This seafood boil pizza puts everything you love about a shrimp boil, tender shrimp, smoky sausage, sweet corn and little potatoes, on a crisp crust brushed with Old Bay garlic butter. It makes one 10-inch pizza, just right for two, and the toppings cook together in a single skillet while the oven heats. The trick is to brown the potatoes and sausage first and cook the shrimp only until they turn opaque, so nothing steams the crust and the shrimp stay juicy. It is a fun, slightly messy pizza night that tastes like a summer boil any time of year.
Why you’ll like it
- One 10-inch pizza, three slices each, so there is no half-eaten pie in the fridge.
- Store-bought dough and one skillet for all the toppings.
- Ready in under an hour from start to finish, with the toppings cooking while the oven heats.
- A buttery, garlicky base instead of tomato sauce lets the seafood-boil seasoning shine.
- Easy to change: swap the sausage, add heat, or use the corn you have on hand.
What is seafood boil pizza?
A seafood boil is a big pot of shrimp, crab or crawfish cooked with sausage, corn and potatoes in heavily seasoned water, then poured out and eaten with melted butter. Seafood boil pizza takes those same flavors and puts them on a pizza. It has been all over short-form video this year, where the versions range from simple shrimp-and-corn pizzas to giant pies piled with crab legs.
Most versions share a few things: a butter or creamy base instead of red sauce, Cajun or Old Bay seasoning, cheese, and the classic boil toppings. This recipe keeps the recognizable core, shrimp, smoked sausage, corn and potatoes, and sizes it for two so it is easy to make on a weeknight.
What makes it work
Toppings browned first. Raw potatoes and sausage would release moisture and stay pale in a short bake. Browning them in butter first gives them color and flavor and keeps the crust crisp.
Shrimp cooked just until opaque. The shrimp go into the skillet for only 2 to 3 minutes, until they turn pink and opaque. They are safe to eat at that point and simply warm through on the pizza, so they stay tender instead of turning rubbery.
Old Bay garlic butter as the sauce. Melting butter with garlic, Old Bay and a little lemon in the warm skillet gives you the flavor of dipping boil seafood in butter, and it browns the crust beautifully.
A very hot oven. At 475°F, a thin 10-inch pizza bakes in 10 to 12 minutes, fast enough for a crisp, browned bottom without drying out the toppings.
Seafood boil pizza ingredients
Most of these are easy to find at any grocery store. Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Pizza dough: 8 ounces of store-bought dough makes a thin 10-inch crust. Many stores sell 1-pound balls; freeze the other half for another night.
- Shrimp: raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined. Thawed frozen shrimp work well; pat them dry first.
- Smoked sausage: any fully cooked smoked sausage, such as andouille for a spicier pizza or a mild kielbasa-style link. Smoked turkey or chicken sausage works too.
- Baby potato: one small potato, sliced as thin as you can, gives the real boil feel without making the pizza heavy.
- Corn: fresh kernels cut from the cob, thawed frozen corn or drained canned corn.
- Old Bay seasoning: it seasons both the toppings and the butter. A Cajun seasoning blend is a good alternative if you like more heat.
- Butter, garlic and lemon: the base of the pizza, and the flavor that makes it taste like a boil.
- Mozzarella: it melts evenly and lets the seafood flavor lead.
- Green onion and lemon wedges: fresh, bright finishing touches.
How to make seafood boil pizza
- Heat the oven to 475°F and stretch the dough on a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet.
- Brown the potato and sausage in butter.
- Add the shrimp and Old Bay and cook until just opaque.
- Melt the rest of the butter with garlic, Old Bay and lemon in the warm pan.
- Brush on the butter, then add the cheese and toppings.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes until the crust is deep golden.
- Rest 2 minutes, add green onion, slice and serve.
Step-by-step notes
Stretching the dough. Cold dough springs back, so take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start. Press it out from the center with your fingertips, then gently stretch it into a thin round. If it keeps shrinking, let it rest for a few minutes and try again.
Cooking the toppings. Spread the potato slices in the skillet with the sausage and let them sit for a minute before stirring, so they brown. After 4 to 5 minutes, the potato should be tender when pierced. Then add the shrimp: they are ready when they curl, turn pink and look opaque all the way through, which takes only 2 to 3 minutes. Cutting them in half afterward makes the pizza easier to slice and eat.
Making the butter. Off the heat, the warm skillet melts the butter and softens the garlic in about 1 minute without burning it. Any browned bits from the sausage add extra flavor.
Checking the crust. Lift an edge with a spatula near the end of baking. The bottom should be browned and the edges deep golden; if the bottom is still pale, give it another minute or two.
Tips for the best results
- Bake on the lower rack so the bottom of the crust gets the most heat.
- Keep the toppings in a single layer; a crowded pizza steams instead of crisping.
- Pat thawed shrimp and corn dry before cooking so the crust stays crisp.
- Leave a small border without butter so the edge puffs and browns.
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon right before eating to brighten the rich toppings.
Swaps and variations
- Sausage: use smoked turkey or chicken sausage in place of pork or beef; cook it the same way.
- More heat: use a spicy andouille or swap the Old Bay for a Cajun blend, and add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the butter.
- Corn: fresh, frozen or canned corn all work; drain and dry frozen or canned corn well.
- Crust: store-bought dough is the easiest; homemade dough of the same weight works the same way.
What to serve with it
This pizza is hearty, so simple, fresh sides are all you need.
- A crisp green salad with a lemony vinaigrette.
- Coleslaw or a quick cucumber salad, which echo a classic boil spread.
- Extra lemon wedges and a little hot sauce at the table.
Cut it at the table, pass the lemon, and it feels a bit like sharing a seafood boil, just with a lot less cleanup.
Storing and reheating
If you have a slice or two left, refrigerate them in a covered container within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat slices in a hot skillet or in the oven until heated through (165°F); both keep the crust crisper than the microwave.
Seafood boil pizza is proof that a trend can be both fun and practical. Grab a friend or your favorite person, heat the oven, and make it your next pizza night.
Frequently asked questions
What toppings go on seafood boil pizza?
The classic boil ingredients: shrimp, smoked sausage, corn and potatoes, plus mozzarella and Old Bay garlic butter. Some versions add crab or crawfish.
What sauce goes on seafood boil pizza?
A seasoned butter works best. Here it is butter melted with garlic, Old Bay and lemon, brushed straight onto the dough instead of tomato sauce.
Can I use frozen shrimp?
Yes. Thaw them in the fridge, peel and devein them if needed, and pat them dry before cooking so they brown instead of steaming.
Print
Seafood Boil Pizza for Two
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: One 10-inch pizza (6 slices)
Description
The viral seafood boil pizza for two: shrimp, smoked sausage, corn and potatoes on a crisp crust brushed with Old Bay garlic butter.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces store-bought pizza dough, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon cornmeal or flour, for the pan
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small baby potato, very thinly sliced
- 2 ounces fully cooked smoked sausage, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, divided
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh, thawed frozen, or drained canned)
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 475°F with a rack in the lower third. Dust a baking sheet with the cornmeal and stretch the dough into a thin 10-inch round on it.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potato and sausage and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until the potato is tender and both are lightly browned.
- Add the shrimp and 1/2 teaspoon of the Old Bay and cook 2 to 3 minutes, just until the shrimp are pink and opaque. Move everything to a plate and cut the shrimp in half.
- Take the skillet off the heat and add the remaining butter, the garlic, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay and the lemon juice. Stir about 1 minute, until the butter melts in the warm pan.
- Brush the garlic butter over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Scatter on 3/4 of the mozzarella, then the potato, sausage, shrimp and corn, and finish with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is deep golden at the edges and browned underneath and the cheese is bubbling.
- Rest 2 minutes, sprinkle with the green onion and cut into 6 slices. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Equipment: baking sheet, 10-inch skillet
- Take the dough out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start so it stretches easily.
- Smoked turkey or chicken sausage works in place of pork or beef sausage.
- Pat thawed frozen shrimp and corn dry so the crust stays crisp.
- Cut the potato as thin as you can so it cooks through in the skillet.
- Doneness: Shrimp are cooked when they turn pink and opaque all the way through (145°F).
- Doneness: The pizza is done when the crust is deep golden at the edges and browned underneath and the cheese is bubbling.
- Refrigerate leftover slices in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days. Reheat in a hot skillet or oven until heated through (165°F).
- Cook shrimp until the flesh is pearly and opaque (145°F).
- Do not leave the pizza at room temperature for more than 2 hours; refrigerate leftovers instead.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Rest Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
