Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil

With Mardi Gras just around the corner, I had to give this classic Southern Fat Tuesday shrimp boil recipe a keto and low-carb twist! It’s super simple to prepare as a sheet pan dinner.

Brimming with bold Cajun spices, this keto-friendly sheet pan seafood boil combines shrimp and Creole-seasoned andouille sausages. It’s the ideal dish for summer get-togethers and Mardi Gras festivities!

Shrimp boil in the oven vs in a pot

This oven-baked shrimp boil skips the boiling step entirely, even for the turnips that replace the usual potatoes in this keto shrimp boil recipe.

Preparing a seafood boil in the oven is more than just convenient. The dry heat of the oven brings out richer, more intense flavors due to the caramelization and browning process. This results in a shrimp boil that’s even tastier than the traditional version made with boiling water!

How to make keto shrimp boil

The key components for preparing the ultimate shrimp boil, aside from the shrimp itself, include Andouille sausages, potatoes, and ears of corn.

While shrimp and sausages fit perfectly into a keto diet, to make this shrimp boil recipe low-carb, we had to remove the potatoes and corn. Surprisingly, finding excellent substitutes for them was a breeze.

Instead of using potatoes, I opted for turnips, a choice I’ve made with great success in the past, like in my keto mashed potatoes and ultra cheesy keto scalloped potatoes recipes.

As for the corn substitute, it was an easy fix—I used baby corn. You might wonder, how can baby corn be keto-friendly when regular corn is definitely off-limits?

Is baby corn keto?

Unlike fully mature sweet corn, baby corn hasn’t developed sugars and starches yet, making it a great keto option. Let’s compare the macros for 100 grams (3.5 oz) of both types:

Regular sweet corn contains 86 calories, 3.2 grams of protein, 19 grams of total carbs, and 17 grams of net carbs.

In contrast, baby corn has only 25 calories, 2.5 grams of protein, 4.7 grams of total carbs, 2 grams of fiber, and just 2.7 grams of net carbs! Baby corn wins for keto!

Ingredient notes

Butter, olive oil, garlic, and Cajun seasoning: Combine these simple ingredients to create a flavorful sauce bursting with intensity!

Andouille sausages: These savory, smoked sausages are infused with Creole spices and fully cooked, so they just need a quick heat-up. Perfect timing, as this aligns with how long the shrimp takes to cook!

If andouille sausages aren’t available, chorizo is an excellent substitute with its rich flavor. For a milder option, you can swap in smoked kielbasa.

Shrimp: Choose whichever shrimp you prefer, whether fresh or frozen, peeled or unpeeled – I’ve got more tips below!

Turnips: A fantastic low-carb alternative to potatoes! You can also use other keto-friendly root veggies such as rutabagas, parsnips, jicama (Mexican turnips), or even radishes. Make sure to cut them into even pieces for uniform cooking.

Baby corn: A perfect low-carb and visually appealing substitute for regular corn!

Salt, pepper, parsley, and lemon juice: Adjust to your taste! I prefer mine with a generous amount of lemon juice, a sprinkle of fresh parsley, and a pinch of pepper. I typically skip the salt since the sausages are already salty enough.

What shrimp is best for boil

With shell or without? I always choose to buy peeled shrimp for this keto shrimp boil recipe, for two reasons:

• Cooking the shrimp with the shell is a way to avoid overcooking it. As here the shrimp is cooked in the oven for just a short time, instead of being boiled in a huge pot, there’s no risk in overcooking it.
• This keto shrimp boil recipe takes baby corn which you can just eat whole cob and all, so there’s no point in eating it with your bare hands. Therefore, it’s just more convenient to use cutlery, and not have to be peeling shrimp while eating it.

Of course, if you like the experience of eating shrimp with the shell on, just use that!

Frozen or fresh? It really doesn’t mater, as long as the shrimp is fully thawed when you mix it with the Cajun spiced butter. It’s really easy to defrost shrimp:

• Put all the shrimp in a large bowl and fill with cool water.
• After 15 minutes, drain the water and fill the bowl again with more cool water.
• After 10 minutes, the shrimp should be fully thawed. If not, just repeat the process.

Making this keto shrimp and sausage boil as a one-pan dinner is a breeze, and it cooks up quickly in the oven – it only takes around 30 minutes to bake!

Start by preheating your oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Next, prepare the seafood boil sauce by combining melted butter, extra virgin olive oil, Old Bay seasoning (or your preferred Cajun seasoning), and minced garlic. For an extra lemony touch, feel free to add some lemon zest to the butter mixture. However, avoid adding lemon juice before baking, especially when using aluminum foil to line the pan.

In a big bowl, combine half of the garlic butter Cajun spice mix with the diced turnips, ensuring they are evenly coated. Next, arrange the seasoned turnips on a lined sheet pan and place them into the preheated oven.

At the same time, move the shrimp into the same bowl used for the turnips and coat them with the remaining Cajun spice mix. Allow the shrimp to marinate as you proceed with the rest of the preparation.

Tip: If you find that the canned baby corn liquid is too salty, you can fill up the can with water and let them sit on it for a while to wash some of the salt away.

If you’re using canned baby corn, make sure to drain all the liquid from the can. Afterward, cut the baby corn into halves or thirds, and slice the andouille sausages into thin pieces, around 1/2 inch thick.

The goal is to allow the sliced andouille to heat through and possibly even brown slightly by the time the shrimp is cooked. Thinner slices of sausage are ideal as they cook more quickly.

Check on the turnips with a knife: when they are just tender – it takes about 20 minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven and add to it the buttery shrimps, andouille sausages and the baby corn.

Toss all the ingredients around the pan to combine.

Depending on the temperature inside your kitchen, the garlic butter sauce coating the shrimps might have gotten a bit hard. It will melt now on the hot sheet pan, and mix with everything else.

Return the keto shrimp boil sheet pan to the oven and continue baking just until the shrimp is cooked. It takes about ten minutes for peeled shrimp, but keep an eye on it to they don’t overcook or they will get dry.

The shrimp is cooked to perfection when it looks opaque (not translucent anymore), with a touch of pink and glossy. If it’s matte white or grayish, it has cooked for longer than it should.

How to serve a shrimp boil dinner

Traditionally a Southern seafood boil is a fun communal meal, eaten with your hands, directly out of the table where the boil is placed over some newspaper or parchment paper.

As in this keto shrimp boil recipe we’re using peeled shrimp and baby corn, there’s no point in eating it with your bare hands (unless you really want to!) So, you can serve it out of plates or bowls.

This low-carb shrimp boil is a complete meal on a pan! Just serve along some lemon wedges and garnish with fresh chopped parsley for a touch of extra color.