Ingredients

Serves 6

　　24 live blue crabs

　　two 3-ounce packets Zatarain's crab boil or 5 tablespoons Old Bay  seasoning

　　1 tablespoon cayenne

　　1/2 cup table salt

　　3 lemons, quartered

　　2 onions, halved

　　1 1/2 pounds small potatoes (about 2 inches in diameter)

　　2 heads of garlic (not separated into cloves)

　　6 ears of corn, shucked

　　2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning*, or to taste, for sprinkling over  boiled seafood

　　2 pounds large shrimp (about 30, preferably with heads)

　　Accompaniments:Horseradish Cocktail Sauce and French  bread

　　

Step 1

In a 7- to 8-gallon kettle bring 5 gallons water to a boil.

　　

Step 2

While water is coming to a boil, in a deep sink rinse crabs in 2 or 3 changes of water. (Do not fill sink too full or crabs may crawl out.)

　　

Step 3

Add Zatarain's crab boil or 5 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning, cayenne, salt, lemons, and onions to boiling water and boil 5 minutes. Add potatoes and garlic and boil until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes and garlic with a large sieve to a large platter and keep warm, covered with foil. Add corn to boiling water and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer corn with tongs to platter and keep warm, covered with foil.

　　

Step 4

Return water to a boil. Transfer about 6 crabs carefully with long tongs to sieve, holding them down in sieve with tongs, and turn crabs out into boiling water. Add remaining crabs in same manner. Return water to a boil and cook crabs until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. (To determine doneness, remove a claw and crack it with the handle of a dinner knife. Use Knife to extract meat from claw.) Transfer crabs with sieve to another large platter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning.

　　

Step 5

Return water to boil and cook shrimp until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp with sieve to large platter with crabs and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon Old Bay seasoning.

　　

Step 6

Serve crabs, shrimp, and vegetables with horseradish cocktail sauce and French bread.