Last year I did a seafood boil with a tandoori sauce and it was good, but I think this one with lemon achaar is even better.

Before I get started, I’d like to point out that the title here is misleading. I didn’t technically do a “boil” – although you can certainly do it that way. But after watching David Chang’s “Ugly Delicious” (one of the best food documentaries on Netflix imho) where David Chang argues that there are far better ways to cook crawfish than just boiling it in water and lemon juice, and that the Vietnamese way of doing it – adding the seafood directly into the sauce as a stir-fry is far more effective for flavor, I am thoroughly convinced that this is the best way to do it.

The sauce is a quick version of a lemon achaar and uses lots of butter instead of oil; since this is technically not an actual pickle (which is what achaar is) and more of a gravy/sauce, there is no need to use solely oil since the butter gives it that richness that you typically find in the seafood boil cajun sauces.

I start off by adding loads of cumin and mustard seeds to a pan of melted butter (caution here as it does splatter), and then add in a bunch of lemon wedges. Yes we are adding lemon wedges directly into the sauce, just like how achaar will contain wedges. I sautee the lemon wedges and add several cloves of chopped garlic and a bunch of other spices – turmeric, chilli powder, coriander, fenugreek powder, and lots of salt. If you’re really down for it, feel free to add some msg in there too.

I then add the seafood directly into the sauce. I use shrimp and mussels here but feel free to use whatever you want. (Make sure to devein the shrimp and scrub/remove crap out of the mussel shells. Also discard open ones because they are rotten!)

The sauce is a slightly less saltier, buttery-rich version of lemon achaar – perfect to eat hot with seafood. You can serve it up in plastic bags as they do in many restaurants or on a plate or bowl. Feel free to also add in some corn and potatoes for good measure.

I also made some butter noodles on the side – my version consists of tindora and serrano chilies and tandoori masala.

Have several napkins and newspapers placed on the table for easy cleanup – this lemon achaari seafood boil is a feast waiting to be devoured.

Indian Seafood Boil with Lemon Achaar Sauce

An Indian-inspired version of cajun seafood boil using a sauce based off of lemon achaar pickle

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

2 1/2 lb seafood of your choice (I prefer head-on shrimp and mussels)

Sauce

1 stick butter
5 Tbsp chopped garlic
2 lemons
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp fenugreek powder (not kasuri methi, ground up fenugreek seeds)
3/4 tsp turmeric
1.5 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp paprika
1.5 tsp salt or to taste

Optional Ingredients

1-2 corn ears

Instructions

Clean your seafood. If using shrimp, de-vein using small knife or scissors. For mussels, scrub off dirt and remove any particles extending out of shell by pulling hard.
For the sauce, cut your lemons into small wedges. Set aside.
In a pan with melted butter (on low-heat), add in your mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Bring to a medium heat. Once you hear the mustard seeds starting to pop, add in the chopped lemons.
Stir them around for a few minutes. Add in your chopped garlic. Cook down and add in your spices and salt. Taste and adjust for seasonings.
Feel free to add more oil or butter to make the sauce thinner. Once the lemons, garlic, and spices have cooked down.
For the seafood you can either cook it directly in the sauce (like a stir-fry which David Chang does on the show) or you can do a traditional boil where you bring a large pot of water to boil with different aromatics.
The shrimp and mussels only take a few minutes. Once shrimp turn pink and mussels open up, take off heat. Serve right away hot!
Corn and potatoes – feel free to boil them separately in salted water and later combine with seafood boil.