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Boiled Shrimp

And I’m not talking about crawfish, either!

My good friend BB came down this week, after our first of two wonderful fishing trips  (post and pics later, Tar Baby, et. al.) we were starving, so we drove down the bayou and bought some shrimp fresh off the boat.

Don’t want to make you folks jealous, but all we could find were 15-20’s, which I think are WAY too big to boil.  And to not make you further jealous, we paid $2.75 per pound.  Yes, folks, that’s right.

But we had an envie (ohn vee`) so we had to boil some, regardless of the size.

There are just about as many personal touches to boiling shrimp as there are to making gumbo; as I’m sure we’ll all find out before the end of the week and this week’s prize drawing.

But I’ll show you what we did with what we had on hand (town is about 20 miles away, and I don’t run to town very often).

Shrimp Boil

Ingredients:

fresh shrimp with shells and heads ON!
small red potatoes (or large ones cut in half)
Powdered boiled seafood seasoning
Liquid boiled seafood seasoning
Salt
Special dip and saltine crackers

Smoked Sausage
(Smoked sausage optional)

Usually, we would boil these outside on a big butane burner in a huge pot, but our burner drowned during Hurricane Ike and was never replaced.  So we pulled out my two largest pots and put them on the stove to boil.

While that is going on, make some delicious side-item dip, pictured in the little bowl above.  Oh, and pick out some small potatoes.  If all you have are large ones, then cut them in half (caution:  they will cook faster and absorb more seasoning that way).

Just to keep it simple, follow the directions on your favorite seasoning blend.

We put half of the above bag in each pot.  And then we put about 3 Tablespoons of liquid crab boil in each pot, along with lots of salt.  At this point, you should cover the pot and turn on the vent hood because the fumes WILL CHOKE YOU once the water boils.

Boiling ShrimpOnce water reaches full, rolling boil, add the shrimp and stirl well.  Bring back to a quick boil and boil for about 5 minutes.  Take a shrimp out, peel and taste.  If  it’s hard to peel and chewy, boil another five minutes.  Taste and repeat if necessary.

Boiled ShrimpOnce they are done, strain and serve on individual trays or spread out in center of newspaper-covered table.  Keep a big roll of paper towels on hand, too!  Some of our family likes to split the potato open and cover in butter, salt and pepper.  I like to dip them in the sauce and eat them just like that.

Break the heads off, peel the shell off, and enjoy the unique flavor of the Gulf of Mexico bursting forth in your mouth.  I promise you it’s better than swallowing saltwater while swimming in the ocean!

So tell me, please, how you boil your shrimp and how you like to eat them.  Do you eat them one by one?  Or do you peel a big stack and then pig out?

Scott over at Community’s feeling very generous this week.  Guess what this week’s prize is?

expresso.cupsIt’s the cute set of espresso cups and saucers!  Okay, run out and tell your Aunt Clothilde, and your Cousin Matille, and your maw maw and your paw paw and everyone that has the internet because these cups are just too cute to pass up!!!  I might have to order me a set so I won’t be too jealous of the winner!

So, let me hear from ya, okay?

Coming soon:  Limits and limits of reds.  Reds?  Red what?

BW

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38 Comments

  1. Looks good! I love Zatarains seasonings. I boil new potatos frequently and always add about 2-3 tablespoons. I cook my shrimp just like you do. Lots of seasoning and peel and eat one at a time. Along with my potato which I split, butter and dump some Tony Chachere cajun seasoning onto.

    I am envious of those shrimp too. The ones I bought for your jambalaya were called large but, a 2″ long shrimp (without head) is not large.

    By the way, your jambalaya was delicious!!! Hubby poured tabasco into his and of course the salt he loves so much. Even the granddaughter said it sure smells good but, I don’t like shrimp. Oh well, more for us. I bet I gained 3 lbs from that one big bowl.

  2. Grand Isle swimps is on the menu for Friday nite. Been hot and steamy up here causing me to day dream about Loozy all day at work.

    Looks good.

  3. Shrimp are nice, but you’re gonna need about a hundred dozen of those crabs for a boil.

  4. OK, we’re a thousand miles from the nearest ocean but we love a shrimp boil. Granted, the shrimp are not as fresh but the boil is just as much fun. No snooty attitudes allowed when you dump the shrimp on the table. Our version includes that sausage and also corn. I live in the middle of about a million acres of corn, so corn must be included in the pot.

    I’ve never seen anyone have a bad time at a shrimp boil.

    P.S. I can just hear my old friend Anne saying the word, “envie”. She was from Thibodeaux.

  5. I am in the land of the bland food (MN) and you dangle this in front of me! As always, the food on this site make my mouth water. I hope you’re keeping cool down there…

    1. Kim, I’m so behind on writing emails. Forgive me? I’ve been busy fishing and fishing! I’m not keeping cool, but I’m sweating for a good cause—-FISHING!!!!!

  6. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a shrimp boil. But I did have some really good shrimp in the Cayman Islands a few weeks ago, does that count?

  7. In all my years of seafood boiling, I’ve tried many seasonings and all sorts of styles. So I’ll share my findings, scientific and all if you might care to try it out. Louisiana Crawfish boil is the best; powdered and already seasoned. You really don’t have to add anything at all, although I add lots of lemons to every type of boil I do. One of my scientific discoveries, maybe like Mythbusters, is the concept of soaking to get the taste right. The fact is that by the time the water boils, the seafood is mostly cooked. For shrimp or crawfish, just try them until they peel easily. Don’t worry about the taste yet. Scientific fact 1) Thermal expansion causes the meat in the shell to expand with the heat. As the temperature of the water lowers, the meat shrinks allowing your flavored water to enter the shell. So when the seafood peels easy, you can cool the water in several ways. Frozen corn is one way, except in Iowa where it’s not allowed. Ha Ha! I usually have a couple of frozen blocks of ice in my freezer and I just drop them in. When they start to sink that means the water has entered the shell and they have absorbed the water and taste. You are not really “soaking” them, just letting the water cool down. So just cool it youself and you’ll be eating a lot quicker and really tasty boiled seafood! My favorite way to eat boiled seafood is cold. Refrigeration really lets them season by getting really colder.

    Eat them one at a time is the only way. My dipping sauce is Mayonaise & Ketchup (Heinz) 50/50 with some if the lemon juice out of the boiling pot. The shrimp are the best hands down.

    1. Hey TB? I left out the “secret step”!!!!! We soaked these with ice cubes right at the end so they would soak up the flavor, but I had no idea why it works!! Thanks for the lesson!

  8. My shrimp boil comes out of the box in the bag. I also add lemons and potatoes BUT I DO NOT leave the heads on the shrimp. I like them real spicy! I’m a dipper so I have to have Louisian Cocktail Sauce. I’m so close but yet so far away to getting some of those beautiful shrimp…………so sad.

  9. I have to deal with shrimp from a grocery store, but I can get Zatarain’s Crab Boil and that’s what I use. We like to peel a few at a time and dip them in a horseradish cocktail sauce.

  10. My oh my! don’t that look good! Peeled and eaten one at a time to savor the flavor is the way to go- and you have to make “the dip”. Do you have left over’s? -remember R.’s shrimp mold – That would be good!
    OK now I’m hungry!

    1. Yes, we had left overs! But as Diane said. She helped us eat the left overs. We had them with pasta in pesto sauce, which BB made, and I pan seared the potatoes and sausage to go with it. Mmmmmm.

  11. I have this really out of this world recipe for a Drunken Spicy Shameless Shrimp boil from the Dinosaur Bar-b-que up in Yankee territory. Boil up a pot of beer, water, cider vinegar, Old Bay, a mess of garlic, and a heap of Tony C.’s creole seasoning. Throw in the big guys, and delish! Hmmm….I’m hungry. Since the Dinosaur is a little far out of my way, I might just have to light me a fire soon and boil ya up a pot. Oh, and how could I forget the Brazen cocktail sauce. Get ready for your sinuses to be cleared out at warp speed.

    PS Can’t wait for the post on limits and limits of reds!

  12. Turkey Legs in the big Kenmore but wishing they was shrimps. Its hot out on the prairie.

    So Trouble is an old bay fan too. We definitely have to hang out.

    Gave up and drinking Foster’s out of the big can. I hate dayshift.

  13. Zatarain’s or Louisiana brand (I buy them on sale), liquid crab boil, lemons, potatoes, unpeeled onions, sausage, wieners, corn on the cob or canned corn w/holes poked in the can and fresh mushrooms. Place the mushrooms in the empty onion sack. They will suck up the spices easily and if left for the whole soak time, they will extremely spicy! We add ice to stop the cooking process so they are able to soak longer. We’ve just learned if you add a little vegetable oil to the seasoned water, it makes peeling easier. I peel and eat one at a time with a mixture of ketchup, Horseradish, and lemon juice. BW is not kidding about having to use the exhaust fan when boiling indoors. IT WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!
    P.S. Had a shrimp boil with friends in Grand Isle last week. AND…The next day, I boiled a dozen crabs for me. Today I had leftover crab for lunch.

  14. We boil some of our shrimp with seasonings in the pot for eating, usually outdoors on the cooker. Also boil some and save the water for homemade seafood stock to use in recipes later on. We do the same with our crawfish. That indoor boiling will surely open your sinuses, but God it smells so good while cooking! My house doesn’t mind at all!

  15. We love shrimp boils! My son is now the shrimp king of our family. I believe he uses Old Bay or Zatarain seasoning, beer, lemons, and Lord know what else! He also makes a wickedly spicy cocktail sauce, with lots of fresh horseradish that really clear the sinus areas!
    My method of eating is to peel and bunch and then pig out!

  16. My preferred method of eating is to have someone else peel for me, then pig out! That doesn’t happen too much these days, though.

  17. When we vacationed on GA’s Tybee Island, I found a little shop selling fresh shrimp and blue crab. This brings back great memories of boiling them in the B&B’s kitchen with what they had, Old Bay, though I grew up with Zatarain’s. The kids didn’t seem too thrilled with the heads and legs, though. I guess we were tougher in my day. 🙂

  18. Could you get a jewelry company to give you stuff for drawings? I don’t drink coffee! 😉

  19. Oh My Goodness Shrimp Boils I need to try that! I need me some serious southern USA travel to eat me some. Me love shrimp big time.