Seafood Boil in Ottawa: What to Order for One, Two or a Group
Planning a seafood boil in Ottawa and not sure whether to choose crab, lobster, shrimp or a mixed combination?
Seafood-boil menus can look complicated at first because you’re making several decisions at once: which seafood to order, how much you need, which sauce sounds best and how spicy you want the meal.
The easiest approach is to make those decisions in order.
At Crab Boil Ottawa in Kanata, the current menu includes seafood boils for one person, mixed boils for two and larger combinations designed for families and groups.
This guide will help you figure out what makes sense before you order.
Start With How Many People Are Eating
Before choosing crab or lobster, decide how many people you’re actually feeding.
That immediately narrows the menu.
A person dining alone usually doesn’t need the same combination as two people sharing.
Likewise, a family or larger group may get more value from a shared boil rather than building several individual meals.
A useful starting point is:
- One person: choose a focused seafood boil
- Two people: consider a mixed boil
- Family or group: compare larger shared combinations
- Different tastes or spice preferences: consider separate boils
Once you know the group size, choosing the seafood becomes much easier.
What Should One Person Order?
If you’re dining alone, you don’t need to order several pounds of mixed seafood just because you’re at a seafood-boil restaurant.
The current Ottawa menu includes a CRAB Special designed for one person, combining snow crab legs, shrimp and sausage with sides.
There’s also a 1 lb Shrimp Boil if you’d rather keep the meal focused on one main seafood.
Choose a crab-focused meal if:
- Crab is what you’re actually craving
- You enjoy cracking shells
- You want a hands-on meal
- You want more than one seafood without ordering a large group combination
Choose shrimp if:
- It’s your first seafood boil
- You want something easier to eat
- You want the sauce to stand out
- You prefer a simpler order
The best one-person order is usually the one built around seafood you’ll actually finish and enjoy.
What Should Two People Order?
Two people have more flexibility because sharing lets you try several types of seafood without ordering a huge amount of each one.
The current Ottawa Mix Boil for two includes:
- Lobster tail
- Crab cluster
- Shrimp
- Mussels
- White rice
- Potatoes
- Corn
and lets you choose your sauce and spice level.
That makes it a useful option when both people want variety.
A mixed boil works especially well if:
- You both enjoy shellfish
- You want to try lobster, crab and shrimp
- You’re comfortable sharing
- You agree on sauce and spice level
If one person wants Mild shrimp and the other wants Fire-level crab, separate orders may still make more sense.
What Should a Family or Group Order?
For groups, don’t start with the largest menu item.
Start with preferences.
Ask:
- How many people are eating?
- Does everyone eat shellfish?
- Which seafood does the group actually like?
- Do you all want the same sauce?
- Can everyone handle the same spice level?
- Are you planning to share everything?
- Do you need extra sides?
The Ottawa menu currently includes larger combinations such as Boil Lovers, Boil Party, King’s Catch and Ocean’s Bounty, which increase the amount and variety of seafood as group size grows.
Shared combinations can make ordering much easier when everyone has similar tastes.
When preferences are very different, several smaller boils may work better.
Crab, Lobster or Shrimp: Which Should You Choose?
There isn’t one seafood that’s automatically best.
Each creates a different type of meal.
Choose Crab for the Classic Hands-On Experience
Crab is one of the seafoods most closely associated with the hands-on boil experience.
You’re not simply cutting into a piece of seafood with a knife and fork.
Part of the meal is cracking the shells and working through the crab legs.
Choose crab if:
- You already love crab
- You enjoy a slower meal
- You don’t mind cracking shells
- Seafood itself matters more than convenience
Crab can work especially well when the experience is part of why you’re visiting.
Choose Lobster for a Richer Seafood Option
Lobster gives you a different texture and richer seafood experience.
It can be the focus of a meal or appear as one component of a mixed combination.
Consider lobster if:
- You already enjoy lobster
- You want something richer than shrimp
- You’re sharing with another diner
- You want several seafood types at the table
For a first visit, trying lobster inside a mixed boil can be easier than building the entire meal around it.
Choose Shrimp for an Easy First Seafood Boil
Shrimp is one of the easiest seafood-boil options for new diners.
It’s familiar, easy to eat and absorbs seasoned sauces particularly well.
Shrimp may be the right choice if:
- You’ve never tried a seafood boil
- You want something straightforward
- Sauce is a big part of what interests you
- You don’t want to spend much of the meal cracking shells
- You’re sharing with a group
The Ottawa menu currently includes both a full shrimp boil and shrimp within larger combinations.
Don’t Ignore Mussels and Calamari
If you’re ordering a larger combination, crab, lobster and shrimp aren’t the only options.
Current Ottawa combinations also use seafood such as mussels and calamari.
These can add variety without simply increasing the amount of one seafood.
That works particularly well when several people are sharing.
How to Choose Your Seafood Boil Sauce
After choosing your seafood, sauce becomes one of the biggest flavour decisions.
Current Ottawa seafood-boil items let customers choose between:
- Cajun
- Lemon Pepper
- Creamy
Cajun
Choose Cajun when you want a bold, seasoned flavour that’s closely associated with the classic seafood-boil experience.
It works well if you want the seafood and seasoning to feel like one complete dish.
Lemon Pepper
Lemon pepper takes the meal in a brighter direction.
It can be a good choice if you enjoy citrus and pepper flavours or want something that feels less rich.
Creamy
Choose the creamy option if you want a richer, smoother sauce.
It can pair well with shrimp, crab or lobster when you’re looking for a more indulgent flavour profile.
There’s no universally best sauce.
The right one is the sauce closest to flavours you already enjoy.
How Spicy Should Your Seafood Boil Be?
Current Ottawa menu items allow four heat levels:
- Mild
- Medium
- Hot
- Fire
You don’t need to choose Fire just because you’re eating a seafood boil.
The better question is:
How much heat can you enjoy while still tasting the seafood and sauce?
Mild
A good starting point if you don’t usually eat spicy food.
Medium
Useful when you want noticeable heat without letting spice dominate the meal.
Hot
Better suited to people who already enjoy spicy food regularly.
Fire
Choose this when high heat is genuinely part of what you enjoy.
For a first visit, starting slightly lower is usually smarter because you can always go hotter next time.
What Comes With a Seafood Boil?
Exact inclusions vary by menu item.
Current Ottawa boil options commonly include:
- White rice
- Potatoes
- Corn
alongside the seafood and sauce.
Additional seafood and sides can also be added depending on the item.
Before adding extras, check what’s already included so you don’t accidentally build more food than your table needs.
Should You Add Extra Seafood?
The Ottawa menu currently allows add-ons such as:
- Shrimp
- Mussels
- Crawfish
- Crab
- Lobster
- Calamari
- Baby octopus
- King crab
- Sausage
- Additional sides
But extras are most useful when they solve an actual need.
For example:
If your boil already includes shrimp, crab and lobster, adding another seafood just for variety may not be necessary.
If everyone wants crab but the combination contains only a small amount, adding more crab makes more sense.
Build the base meal first and add only what’s missing.
How to Order a Better Seafood Boil
Use this sequence:
Step 1: Decide how many people you’re feeding
This determines whether you should start with an individual boil, a two-person mix or a larger combination.
Step 2: Choose the seafood you actually enjoy
Don’t add lobster simply because it sounds premium if nobody at the table wants lobster.
Step 3: Decide whether you want one seafood or variety
Focused boils work well when you know exactly what you like.
Mixed boils are better when you’re sharing or experimenting.
Step 4: Choose a sauce
Cajun, Lemon Pepper and Creamy create very different experiences.
Step 5: Pick a realistic spice level
Choose based on what you’ll enjoy eating rather than the highest level available.
Step 6: Check the included sides
See what’s already part of the boil.
Step 7: Add extras only when needed
This keeps the order focused rather than unnecessarily large.
Seafood Boil for a Date or Dinner for Two
A seafood boil can make dinner more interactive than ordering two separate plated meals.
You may spend the meal:
- Cracking crab
- Peeling shrimp
- Sharing lobster
- Trying different seafood
- Passing sides around
- Comparing flavours
For two people who both enjoy seafood, that shared experience can be part of the appeal.
The key is making sure you agree on the sauce and spice level if you’re sharing one boil.
Seafood Boil for Families
Families often do better when they start with common preferences.
If everyone likes shrimp but only one person enjoys mussels, for example, build most of the order around the seafood everyone wants and use smaller quantities of the less popular items.
Spice matters too.
A single Fire-level boil may not work when several family members prefer milder food.
When heat preferences vary, separate boils can be much easier.
Seafood Boil for Larger Groups
Larger Ottawa combinations are designed around sharing more seafood.
For example, current menu options scale into combinations with several pounds of shrimp plus crab, mussels, calamari and, at the higher end, lobster tails.
The benefit isn’t simply getting more food.
It’s being able to offer several seafood choices at one table.
Before choosing one, estimate:
- Number of diners
- Seafood preferences
- Appetite
- Sauce choice
- Spice tolerance
- Extra sides needed
That gives you a much better starting point than ordering based only on the name or size of the combination.
Seafood Boil vs a Regular Seafood Dinner
A seafood boil is usually more interactive than a standard plated seafood meal.
Instead of each person receiving one finished entrée, diners may:
- Crack shells
- Peel shrimp
- Share seafood
- Eat several types of shellfish
- Coat seafood in sauce
- Pass items across the table
That relaxed, shared format is one reason seafood boils work well for groups, families and casual dinners.
Looking for Seafood Boil in Ottawa?
Crab Boil Ottawa is located on Earl Grey Drive in Kanata, Ottawa.
The current ordering page lists the Ottawa restaurant at 300 Earl Grey Dr, Kanata, Ottawa and offers seafood boils for individuals, couples and larger groups.
Check the live Ottawa menu before travelling for one specific item because prices, combinations and availability can change.
Seafood Boil in Kanata
Because the restaurant itself is located in Kanata, this page should naturally cover both seafood boil Ottawa and seafood boil Kanata intent without creating two nearly identical articles.
That means customers searching from Kanata can still find locally relevant information while all authority remains concentrated around the Ottawa store.
There’s no need to create duplicate articles such as:
“Seafood Boil Kanata”
and
“Seafood Boil Ottawa”
with essentially identical content.
One strong local resource is better.
Quick Guide: What Should You Order?
Dining alone?
Start with a focused one-person seafood boil.
First seafood boil?
Shrimp is an easy introduction.
Love crab?
Choose a crab-focused boil.
Two people?
A mixed boil lets you compare lobster, crab, shrimp and mussels.
Family or group?
Choose a larger combination based on shared preferences.
Want variety?
Use a mixed boil rather than ordering a large amount of one seafood.
Not sure about spice?
Start with Mild or Medium.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get a seafood boil in Ottawa?
Crab Boil Ottawa operates on Earl Grey Drive in Kanata and offers seafood-boil options built around crab, lobster, shrimp and other shellfish.
Is Crab Boil Ottawa in Kanata?
Yes. The Ottawa location is on Earl Grey Drive in Kanata.
What should one person order?
The current menu includes a CRAB Special for one person as well as individual shrimp-boil options.
What should two people order?
The Mix Boil for two currently combines lobster tail, crab, shrimp and mussels with sides.
Does Crab Boil Ottawa serve snow crab?
Yes. Snow crab is currently included in menu selections such as the CRAB Special and larger seafood combinations.
Does Crab Boil Ottawa have lobster?
Yes. Lobster is currently available in mixed combinations and as an add-on.
Does Crab Boil Ottawa serve shrimp?
Yes. Shrimp is available as an individual boil and appears throughout several mixed combinations.
What sauces are available?
Current Ottawa boil items offer Cajun, Lemon Pepper and Creamy sauce choices.
What spice levels can I choose?
Current heat options include Mild, Medium, Hot and Fire.
What comes with a seafood boil?
Depending on the item, current boils commonly include white rice, potatoes and corn. Exact inclusions vary by selection.
Is seafood boil good for groups?
Yes. The Ottawa menu includes larger shared combinations containing multiple seafood types for groups that want to eat together.
Ready to Plan Your Ottawa Seafood Boil?
Start with the number of people eating.
Then choose the seafood you actually want, decide whether variety matters, pick your sauce and select a spice level you’ll enjoy.
That makes ordering much easier than trying to understand the entire seafood-boil menu at once.
Crab Boil Ottawa
300 Earl Grey Dr
Kanata, Ottawa, Ontario