Seafood boil menus vary widely in price, portion size, customization, and seafood selection. The figures below compare restaurant menus from different locations and years, along with national U.S. seafood and fishing statistics reported for 2022.
Contents
- Seafood boil prices and portions
- Hook & Reel menu variety
- How prices changed across Hook & Reel menus
- Calories and add-ons
- Combo meals and group pricing
- Other seafood boil menus
- The broader U.S. seafood picture
Seafood boil prices and portions
Hook & Reel’s 2026 Union, New Jersey menu provides a detailed view of individual seafood pricing. A Snow Crab Cluster boil costs $18.50 for one cluster or $36 for two. Clams cost $8.50 for one-half pound or $16 for one pound. Crawfish and black mussels each cost $9 for one-half pound or $17 for one pound. New Zealand mussels cost $10 for one-half pound or $19 for one pound.
Scallops are priced at $15.50 for one-half pound and $30 for one pound. Head-on shrimp costs $11.50 for one-half pound or $22 for one pound, while head-off shrimp costs $13.50 for one-half pound or $26 for one pound. A lobster tail boil costs $21. These prices are from the 2026 Union, NJ menu and are not a national average.
The menu also defines a smaller meal format. Hook & Reel says a mini boil contains one-half pound of seafood, corn, and two potatoes. The mini boil with one Snow Crab Cluster costs $19. Mini boils with one-half pound of head-off shrimp, one-half pound of head-on shrimp, and one-half pound of black mussels cost $14, $12, and $10, respectively.
For comparison, Lobster Boil Seafood House lists shrimp boil buckets at $18 for one-half pound and $28 for one pound. Its mussel boil bucket costs $17 for one-half pound and $27 for one pound. A snow crab bucket costs $41 for one-half pound or $64 for one pound. Its build-your-own prices include $13 for one-half pound of shrimp, $12 for one-half pound of mussels, $25 for a lobster tail, $31 for a Snow Crab Cluster, $20 for one pound of crawfish, and $43 for a full lobster.
| Menu item | Portion | Price | Source and period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hook & Reel crawfish boil | 1/2 lb | $9 | Hook & Reel 2026 Union, NJ menu |
| Hook & Reel head-off shrimp boil | 1/2 lb | $13.50 | Hook & Reel 2026 Union, NJ menu |
| Hook & Reel scallops boil | 1/2 lb | $15.50 | Hook & Reel 2026 Union, NJ menu |
| Lobster Boil shrimp bucket | 1/2 lb | $18 | Lobster Boil Seafood House menu |
| Lobster Boil snow crab bucket | 1/2 lb | $41 | Lobster Boil Seafood House menu |
| Hook & Reel mini black mussels boil | 1/2 lb seafood | $10 | Hook & Reel 2026 Union, NJ menu |
Hook & Reel menu variety
Hook & Reel lists 10 boil catch choices: crawfish, black mussels, New Zealand mussels, scallops, head-on shrimp, head-off shrimp, blue crab, lobster tail, whole lobster, and king crab legs. Its sauce list has seven choices: Plain, Dry with Old Bay only, Original Cajun, Garlic Butter, Seasoned Garlic Butter, Lemon Pepper, and Hook & Reel Special Blend. Diners can choose among three spice levels: Mild, Spicy, and Fire.
The add-on list contains eight fixings: potatoes, sausage, corn on the cob, hard-boiled eggs, broccoli, noodles, ramen noodle, and rice on the side. On the 2026 Union, NJ menu, these add-ons cost $3 for three potatoes, $7 for sausage, $4 for three ears of corn, $3 for two hard-boiled eggs, $4.50 for broccoli, $4 for noodles, $4 for ramen noodle, and $4 for rice on the side.
The same restaurant’s menu extends beyond boils. It lists eight appetizers, including hush puppies, popcorn shrimp, coconut shrimp, fried calamari, crab bites, mozzarella sticks, garlic breadsticks, and fries with crabmeat. The basket menu contains six choices: shrimp, oyster, catfish, flounder, chicken tender, and wing. Its po’boys and rolls section has five items, while soups and salads have six items. The pasta section contains two dishes: Cajun Shrimp Alfredo and Seafood Spaghetti Marinara, each priced at $18 on the 2026 Union, NJ menu.
Its beverage sections list eight signature cocktails, two signature margaritas, four Reel Classics, and six H&R Piña Colada variants. These counts describe menu breadth rather than customer demand.
How prices changed across Hook & Reel menus
Hook & Reel’s menus from different locations and years show that the listed price depends on both time and location. On the 2023 Crestwood menu, one Snow Crab Cluster cost $18 and two cost $35. The 2026 Union, NJ menu lists $18.50 for one and $36 for two. The 2022 Shelby menu also lists $18.50 for one and $36 for two.
The 2023 Crestwood menu lists one-half pound of clams at $10 and one pound at $19. Crawfish has the same prices. Black mussels and New Zealand mussels are listed at $11 and $21 for one-half pound and one pound, respectively. Scallops cost $16 for one-half pound and $31 for one pound. Head-on shrimp costs $12 and $23 across those portions, while head-off shrimp costs $13 and $25. A lobster tail is $22 for one piece or $40 for two, and king crab legs cost $60 for one pound.
The 2022 Shelby menu lists one-half pound of crawfish at $8.50 and one pound at $16. Its Snow Crab Cluster prices are $18.50 for one and $36 for two. The same menu lists one-half pound of black mussels at $9 and one Snow Crab Cluster at $19 in another menu item listing. Its Cajun boil costs $25 and includes one-half pound each of crawfish, black mussels, and head-off shrimp.
The 2023 Crestwood Cajun boil costs $28 and includes the same three one-half-pound seafood portions: crawfish, black mussels, and head-off shrimp. The differing prices should be read as menu snapshots for named locations and years, not as a controlled price index.
Calories and add-ons
Red Lobster’s Mariner’s Seafood Boil is priced at $42.99 and lists a range of 1,880 to 2,320 calories. The dish includes a Maine lobster tail, a dozen shrimp, snow crab legs, corn, and red potatoes. The menu also lists flavor-specific calorie figures: Roasted Garlic has 1,720 calories; Cajun has 1,280; OLD BAY & Butter Sauce has 1,290; Lemon Pepper has 1,390; and RL Signature has 1,550.
Red Lobster lists a spicy add-on at 40 calories and an extra-spicy add-on at 80 calories. Adding Cajun sausage costs $5.49 and adds 380 calories. Adding two eggs costs $3 and adds 160 calories. These are menu-listed values for the named dish and options.
Hook & Reel’s 2023 Crestwood menu lists sauce calories ranging from 210 for Dry to 880 for Hook & Reel Special Blend. Original Cajun is listed at 840 calories, Garlic Butter at 760, Seasoned Garlic Butter at 780, and Lemon Pepper at 780. The 2022 Shelby menu repeats the same sauce calorie figures. Because these values are attached to menu sauces, they should not be treated as the calories of a complete boil.
Combo meals and group pricing
Lobster Boil Seafood House lists a feed-two combo at $88. It includes fried calamari, one-half pound of shrimp, one-half pound of mussels, two lobster tails, three sides, and two drinks. Its feed-four combo costs $160 and includes fried calamari, one pound of shrimp, one pound of mussels, four lobster tails or two full lobsters, three sides, and four drinks.
Superior Seafood Boils prices its classic boil at $40 per person, with a minimum of 10 people. That minimum implies a listed food price of at least $400 for the group before any other charges, based on the menu’s per-person price and minimum; it is not a claim about taxes or gratuity. Its build-your-own boil is $40 per plate plus seafood at market price.
The Superior classic boil lists eight fixings: red potatoes, andouille sausage, alligator sausage, corn, garlic, lemons, signature garlic lemon Cajun butter sauce, and corn muffins. Its build-your-own menu lists nine premium seafood selections: mussels, crawfish, whole lobster, lobster tails, crab legs, king crab legs, quahog clams, little neck clams, and alligator sausage.
Hook & Reel’s 2026 Union, NJ menu states that parties of five or more are subject to an 18% service charge. Its menu also says every boil comes steaming hot and includes corn and two potatoes. Captain John’s Crab House similarly states that every boil comes with two potatoes and two corn, and that the minimum order is two items.
Other seafood boil menus
Captain John’s lists seven seafood prices by the pound: snow crab legs, black mussels, green mussels, crawfish, ez-peel shrimp, jumbo shell-on shrimp, and baby clams. It lists seven half-pound seafood prices for those categories plus sausage. Its add-ons include five options: one-pound sausages, one-half-pound sausages, two eggs, two corn, and three potatoes.
Grab A Crab says shrimp starts at $13.99 per pound and its seafood combo starts at $49.99 for two. The business lists two physical locations, in Hacienda Heights and Monterey Park. Its claw machine prizes span seven categories: lobster, crab, shrimp, crawfish, sausage, potatoes, and corn.
Lobster Boil Seafood House lists several bucket formats in addition to individual selections. A shrimp-and-mussel bucket costs $27, a small lobster boil bucket costs $49, a full lobster boil bucket costs $52, a large lobster boil bucket costs $72, a full lobster mix bucket costs $68, and a house seafood bucket costs $77. Its build-your-own menu prices corn, potatoes, and rice at $4 each, with spicy sausage at $5.
The broader U.S. seafood picture
Restaurant menu statistics describe prices and choices, while national figures describe the scale of the seafood supply and fishing activity. NOAA Fisheries reports that U.S. commercial fishermen landed 8.4 billion pounds of seafood valued at $5.9 billion in 2022.
NOAA also reports more than 200 million recreational fishing trips in the United States in 2022. Anglers caught an estimated 1.1 billion fish, and 61% of those recreational fish were released. These figures cover U.S. commercial and recreational fishing in 2022; they are not measurements of seafood-boil restaurant sales or consumption.
Together, the menu and national figures show different parts of the seafood picture. Individual boil menus quantify portion formats, seafood choices, sauces, add-ons, and group pricing. NOAA’s 2022 figures quantify commercial landings and recreational fishing activity at a national level. Neither set alone measures the total size of the seafood boil market.