This is the tastiest vegan seafood boil sauce EVER! It makes everything taste amazing and I could literally drink the liquid…I might have actually done that, lol, but don’t tell anyone. My cajun seafood boil recipe is easy to make, uses a ton of delicious Louisiana flavors, and can be made in a pressure cooker, crockpot, or using a regular pot. This will be a hit for dinner or for a party!
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Hi, its Monique!
I’m here with yet another terrific recipe in line with the Daytime Vegan vision and just in time for a little vegan fun in the sun! Now that summer is finally here, its time for backyard fun, cookouts, and recipes that’ll leave everyone licking their fingers for more! So, can anyone say Vegan Cajun Seafood Boil?
What is a Cajun Seafood Boil
A seafood boil is basically what it sounds like…except it’s EXTREMELY DELICIOUS! A traditional seafood boil includes shrimp, crawfish, and/or crab, red potatoes, mini corn on the cob, and sometimes sausage, like an andouille sausage. These ingredients are boiled in a delicious liquid made with lots of butter, garlic, onion (sometimes), liquid (vegetable stock, seafood stock, chicken stock, or even water can be used) and tons of robust cajun seasonings.
Of course my vegan version does not include seafood, sausage, or butter…but I PROMISE it’s just as delicious as a traditional seafood boil. I proooomiiiisseee!!!
What gives this vegan recipe the seafood flavor?
My vegan “seafood” boil gets the seafood flavor from wakame and kombu.
Wakame is a species of edible seaweed. In my opinion, it provides the strongest “seafood” flavor in vegan seafood recipes, as opposed to kombu, dulse, nori, etc…. I mostly see wakame in it’s dried form. I will insert a picture for you all:
Kombu is an edible kelp. Kelp and seaweed are very similar and although kelp is sometimes referred to as a large seaweed, kelp and seaweed are not the same. Kelp is classified as a Laminaria and is a Protist, while seaweed is classified as Paraphyletic. A protist is any eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, plant or fungus.
There are currently 300 known kelp varieties and at least 10,000 known seaweed species. Also, seaweed can grow in most marine environments, like the ocean, rivers, or lakes, whilst kelp is typically found along rocky coastlines and in salt water.
In this recipe, I take dried wakame and grind it in a coffee grinder. I then sauté the ground wakame with the rest of the spices, to add an intense flavor of the sea. The kombu helps give it that little extra kick of seafood flavor.
My Favorite Vegetables to use
I don’t know why I’m including this in the blog post! I can never choose a favorite vegetable, in general, let alone choosing favorites for this delicious recipe. The broth for this recipe really does make anything taste amazing. You could drink the broth….I might be speaking from experience *wink*.
When making this vegan seafood boil, I typically use cauliflower, because it soaks up the liquid better than any other vegetable, in my opinion, bell peppers, asparagus, red potatoes, and corn (I don’t add corn all the time, but if I can find some quality non-gmo corn, I’ll ALWAYS use it in this recipe). You could also try zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, or even squash, such as butternut squash or kobacha squash.
Health Benefits
Seaweed is rich in some health-promoting molecules and materials such as, dietary fiber, ω-3 fatty acids, essential amino acids, and vitamins A, B, C, and E.
A single tablespoon of kelp provides 500 percent of the daily recommended value of iodine. Iodine is a key component of the hormones made in the thyroid gland, which help control energy production.
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- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 head garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground wakame, optional
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated onion
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon gumbo file
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
- 1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste, optional
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 1 piece kombu, optional
- 6 – 8 small red potatoes
- 9 mini corn on the cobs
- 1 bunch asparagus, cut in half
- 1 cauliflower, cut into large florets
- 2 bell peppers, cut into large chunks
- juice of 1 lemon
- Place a very large stock pot on medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, garlic, and onion. Cook these for about 5 – 7 minutes, or until they are lightly browned. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking and burning.
- Add the next 9 ingredients, stir, and cook for 1 minute to intensity the flavor of the seasonings. Be sure to stir so they don’t burn. Next, add the stock and kombu (if usinand stir.
- Add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes, then add the cauliflower and corn and cook for another 10 minutes, then add the asparagus and bell peppers and cook for about 8 minutes, or until everything is fork tender.
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and serve.
Recipe Video
You can use any vegetables you want or have on hand.
