Boiling Crab’s Whole ShaBang Sauce Recipe (Copycat)

What is Boiling Crab’s Whole Shabang Sauce?

ShaBang Sauce is a garlic butter sauce infused with layers of savory, salty, smoky, warm, and moderately spicy flavors. This recipe gets its complexity from simple aromatics and a vibrant blend of seafood seasonings, all of which you may have in your pantry already.

Ingredient Notes

• Butter – As the base of this sauce, you’ll need a generous amount of butter. I prefer salted butter but unsalted works if you want to lower the sodium in the recipe.
• Shallot and garlic cloves – These simple aromatics elevate the savory tastes and aromas. If you don’t have shallots, you can use minced red onion or sweet onion instead.  
• Old Bay – This is a staple seafood seasoning blend made with celery salt, red and black pepper, and paprika. In addition to seafood, it’s delicious on chicken wings, egg salad, white barbecue sauce, tomato soup, and more. 
• Dry spices – You’ll find warm and savory seasonings like smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, onion powder, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Head to the Variations section for more ideas on how to customize the spices to find your perfect flavor.
• Brown sugar – The sugar balances the salty, smoky, and savory spices.
• Chicken stock or seafood stock – You need this for a smooth, pourable, and savory sauce.
• Lemon – As with any good fish and seafood sauce, fresh lemon juice and zest are a must! The acidity helps balance every layer of flavor. 
• Fresh parsley

How to Make Boiling Crab Sauce

1. Saute the Aromatics: Melt the sticks of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the shallots in the pan until softened, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. 
2. Stir in the Seasonings: Stir in the Old Bay, brown sugar, and the remaining seasonings. Let them cook for a few minutes to bring out their hidden flavors.
3. Add Stock: Pour in the stock. Bring it up to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer gently until the sauce thickens.
4. Finish + Enjoy: Take the skillet off of the heat and stir in the lemon juice, zest, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then enjoy.

Serving Suggestions

The most common way to use this sauce is to pour it over a seafood boil. This impressive meal combines boiled crab legs, shrimp, mussels, clams, crawfish, lobster tails, red potatoes, corn, onion, and andouille sausage before it’s all doused in butter sauce and fresh herbs.

That’s not all. This versatile sauce comes with plenty of other uses, such as:

• A dipping sauce for chicken breasts, pork chops, shrimp, poached fish, and scrambled eggs. 
• Drizzle it over crispy smashed potatoes, baked potatoes, roasted broccoli, and corn-on-the-cob.
• Stir the sauce into rice, grits, polenta, or pasta.

FAQs

How do you thicken seafood boil sauce? 

The easiest way to thicken seafood boil sauce is to let it simmer for a few minutes longer or until the stock reduces to your liking. If it becomes too thick, add more stock to thin it out.
You can also combine a teaspoon of cornstarch with equal parts water to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the seafood sauce until thickened. 

 Can it be made dairy free? 

You can easily make this sauce dairy free by using vegan butter instead of regular butter. Light-tasting olive oil is also an option, though the flavor won’t be quite the same. 

Storing and Reheating

To store: If you have leftover whole shabang sauce sauce, keep it in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

To reheat: When you’re ready to use it again, reheat the sauce in a saucepan over low heat until the butter is remelted. You can also reheat it in the microwave in 15 to 20-second increments, gently stirring in between, until warm.