For A Seafood Boil With More Flavor (Without Extra Seasoning), Toss In This Easy Ingredient

In the United States, there's a humble yet sacred food tradition that stretches down through the southern half of the East Coast and along the upper edge of the Gulf of Mexico — the almighty seafood boil. This dish is made with varying kinds of shellfish and other region-specific ingredients, and cooked without any fancy skills or equipment. And it's absolutely legendary, both for locals who look forward to seafood boils at every celebration and for tourists unable to perfectly replicate the magic at home — though you can make a pretty good seafood boil in foil packets, especially over an open fire.

The true magic of a great seafood boil lies in showcasing the flavors of the freshest seafood you can possibly find by cooking it to perfection with the right seasonings, which are used generously but tend to be refreshingly uncomplicated. Salt and pepper are a given, while a hefty amount of Old Bay seasoning brings everything to life. However, that's not where your seasoning options end. Though undeniably delicious, Old Bay's closely guarded secret recipe doesn't appear to include garlic, which is almost as ubiquitous as salt.

If you find your seafood boils are a little lackluster, roasted garlic may just be the answer. Similar to lemon juice, garlic's astringent bite brightens flavors, showcasing the nuanced sweet earthiness of shellfish, potatoes, and corn while also highlighting the tangy spice in the Old Bay, especially once it's become rich, creamy, and caramelized after roasting to golden perfection in a hot oven.

The most straightforward way to brighten up your seafood boil with roasted garlic is to simply add it directly to the pot. Garlic gets soft when it roasts, so there's no need to peel or paste, just squeeze the papery head to get all the goodness out, adding buttery little bites that impart a deep-yet-light garlic flavor throughout the dish. This is because the longer the cloves cook, the more their flavor is diluted and distributed into the broth. If you prefer a more intense garlic flavor, try adding your roasted heads closer to the end of the cooking process.

If roasted garlic just doesn't add the sharp astringence you're looking for, try adding it in its raw form as well by peeling and smashing fresh cloves before plopping them into the broth, as smashing garlic releases more allicin (the compound that makes garlic garlicky) than slicing or leaving them whole. It's best to add smashed garlic near the beginning of the recipe to allow the intense flavor to mellow slightly as the boil simmers and flavors marry.

If you're worried about ruining your seafood boil by overwhelming it with garlic, you can offer up a buttery, garlic-infused sauce to drizzle on top after it's served. Just whisk together melted butter, creamy roasted garlic, and the seasonings of your choice (salt and pepper will do) to create a simple sauce bursting with flavor. This allows everyone to control how much garlic they'd like in their boil and adds another layer of richness.