I am going to try and do a Shrimp Boil at our house in a few weeks. Do you guys have any recommendations as far as equipment to get or anything you have learned in the past? Thanks.
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Turkey fryer with strainer should be big enough
Too much work. Just through dem babies in whole. If you can't stand the vein remove it when eating them. Shrimp caught in open water often don't have anything significant in the vein anyway.Useful link. There's a couple of things I would do differently though. 1) You don't need 4 minutes to boil the Shrimp that's too much and will rubber them out. At the two minute mark fish one of the shrimp out and slice it at its thickest part. If it's entirely cooked through meaning no gummy uncooked parts but white all the way through it's done. You want the shrimp sweet and crisp not rubbery or powdery from overcooking. 2) Buy head on shrimp and a sparging bag (like what is used in microbrewing beer). Clean the shrimp by removing the head, legs and shells and devein them reserving the meat to the side. The only thing you throw away is the "poop vein", the legs, heads and shells should all go in the sparging bag along with some cloves of garlic and maybe a small wedge of a sweet onion. Close the sparging bag and boil for at least two hours in plenty of water more than sufficient to cover the bag. Most of the shrimp's flavor is in the head and legs and you lose that by not making this shrimp stock first. Once your shrimp stock is done, substitute this for the water in the previous persons attached recipe adding any additional water you need to make up the difference. Then follow the recipe with maybe my next later additions in 3 for the timing but don't add the shrimp meat itself until about two minutes to go. 3) For more flavor add in teaspoon of sriracha and a quarter cup of a high grade fish sauce (not a cheap one that's just Caramel colored saltwater or is fishy but one with a lot of umami preferably with a little blue cheese note).
Z for me. When I do a boil, I use a bag and a vial of that stuff.Quick poll: Old Bay vs Zatarains?
Too much work. Just through dem babies in whole. If you can't stand the vein remove it when eating them. Shrimp caught in open water often don't have anything significant in the vein anyway.
Went to my first boil on Memorial Day, that is by far my favorite meal now! Got it three times in Hilton Head last week.I am going to do the whole boil with corn on the cob, potatoes and sausage. I figure there will be 10-15 people. I can't find how large of a pot I should get.
I think the difference would be subtle and partly made up by the shells and head being cooked in contact with the shrimp. I get what your doing, but don't think it makes enough difference to do it. Now if you were making a stew or a soup then that's the way to go. For a boil I don't think its worth it. The shrimp don't get much flavor from the broth anyway unless they soak in it. That's why boils tend to be super spiced.If you don't separate and clean them then you're missing out on most of the shrimp flavor OR severely overcooking and ruining the meat. You need to boil the shells and heads at least an hour to draw all of the shrimpy flavor out of them and that would destroy the meat.
I think the difference would be subtle and partly made up by the shells and head being cooked in contact with the shrimp. I get what your doing, but don't think it makes enough difference to do it. Now if you were making a stew or a soup then that's the way to go. For a boil I don't think its worth it. The shrimp don't get much flavor from the broth anyway unless they soak in it. That's why boils tend to be super spiced.
Plus, you're just gonna slather it in cocktail sauce anyway.
You can also add a few cut lemons, garlic or onions if you want. I've also pulled everything out and cooked the shrimp by itself so that I can remove them from the boil after a few minutes and into a pan with some ice to stop the cooking process before adding them to the table with the rest of the ingredients.
You can also add a few cut lemons, garlic or onions if you want. I've also pulled everything out and cooked the shrimp by itself so that I can remove them from the boil after a few minutes and into a pan with some ice to stop the cooking process before adding them to the table with the rest of the ingredients.[/QUOTE
I wonder if they have some type of netting that would help you keep them separated and be able to pull them out.
No, I'm not following your method. I don't do a "shrimp boil", I just do some boiled shrimp to go with dinner.See that's how I know you're not following my method. A shrimp boil done right is so flavorful you don't need sauce. I do use two sauces for my shrimp cocktail but that's because I don't add a sausage, onions and garlic to it.
No, I'm not following your method. I don't do a "shrimp boil", I just do some boiled shrimp to go with dinner.
I'm not arguing that it isn't better. I'm just saying it's too much work for the gain. I prefer to just let the kids eat, then others, and I get mine on the third batch or later. Most guests are going to sauce them up anyway.There's a HUGE difference between shrimp handled properly versus just thrown in. It's far more noticeable when you are doing just shrimp cocktail versus a full boil with sausage. My wife who is a huge shrimp cocktail fan never orders it anymore and seldom gets it at buffets because most places just cheap out and boil already shelled shrimp in water with a spice mix. And I agree, it's three or four times as flavorful done properly.
You should try it my way once and then see the big difference. Just buy a couple of pounds of shrimp for a dinner at home and boil the heads, legs and shells at least an hour preferably two and then remove the inedibles and toss in your seasoning and the shrimp for two minutes. When you've tested them and they're done immediately rack them on a plate and toss them in the freezer for thirty minutes or so to get them chilled and use the time to make your own cocktail sauce and a blend of Publix brown mustard and grapefruit (Orange if you can't make it or buy it yourself, I use our homemade Campari and red grapefruit marmalade) and pickled horseradish in about equal parts with some fresh ground Mixed pepper and some drops of srircha.
I'm not arguing that it isn't better. I'm just saying it's too much work for the gain. I prefer to just let the kids eat, then others, and I get mine on the third batch or later. Most guests are going to sauce them up anyway.
I have used your method, just not for a boil. To me it kinda defeats the purpose of doing a boil. I actually don't do shrimp boils anyway, just crab or crawfish, and I may add some shrimp to appease those who don't like the other stuff.
2 hours is a bit long for that though. Most chef schools and books prescribe a shorter time for a seafood broth, particularly a shrimp one. In two hours I can make a chicken broth. Also, when making a broth or stock, the water shouldn't actually boil, just simmer.
Yes it's called a sparging bag.
Boil for 30 mins.So it sounds like boil shrimp for 30 minutes with shells on or 3-4 minutes if they are peeled. Does that sound right? It seems like a big time difference between the two.
So it sounds like boil shrimp for 30 minutes with shells on or 3-4 minutes if they are peeled. Does that sound right? It seems like a big time difference between the two.