Boiling Kickin’ Crab Sauce Copycat Recipe

Kickin’ Crab Sauce is a perfect addition to your favorite seafood. Use it to marinade, dip, or cook your seafood for a kick of flavor. 

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Even though I grew up in Florida, we didn’t eat a lot of seafood when I was a kid because my mom is highly allergic. After moving out on my own, I found a love for a certain type of seafood. Then, when we moved to Houston, where crawfish boil season is a thing, I learned a lot more about everyone’s favorite ways to make seafood. 

Previously, I’d only ever eaten seafood with the garlic butter sauce that you get at most restaurants. But here in Houston, where cajun recipes are everywhere, we’ve learned about a few new ways to eat seafood. It’s very common to be invited to a crawfish boil or a low country boil party in the spring when crawfish are in season. 

Almost any seafood restaurant around here will have a version of kickin’ crab sauce, otherwise known as the whole shabang sauce. 

Boiling Crab Sauce Recipe Variations

The best part of this sauce is how easy it is to make, the simple ingredients used, and how versatile it can be. 

• Spice it Up: If you want extra spice, increase the amount of cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or chili powder. 
• Flavor Variations: Mix in other seasonings such as onion powder or parsley
• Homemade Seasoning: Make your own Cajun seasoning to add to the recipe
• MSG option (Accent Salt): Add 1 tsp to boost umami without overpowering flavor.
• Liquid Adjustment: Use ¼ cup water (or seafood stock) to make the sauce more pourable—great for bag-style boils.
• Garlic Boost: For richer flavors, use 2 bulbs of garlic, or double if you love bold.

Ways to Use Kickin’ Crab Sauce

• Add your seafood to a large bowl and cover it with the delicious sauce to marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator before cooking. This works best with seafood such as jumbo lump crab meat, whole shrimp, or other seafood that isn’t in a hard shell. 
• Use it as a seafood boil sauce and boil your food in the sauce. You may need extra sauce, depending on how much seafood you have. Otherwise, you will likely need to add cold water to a large pot with the sauce and your seafood. This will work well for any seafood that you are going to boil such as king crab legs, blue crab, lobster tails, jumbo shrimp, and clams.
• Prepare your seafood in whatever way you choose, then use the whole sha-bang sauce as a dipping sauce for your seafood. 
• Delicious with corn on the cob, red potatoes, andouille sausage, crusty bread—don’t forget extra napkins!

Serving Suggestions

• ​Serve as a shrimp boil recipe with sweet corn or small ears of corn, small red potatoes, bell peppers, or onions
• Make with a side of cajun fries or regular French Fries
• Add a side of veggies to your meal such as cauliflower, green beans, or broccoli
• Prepare mashed potatoes and serve with a bit of the spicy sauce on the potatoes to make cajun mashed potatoes 

Customize Your Heat

Kickin’ Crab Sauce FAQ

Kickin’ Crab Sauce Step by Step

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 bulb garlic, minced
• ¼ cup water
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tbsp creole seasoning
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• 3 lbs seafood for serving

Preparation

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter.

Add the minced garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.

Add the water, lemon juice, and remaining seasonings.

Simmer on low heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes.

Serve with cooked seafood.

Kickin’ Crab Sauce Leftovers

Storage: Let the sauce cool to room temperature then store your sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Place the seafood in its own container to keep for 1-2 days in the refrigerator. 

Reheating: Heat in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sauce is warmed through. 

Recipe

Kickin’ Crab Sauce

Kickin' Crab Sauce is a perfect addition to your favorite seafood. Use it to marinade, dip, or cook your seafood for a kick of flavor. 

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Course:

Homemade Staple

Cuisine:

American

Keyword:

cajun

|

crab

|

crab sauce

|

creole

|

hot sauce

|

sauce

|

seafood sauce

Dietary Needs:

Egg-Free

|

Gluten-Free

|

Nut-Free

Meat:

Seafood

Cooking Method:

One-Pan Meals

Servings: 1.5 cups

5 from 7 votes

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 bulb garlic (minced)
• ¼ cup water
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tbsp creole seasoning
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• 3 lbs seafood for serving

Recommended Equipment

• Saucepan – Medium

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter
• Add the minced garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant
• Add the water, lemon juice, and remaining seasonings
• Simmer on low heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes
• Serve with cooked seafood

Notes

Nutrition facts do not include seafood. 

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Nutrition Facts

Kickin' Crab Sauce

Amount Per Serving (2 tbsp)

Calories 75 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 5g25%

Trans Fat 0.3g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 20mg7%

Sodium 79mg3%

Potassium 34mg1%

Carbohydrates 2g1%

Fiber 0.4g2%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 0.3g1%

Vitamin A 656IU13%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 8mg1%

Iron 0.3mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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