Let’s go down South!

“Old Bay” Shrimp Boil

This is such a simple dish to make, and so much fun to eat! I never use utensils for this, just my bare hands! Inspired from the Old Southern USA, there are many variations. There are Cajun influences, Louisiana styles, this one is a simple version that can be enjoyed by all. The simplicity is that you just ‘drop’ in ingredients at short intervals and let it all come together, you could barely say that it’s even cooking! You can add more to my version below if you like, make it spicier, whatever floats your boat!

Old Bay Shrimp Boil

Servings: 3-4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Difficulty: Easy
Rating: *****
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Ingredients

1/2 cup of Old bay Seasoning
2 TBSP Kosher Salt
4 Litres of cold water
1 small can of beer (lager or Pilsner is best here)
8 Medium Red Potatoes, quartered
2 Lemons quartered
2 large Vidalia sweet onion, peeled and cut into wedges
4 cloves of garlic
2 Lbs of smoked garlic sausage
32 large uncooked saltwater shrimp (bigger the better!!)
8 ears of fresh sweetcorn (Peaches & cream is nice !), cut into 1/3 pieces
Fresh or dried parsley
2 TBSP of butter

Directions

In a large stock pot, add the water, Old bay seasoning, salt, 1 1/2 of the cut lemons, beer and bring to a boil.
Add potatoes, cook over high heat for 8 minutes
Add the sweet onion wedges and garlic, cook on high for 4 more minutes
Add the smoked sausage, cook on high for a further 5 minutes.
Add the fresh sweetcorn, cook for 4 minutes
Add the shrimp in shells and cook for 2-3 minutes until they start to float.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and add the melted butter and stir together.
Carefully drain all of the cooking liquid from the pot and serve into a large dish.
Pour the “sauce” over the dish and sprinkle parsley and more Old bay seasoning, and a squeeze of the remaining lemons all over to finish.

Tip: If you like your corn ‘softer’, then add the corn a little earlier (before the smoked sausage)