Shrimp Boil

Recipe: "Backyard Shrimp Boil" from ChefBuenviaje.com
Rating: Loved it!
Status: Made once.

When William and I traveled to New Orleans 2 years ago, we shared a crawfish boil from a local seafood shop.  Ever since I've been waiting to make a seafood boil.  I was under the impression that they would be fussy since different types of seafood cook at different rates, and thus need to be added at different times.

What I like about this recipe is that it is sized for two people and that it only has shrimp, so it is a gentle introduction to seafood boils.  The recipe is simple, easy, and turns out perfectly--exactly what I wanted.  You simply bring water with aromatics to a simmer, throw in potatoes followed by the sausage, and then you turn off the heat and throw in the shrimp.  The shrimp cook in the water's residual heat.  The Andouille sausage, potatoes, and corn are a perfect additions.  I will make this again.

Go to "Backyard Shrimp Boil" from ChefBuenviaje.com for the recipe and great pictures (much better than my quick snap of this dish).

Additional Notes:

• Use a large stockpot for this; initially it doesn't look like much water is added but it expands in volume by quite a bit once you put all the ingredients in.
• Preferably head-on shrimp with shells should be used, so that the shrimp are extremely flavorful.  For those that like this (i.e. William), a bonus of head on shrimp is that you can break the cooked shrimp in half and suck the juices from their heads.  I clipped the antenna of the raw shrimp since I think they get in the way and make things look unappealing.  I also rinsed the raw shrimp and drained them.  Just like in the recipe, I didn't devein them, even though this means that the veins will be in the shrimp when you eat them; one advantage is that leaving the vein in makes the shrimp very quick to prepare.
• I cut 1 additional fresh lemon into fourths and tossed it in the serving bowl (yes, newspaper is traditional but a bowl was easier for us) so that people can squeeze fresh lemon juice over their seafood if they like.
• I was worried that the corn would be overcooked since I usually only cook my corn for 1 to 3 minutes, but I followed the directions which cooks the corn for significantly longer, and the corn also turned out great.
• William and I also shared 8 oysters with this dinner and they went perfectly with this dish.
• The spiciness was perfect for me, but since William is sensitive to spice, next time I may try halving the amount of Cayenne pepper for him.
• This was about twice as much food as William and I needed (though we ate the leftovers cold the next day for lunch); next time the amounts can be reduced by half for us.