Add about 2-3 inches of ice to the bottom of the pot as well as a bottle of beer and half of lemon. Figure out ahead how much each guests wants of each: Add your potatoes and corn on the cob. Then place your smoked sausage, clams and crabs on top. Sprinkle a generous amount of Old Bay Seasoning on top and put on the lid. Turn the stove to high and once you see steam set your timer for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, carefully remove the lid - keep in mind there will be a lot of steam. Add the shrimp and scallops and place the lid back on. Steam for 8 minutes or until the shrimp is pink. Keep the liquid, it makes a great broth to add to the clams. Goes great with baguettes!
Sounds delish!!
This sounds simple and delicious 👍
Sounds delicious!❤️
Excellent -the taste of summer☀️
I have had this, very good!
@drew3242 Me too!
Great recipe! I will add our "tweaks" We add the sausage at the very beginning and allow it to cook also if you like "Cajun" this is a the perfect time to add in some Cajun seasoning of your choice. We also toss in shrimp, clams ( of your sound side Hatteras this is a PERFECT time to introduce kids to clam harvesting in shallow water with a 5 gallon bucket) scallops and crawfish tails as well and don't forget hot sauce it adds a bit of flavor but the boil dilutes it so it is not really hot at all. Last thing is add some garlic butter and either our it over or put it in side cups to dip combine the butter, garlic, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning, parsley, Creole Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and hot sauce. Stir all ingredients and simmer the sauce until the butter melts and the sauce is well combined My wife loves this meal because you can buy almost everything at the Food Lion and its not terribly expensive if you are feeding a bunch of people and they want seafood.
Very similar to how we steam our crabs and shrimp except I also add peeled and quartered sweet onions. Just curious about why ice instead of water?
@Greg I have never really questioned why. So I looked it up on Grok - Keeps everything fresh and safe during transport — Takeout steamer pots are pre-layered with raw/ live seafood, potatoes, corn, sausage, etc. They often come packed with ice packs or loose ice on top or around the ingredients to maintain a cold temperature from the shop to your beach house or rental. This prevents spoilage, especially in warm coastal weather. Instructions usually say to refrigerate the whole pot upon arrival or keep it on ice until you're ready to cook. Calms live shellfish (crabs, clams, mussels) — Adding ice or icing down live seafood before cooking puts them in a "sleepy" or dormant state. This makes them easier (and safer) to handle, layer neatly in the pot, and reduces issues like claws snapping off or them being overly active. It’s a common pro tip for crabs and similar items. Helps with initial temperature control — Starting with a chilled pot + some ice can moderate the early heating phase, giving denser items (like potatoes) a gentle head start without shocking delicate seafood. As it melts, it contributes minimal extra liquid compared to pouring in more water.
@SassyGirl ok, thanks and the transport aspect from store to stove makes sense. I always ice down live crabs before steaming at home because they are easy to handle while numb.
@Alexy we love spicy food so we may need to change it up a bit and try your recipe. Thanks for sharing