Boiled Shrimp

Boiled Shrimp

This recipe is entitled Boiled Shrimp but they are better if your shrimp never reach boiling temperature. You can easily adjust this recipe for larger amounts of shrimp.

1 gallon	water
1 bag	crab boil (we use Zatarain's)
8 oz (by weight)	salt (8 oz is approximately ¾ cup. It's a lot but it doesn't soak in and only a tiny bit will stick to the surface of the shrimp)
1	lemon, cut in half
1	orange, cut in half
1 medium	onion peeled and cut in half
½ cup	liquid crab boil (we use Zatarain's)
2 to 5 lbs	shrimp (with heads, headed, peeled, in the shell, it really doesn't matter)

Put the water in a large pot. Add the bag crab boil, salt, lemon, orange and onion to the water and bring to a boil. Don't add the liquid crab boil yet as it will make you cough in the next step.

Keep the water at a rolling boil for 5 to 10 minutes to get the flavor from the lemon, orange, and onion. After time is up, turn the heat off, and let the water cool to 120° or less.

Now add the shrimp and liquid crab boil and stir well. Bring the temperature to 160° then turn the heat off and let the shrimp soak for 10 minutes. Don't let the water temp go above 160° as shrimp are very easy to over cook. Pour everything into a colander and scoop out the lemon, orange, and onion while the shrimp and bag of crab boil drain. The lemon, orange, and onion have done their job, throw them away. Let the shrimp and the bag of crab boil drain for a minute or two. The shrimp are ready to serve now, but the next step adds a nice finishing touch.

Transfer the shrimp to a bowl. Take the bag of crab boil out, and cut the top off of it. For every pound of shrimp, scoop out 1 tsp of the brown and yellow mustard seeds, and add these to the cooked shrimp. Stir well. Serve warm or cold. Here's a recipe for great cocktail sauce if you'd like some to serve with the shrimp.

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