Boiled Fresh Shrimp from Galveston, Texas

I know many of you are focusing on food and preparations for Thanksgiving.  I am also gathering my recipes and preparing my shopping list but I wanted to do a follow up to my previous post on the crab and fresh shrimp I bought last weekend from our purveyor from Galveston, Texas. I've shared this recipe before but it's so good it deserves a repeat!

In addition to feasting on crab cakes, we also enjoyed a meal of freshly boiled shrimp. This is my favorite way to prepare these beautiful, never frozen, shrimp when they arrive here in the Midwest. Sadly, they won't be back until next spring.

To serve, I usually just buy my favorite bottled cocktail or chili sauce and add an extra teaspoon or so of prepared horseradish and a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Perfect Boiled Shrimp

Recipe adapted from Emeril's.com
Printable Recipe

1 large lemon, halved
4 quarts water
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
2 pounds jumbo shrimp in the shell (16-20 count)

Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a large pot and add the halves to the pot. Add the water, bay leaves, salt, cayenne, and Old Bay Seasoning. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Add the shrimp. Return to a boil and then immediately remove the pan from the heat. Cover, and let stand for 4. Scoop shrimp out place in a an ice bath to stop the cooking for 1 minute. Remove and serve with your favorite cocktail sauce, some sliced lemons and plenty of napkins!

Yield: 4 servings

Perfectly Spiced Boiled Shrimp

This past week, our fresh gulf shrimp vendor from Galveston made their last trip to Wisconsin for the season. During the warmer months, they normally make the trip every three to four weeks and there is nothing that compares to wild-caught gulf shrimp that has never been frozen - especially when simply boiled in the shell and eaten while still warm. Oh, My!

My favorite shrimp boil is adapted from an Emeril Lagasse recipe with lemon, bay leaves, cayenne and other seasonings.Whether eaten warm or chilled, these truly are perfectly spiced boiled shrimp!

Perfect Spiced Boiled Shrimp

Recipe Adapated from Emeril Lagasse
Printable Recipe
Serves 4

1 large or two small lemons, halved
4 quarts water
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons Old Bay seafood seasoning
2 pounds shell-on shrimp

Squeeze the lemon juice a large stock pot filled with 4 quarts of water. Add the squeezed lemon halves to the pot. Add salt, cayenne, bay leaves, and Old Bay seasoning. Bring the mixture (without shrimp) to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp to the pot and return to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and leave for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the shrimp into a colander and cool for about 5 minutes before eating.

Serve with your favorite seafood cocktail sauce.