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The Story
Welcome back to the challenge! It’s Day 2, and I’m really glad someone suggested this idea: the Ramen Seafood Boil. This recipe might have the most ingredients of any of my ramen challenge, but it’s well worth it.
Challenge Notes
👋 Welcome to the 30-Day Instant Ramen Challenge! This series chronicles my journey to transform instant noodles into unique dishes. A crucial part of this challenge is that I am trying most of these dishes for the very first time. At the end of each post, I’ll give you my honest verdict on whether I would recreate it to try at home and any changes I would make.
My buddy James was over helping with another project when we started this, and we quickly learned one crucial lesson: we should have used a bigger pot! The 6-quart pot we used was a testament to the challenge, but for safety and sanity, the recipe calls for a much larger vessel.
It was a test of the pot’s capacity, but the result was a fun bowl of ramen, served with a delicious infused butter dipping sauce.
Since the pot was so big, I made four separate portions for my neighbors. For every ramen noodle brick, I split it into two servings. Each container included the seafood fillings and the boil broth. I also included a small container of the seafood butter dip and sealed the plain, cooked noodles in a Ziploc bag for easy reheating. It was a great way to share the success of the challenge!
Watch the full process and result in the video below!
The Ramen
This recipe used the following base for the broth seasoning and noodles:
Missed the start of the challenge? Catch up on Day 1: Steve’s Ramen Lava Chicken
Ramen Seafood Boil
Ingredients
Seafood Butter Dip
- 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, 1 cup (Divided)
- 1 tsp Dried Whole Coriander Seeds: 1 tsp
- 4 whole Dried Thai Chilies, Adjust for heat level
- 2 whole Dried Bay Leaves
- 12 g Galangal, sliced
- 30 g Lemongrass, sliced (outer layers peeled)
- 2 small bulbs Garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tsp Tom Yum Powder
- 1 tbsp Chili Paste with Soya Bean Oil
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tsp MSG, Optional
- 1/2 cup Scallions, chopped
- 1/2 lemon, squeeze juice into the pot, then add the squeezed half
- 1/2 lime, squeeze juice into the pot, then add the squeezed half
The Broth Base
- 8 quarts Water, 2 Gallons
- 2 packets Shin Ramen Seasoning Packets
- 12 oz Beer, light beer like lager or pilsner
- 1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 large Onion, halved
- 10 cloves Garlic, smashed
- 2 stalks Lemongrass, smashed and cut into lengths that fit your pot
- 3 Kaffir Lime Leaves
- Thai Chili Peppers, to taste
- 1/2 Lemon, Squeeze juice into the pot, then add the squeezed half
- 1/2 Lime, Squeeze juice into the pot, then add the squeezed half
- 1.5 lbs Potatoes, small (red or yellow)
The Proteins & Ramen
- 1.5 lb Snow Crab Legs
- 1 lb Shrimp, peeled or unpeeled (your preference)
- 1/2 lb Bay Scallops
- 1/2 lb Mussels
- 12 small Homemade Meatballs, optional
- 8 Assorted Seafood Balls
- 4 Chicken Eggs, hard-boiled
- 8 Quail Eggs, hard-boiled
- 2 packets Instant Ramen Noodles, in addition to the noodle bricks from the Shin Ramen packages
Instructions
Make the Seafood Butter Dip
- In a large pot or saucepan, melt one stick of butter over medium-low heat. Add the Coriander Seeds, Thai Chilies, and Bay Leaves. Sauté for 1–2 minutes until the spices become fragrant.
- Add the sliced Galangal, sliced Lemongrass, and chopped Garlic. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened.
- Stir in the Old Bay Seasoning, Tom Yum Powder, and Chili Paste with Soya Bean Oil. Cook for just one minute to toast the spices.
- Add the remaining stick of butter, Fish Sauce, MSG, and the chopped Scallions. Stir until the butter is completely melted.
- Squeeze the juice from the lemon and lime halves into the pot. Add the squeezed fruit halves and simmer gently for one minute.
- Strain out the bay leaves, lemon, and lime halves. Keep the liquid butter warm for serving.
The Seafood Boil
- In your 12-quart (or larger) stockpot, combine all Broth Base ingredients (Water through Potatoes). Bring to a rolling boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes to infuse the liquid.
- Add the Meatballs, Seafood Balls, Chicken Eggs, and Quail Eggs. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the Snow Crab Legs, Shrimp, Bay Scallops, and Mussels. Cook until the shrimp are pink, about 3-5 minutes. (The mussels are thawed and only need to be reheated.) Remove all solids from the pot and keep warm.
- In a separate pot of boiling, plain water, cook the Instant Noodles until al dente (check package directions). Note: Cook extra noodles if you plan to share portions.
- Drain the noodles and toss them with a spoonful of the warm infused butter dip. Place the noodles in a bowl and arrange the seafood and eggs on top. Add just a small ladleful of the boil broth for flavor (it will be salty). Serve immediately with the remaining butter dip on the side.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Verdict and Re-creation Notes
- Recreate? Yes! This was an instant favorite. A perfect recipe for a crowd or a weekend indulgence.
- Changes? Next time, I would use a much bigger pot. One that holds at least 12 quarts.
