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Nothing captures the essence of summer like a clambake or seafood boil! This recipe simplifies the process by roasting juicy shrimp, briny clams, spicy andouille sausage, corn on the cob, and baby potatoes on a sheet pan in the oven. Tossed in an Old Bay butter sauce, the one-pan, hands-off cooking creates a delicious caramelized roast, with the bonus of easy cleanup! Serve family style, start peeling, and enjoy a tender, succulent seafood dinner. Napkins recommended.
This recipe is a beautiful blend of the two places I live throughout the year—New England and Florida. These northern and southern states both love fresh seafood, so naturally, I do, too.
My sheet-pan seafood boil combines the best elements of regional traditions I grew up with and makes it easy to serve in your backyard.
You’ll roast an assortment of juicy shrimp, fresh clams, spicy sausage, tender potatoes, and sweet corn on a sheet pan in the oven. An Old Bay Butter sauce adds a savory-spicy touch as all the flavors meld together.
Although using your oven is not traditional for a seafood “boil,” it does have a big benefit. Roasting on a sheet pan gives the seafood and vegetables a caramelized char, bringing out their sweetness. This rich flavor can’t compare to boiling in water – a method that often loses the nutrients in the ingredients and leaves things pretty bland and boring.
I hope you use this easy sheet pan seafood boil to gather with friends and family. That’s what clam bakes and shrimp boils are all about – gathering with your community, eating with your hands, and enjoying the deliciousness of summer.
Why This Sheet Pan Seafood Boil Recipe Works
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- IT’S LOADED WITH ALL THE GOOD STUFF. No holding back here. Juicy shrimp, briny clams, spicy andouille sausage, tender baby potatoes, and fresh corn on the cob roast together for a full-on feast. The best of both New England and Southern traditions!
- COOKING IS HANDS-OFF. Soak the clams, par-boil the potatoes, and roast everything in a sheet pan in the oven. It’s easy enough to put on repeat all summer long!
- ROASTING ADDS EXTRA FLAVOR. Compared to boiling the seafood, potatoes, and corn in a pot of water, roasting on a sheet pan in the oven allows for extra caramelization, which = extra flavor.
Clam Bake vs. Seafood Boil – What’s the Difference?
I love my summer memories of New England clam bakes. Traditionally, these events use the sandy beach as a cooking vessel for baking fresh clams until their shells pop open to eat. But you don’t have to have beach access for juicy, tender baked clams.
Southern states took a different approach, using boiling and steaming to cook local seafood like blue crabs, oysters, and shrimp. Maryland, Louisiana, and South Carolina’s “Lowcountry” are all famous for their seafood boils and unique seasonings. Sweet corn, tender potatoes, and spicy sausage eventually made it into the meal.
Both clam bakes and seafood boils are unique summertime experiences. These community-building events are feasts of fresh seafood where people sit together, eat with their hands, and make memories. That’s why I love them so much.
Key Ingredients
My sheet pan seafood boil uses all the best ingredients from Northern and Southern traditions. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Shrimp – I use large, fresh shrimp for this recipe (though if frozen is all that’s available to you, that’s ok – just be sure to thaw properly). I love to leave the shrimp shells on for that classic seafood boil, peel-and-eat experience! The shells also help prevent the shrimp from drying out as they bake.
- Clams – Fresh little neck clams are a highlight of summer! Buy them in shells from your favorite local fishmonger – fresh clams are always best.
- Sausage – Andouille sausage adds spicy heat to the sheet pan seafood boil and nods to more Southern-style traditions. Slice your sausage into 1-inch pieces at an angle so each piece browns as it roasts.
- Potatoes – Baby red potatoes add a pop of creamy tenderness and cook up evenly alongside the shrimp and clams. You can also use gold or purple potatoes, just make sure they’re small in size.
- Corn on the Cob – Another summer staple! Buy your sweet corn in husks for ultimate freshness, then remove them and cut each cob into 2-inch sections. Perfect for sharing!
- Old Bay Butter Sauce – Slather the seafood, sausage, potatoes, and corn in a spicy butter sauce made with minced garlic, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. You can also combine the melted butter with Cajun seasoning (omit the cayenne pepper if you do).
- Lemon – Finish the sheet pan seafood boil with fresh lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice. Tart lemons are the perfect balance to tender-sweet seafood.
How to Make a Sheet Pan Clam and Shrimp Boil in the Oven
This sheet pan seafood “boil” recipe requires minimal boiling. Instead, you’ll roast the shrimp, clams, sausage, potatoes, and corn in the oven until tender and nicely browned. Everything cooks on one sheet pan, so the flavors meld together (and cleanup is easy!).
Step 1: Soak the clams
At least 20 minutes before you want to get cooking, take your shelled little neck clams and place them in a bowl of cold water with a teaspoon of salt. Then let them rest in the fridge. Soaking allows the clams to spit out any sand, so you don’t get that gritty bite.
Step 2: Par-boil the potatoes and corn
Add the baby potatoes to a pot of boiling salted water on the stovetop. Cook for about 10 minutes until they’re fork tender. In the last 5 minutes, add the ears of corn. The veggies will get a headstart on cooking, so they finish perfectly roasting alongside the seafood.
Step 3: Make the Old Bay butter sauce
Melt unsalted butter in a bowl, then season with fresh minced garlic, Old Bay seasoning, and cayenne. Mix until smooth.
Step 4: Assemble the sheet pan
Add the boiled potatoes and corn, soaked clams, sliced andouille sausage, and shell-on shrimp to a large sheet pan. Pour the Old Bay butter sauce over the seafood and toss to coat everything. Arrange the sheet pan seafood boil into an even layer. If it all doesn’t fit in one layer, place the shrimp on top.
Step 5: Bake the sheet pan seafood boil
Roast the sheet pan in a 425-degree F oven until the shrimp turns opaque and light pink and the clams open, about 15-20 minutes. Finish with fresh lemon zest and parsley.
Serving Suggestions
The best way to serve a sheet pan seafood boil with shrimp is family-style! You can transfer everything to a serving dish or simply place the sheet pan in the center of your table – it’s summer, so feel free to keep it casual.
Grab a big stack of napkins and encourage everyone to eat with their hands! I love the peel-and-eat experience of a shell-on sheet pan shrimp boil. It truly feels like summer.
My favorite part about this recipe is that it encourages people to gather together. Serve a sheet pan seafood boil in your backyard with friends, by the pool on a hot day, or as a fun summer dinner with your family. The purpose is to slow down, enjoy, and savor the moment together.
If you love this Sheet Pan Seafood Boil with Shrimp, Clams, and Sausage, be sure to check out my other shareable seafood recipes! Portuguese Clams (Amêijoas á Bulhão Pato) and Clams and Chorizo are both fantastic ways to prepare little neck clams. My Spanish Seafood Paella combines shrimp, clams, and mussels for easy entertaining.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @girlwiththeironcast or hashtag #girlwiththeironcast so I can see your creations!
Sheet Pan Seafood Boil with Shrimp, Clams, and Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 pounds large shrimp (with skin-on)
- 2 dozen little neck clams (soaked in cold salted water for 20 minutes)
- 1 pound red baby potatoes
- 3 large ears of corn (husk removed, cut into 2 inch sections)
- 2 links andouille sausages (cut in 1 inch sections on an angle)
- 1 tbsp old bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3/4 stick salted butter (melted)
- 2 lemons (zest of one lemon, other lemon cut into wedges for serving)
- Chopped parsley for garnish
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Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add clams and cover them in cold water. Add 1 tsp of kosher salt and allow them to soak in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This will allow the clams to spit out the sand that is inside of them.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the baby potatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes (should be fork tender). Add in the corn sections for the last 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and pat dry with a towel.
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- In a bowl add melted butter, minced garlic, old bay, and cayenne. Mix until the seasoning is fully distributed.
- On a large sheet pan dump the potatoes, corn, sausage, clams and shrimp. Pour the old bay butter over the ingredients and using your hands toss all the ingredients until coated.
- Arrange the potatoes, corn, sausage and shrimp in a single layer. If you’re having difficulty making one even layer, you can layer a few of the shrimp over top of the other ingredients.
- Place in oven for 15-20 minutes until the shrimp are fully cooked through and opaque and the clams are opened
- Remove from the oven and zest a lemon over the top of the sheet pan and sprinkle chopped parsley over the top. The best way to serve a sheet pan seafood boil with shrimp is family-style! You can transfer everything to a serving dish or simply place the sheet pan in the center of your table with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
- I prefer to leave the shrimp shells on while they roast because it gives the dish extra flavor and keeps them from drying out when cooking. It also adds a classic peel-and-eat experience when enjoying them with the rest of the dish.
- You can substitute gold or purple potatoes for the red, just ensure they are small in size
- If you don’t have old bay or do not prefer it, you can use cajun seasoning and omit or lessen the cayenne since cajun seasoning typically included cayenne pepper already
- This dish is best served fresh, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container. I recommend removing the clams from their shells to store as well.
- Reheat on a sheet pan tented in foil at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until ingredients are warmed through
- You are welcome to add other seafood items, you will have to adjust cooking time accordingly
One of the tastiest dishes I have ever prepared. I followed the recipe exactly, except I had to use mussels in place of clams. It took approximately twenty minutes to prepare before plus thirty minutes in the oven. The finished dish looked very festive and tasty, and the seasoning made each bite taste wonderful. We will fix this again and again.
This was delicious! I doubled the butter sauce and everyone loved it.
This was very easy to put together and just about everyone loved it. Even the kids went back for seconds. I will definitely be making this again 😁
Easy and yummy