Pacific Northwest Boil - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch slices (andouille, kielbasa, etc *read intro^)
12 small red potatoes (about 3 lbs.)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 lemons, quartered
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 bay leaves
1 T each
yellow mustard seeds, coriander seed, whole peppercorns, kosher salt
1 tablespoon spanish smoked paprika, to taste (he reduced the smoked paprika to 1 tablespoon from the original 2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
Tabasco sauce or 3 tablespoons favorite hot sauce, to taste
3 dried chilies (chili de arbol or 1/2 T red chili flakes and 1/2 t cayenne) (optional)
1 lb steamer clam
2 lbs large shrimp, in shell, heads removed
4 ears fresh corn on the cob, shucked and cut into thirds

Preparation

In a large pot, bring all ingredients except seafood and corn to a boil, cooking until potatoes are almost tender, 8-10 minutes. Tip: The husband utilized a tea infuser for the loose spices.
Add clams, cooking 2-3 minutes more.
Add corn and prawns, cooking 1-2 more minute just until corn is tender, clams open up, and prawns are cooked through (do not overcook). Husband: \"I also checked the prawns and corn after a minute and ended up cooking them for about 3 minutes total. It really depends how the corn does.\".
Remove from heat and cover if it needs a few seconds more cook time before draining in a large colander and *saving* the liquid. Serve immediately. Great with crusty bread to sop up the broth!
To serve: Place the broth in one serving bowl and the remaining ingredients in another. Spoon the seafood/sausage mixture into individual soup bowls then ladle some broth into the bowl. Have another large bowl handy on the table for the discarded shells.
Idea: if you have any broth leftover, it worked quite well for cooking up a pot of white rice the next day by replacing broth for water.