost 2 grams of fat. The meat of crawfish is even better, around 130 calories for the same 6-piece serving.

The problem with crawfish though is the waste, only around 22% of the whole mass is actual food. So, two pounds of whole crawfish, which matches about 907 grams, only give 7 units of meat. Crab legs offer better output at 45%, but still, there is not really mcuh meat.

When you start to arrange on a plate a full seafood boil with shrimps, stuffing, two ears of corn, potatoes and a lot of that rich butter sauce, you easily reach 1200 to 1400 calories. Do it large size and you flirt with 1800 calories or even more. But hey, on the more positive side, leave out the stuffing and butter, and you get a plate only with shrimps and vegetables under 500 calories, still packing more then 40 grams of protein, which is not little for anyone.

Now, the following info does not come from some random calculator or converter. It is directly from forums, cooking blogs and community chats across the net.

At its base, seafood boils are a simple, rustic way to prepare whole crowds of shellfish together with some typical vegetables for a boil. It deals just as much about the social gathering as about the food itself. The exact ingredients range according to local custom, but the main structure stays pretty much the same; big shrimps, crab legs, crawfish tails, scallops, mussels, crawfish, smoked or sausage stuffing, corn on the cob, red potatoes, eggs and onions.

Red potatoes usually are the traditional pick, because they hold form better during a boil, but Yukon-gold also works well. When it comes to costs, crawfish make a good, ready replacement for more expensive shellfish like crab and shrimps.

Adding spices to the cooking water is the place where the magic really starts. You want broth full of Cajun spices and strong flavors. Old Bay is classic, or try Zatarain’s Crab and Shrimp Boil or the seasoning from Louisiana Fish Fry Co. For seafood.

Crab-boil spices come in packets or liquid. Others include big bits of lemon, whole onions, bay leaves, garlic, cayenne peppers and a lot of salt. Cut the top of a whole head of garlic and let it cook in the broth during the boil, this really boosts the flavor.

Also the order of steps matters. Put the potatoes first, because they need the most time, then add the corn when potatoes are almost ready. After some minutes more, drop in the seafood.

Mix the different kinds of shellfish so that nothing cooks too much or too little. And make sure to toss scallops that did not open fully before serving.

About servings, one usually says three quarters to a full pound of mixed seafood for an adult, and half a pound for a child. For a boil only with shrimps, half a pound per person is enough, especially if other foods are on the table. A good base for one person is half a pound of shrimps, one ear of corn, a quarter pound of stuffing and four small potatoes.

When everything is cooked perfectly, one mixes it in a rich sauce from garlic and butter before serving. The whole thing can go on newspaper, parchment paper or a big shared plate. And if you want to avoid heating the kitchen in summer, use an outdoor fryer toquickly reach a boiling point in a big pot of water.