I ended yesterday's new-chandelier post proclaiming, "bring on the well-lit dinner parties!" and we wasted no time doing that. Last night, we had a couple good friends over for a shrimp boil--a low-key and out-of-this-world flavorful dinner that requires one pot and zero plates. Which I la-hove, because since Chris is the chef around here 98% of the time, I do the dishes just as much, and last night dishes were almost non-existant. And the only thing more amusing than a lack of dishes after a good dinner is presenting your guests with no utensils and no plates. Woohoohoo. You gotta try it.
Then, it is all hands and elbows on deck to dig in. We just squirt our sauces right on the covered table and eat and chat and watch our pile of food slowly downsize. It is a f-u-n way to enjoy a meal.
My expertise kind of stops with eating and protecting furniture, but luckily Chris (who spent 2 years in Louisiana where shrimp and crab boils are abundant) agreed to share the recipe for your next dinner party. Here's his 411 on the shrimp boil:
The most important part of a proper shrimp boil is the water. You need to make sure there's lots of flavor in the water, and it doesn't really matter what you use to flavor it, as long as you like the ingredients. I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to a shrimp boil, so I stick with the cajun flavors.
Pot of water - about 1.5-2 gallons
1/4 cup salt
black pepper (7 or 8 grinds)
1/2 T garlic powder
2 tsp smoked tobasco
crab boil (I use the liquid - add as directed on the bottle or adjust to make it more or less spicy. I used about 2 tablespoons)
5 cloves of smashed garlic cloves (5 large ones - remember, this is 5 large CLOVES, not 5 large HEADS of garlic)
2 lemons, cut in half, juice squeezed into the liquid and lemon pieces dropped in
1 onion - ends trimmed, peeled, cut into quarters one end to the other
Put everything in the water and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for a bit. In the south they do this outside because the fumes can get pretty hefty. I don't have the proper equipment for that, so I just make sure to open the window and have any fans going, as well.
Rest of the stuff:
2 links of smoked sausage--cut into 5 or 6 pieces each
5 ears of corn--cut into 3 inch lengths
8 oz whole button mushrooms
2 lbs uncooked shrimp--(tails and shells on) if frozen, thaw
Once the water has boiled for a bit, add everything else in sequence of how long they need to cook. First, add the potatoes. Put the lid on, bring to a rolling boil, and let it go for a couple minutes. Then add the smoked sausage, but the lid on and cook for a couple more minutes. Add the corn and mushrooms, put the lid on and cook for a couple minutes. Then add the shrimp, put the lid on and cook for a couple minutes or until the shrimp rises to the top. Drain the water and dump everything onto your table which has been lined with a layer of plastic, and a layer of butcher paper on top.
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I didn't know that Chris spent two years in Louisiana, yay! What part? I'm currently in Baton Rouge, but I grew up closer to New Orleans. And I have to say - the crawfish boils are more abundant than the shrimp and crab down here. We try to have one big crawfish bowl every year. :) Oh, and another tidbit, artichokes are actually pretty amazing thrown in, too!
Notice everything I miss is food-related, haha.
Hi Missy,
I lived all over Louisiana, from Bogalusa on the east, Lafayette on the west, Natchitoches on the North, and Patterson on the South. The closest I came to living in BR is Denham Springs, which I loved. Though I visited BR often. I love it down there. Actually, the friend I had over last night was a guy I met down there (and his wife) and we were talking about how he had actually NEVER had a shrimp boil, because most people do crawfish down there. Crawfish is a bit hard to come by in Utah, so we had to make do with shrimp. My favorite is crab, though. Top 3 things I miss about LA:
3- Satsumas
2- Crab boils
1- Blue Bell Ice Cream in every grocery store (we have to drive 30 minutes to buy a scoop of it from an ice cream parlor)
This is such an easy meal, Meags. A large pasta pot works perfect!
THIS IS A DREAM!!!!!!!
I've seen this done a ton of times in Seattle at my favorite place, The Crab Pot, but I've never actually participated in one. This is my kind of meal. This would be a really fun labor day meal...ummmm...now you've got me thinking....
What kind of pot holds that much water and stuff? Like a tall pasta pot??
When we were at Topsail Island in May, we ate shrimp at almost every meal. My favorite all time spice on shrimp is Old Bay :-) DELISH. We ate so many shrimp it was getting ridiculous.
I use Old Bay sometimes too. Can't go wrong.
I think we'll try it this week! I've been missing the cajun crawfish dinners we used to have in Houston. This is a great substitute! Thanks for sharing.
i have 2 kiddos that LOVE shrimp...we will be doing this before the summer is over, for sure. thanks for the great recipe/idea!
Hey Rachel, I checked with Chris. The ones given are classically cajun, but you can also add a little Tony Chacheres cajun seasoning. Have fun!
May be a stupid question but just want to confirm. When you talk about spices in the water does he stick with the ones given? Or does he just add a handful of "cajun" spice? I've been on a one pot entertaining kick and eating it on the table would be so much fun!
This looks delicious. Will have to give it a try!
We are going to a boil this Saturday! My uncle is doing crab, shrimp and possibly clams in his, so I'm excited!
I realized that I forgot to come back and read your response, sorry! I also agree that the best thing about down here is food-related. :) I hope you have some friends that mail you some goodies every now and then.