The seafood boil has taken over social media, but you don’t need imported sauces to make a great one. This version swaps the usual Cajun seasoning for Bengal’s own pantry: mustard oil, kasundi, green chillies and a squeeze of lime. It is one big pot, and the result tastes like a restaurant feast at home.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 500 g prawns (golda chingri or medium prawns), shells on
- 2 to 3 crabs, cleaned and halved
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
- 4 small potatoes, halved
- 2 corn cobs, cut into rounds
- 2 onions, quartered
- 1 whole garlic bulb, halved
- 4 to 6 green chillies, slit
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tbsp kasundi (Bengali mustard sauce)
- 3 tbsp mustard oil, plus a little butter or ghee
- Salt to taste, lime, fresh coriander
A note on ingredients: Use whatever you can find and leave out the rest. No crab? Make it a prawn boil. No corn? Potato and eggs are enough. The method stays the same.
Method
- Heat the mustard oil in a large pot until it smokes lightly, then lower the heat. Add the bay leaves.
- Add the onions, garlic and green chillies. Fry for two minutes.
- Stir in turmeric, chilli powder and kasundi, then pour in about 4 cups of water. Add salt and bring to a boil.
- Add the potatoes and corn. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the crab and cook for 8 minutes, then the prawns for 4 to 5 minutes, until they turn pink. Do not overcook them.
- Add the boiled eggs for the last two minutes so they absorb the broth.
- Drain, keeping a cup of the liquid.
The Finishing Sauce
Melt butter or ghee, add crushed garlic, a spoonful of kasundi, red chilli flakes and a splash of the reserved broth. Pour it over the boil, then add lime juice and coriander.
Serving
Spread newspaper or banana leaves on the table and eat with your hands, with steamed rice or crusty bread to mop up the sauce. It works as a weekend lunch or a festive dinner.
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