Cajun Boiled Shrimp


Servings: 4

Ingredients: 1 gallon cold water
2 tablespoons salt
12 whole black peppercorns
5 whole bay leaves
1 large lemon, sliced
1 medium onion, quartered (leave the skin on)
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
10 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
4 sprigs fresh parsley, whole
2 tablespoons sugar
2 fresh cayenne peppers, cut in half (or you can use pickled)
2 pounds fresh shrimp tails, unpeeled (21 to 25 to a pound count)

Instructions:
In a large stock pot over high heat combine all the ingredients except for the shrimp, and bring to a hard rolling boil. Let the mixture hard boil for 5 minutes, then reduce to a low rolling boil. Add the shrimp. Once the liquid begins to boil again, wait exactly 3 minutes; then turn the heat off. Let the shrimp stand in the liquid for 5 more minutes. Drain the shrimp and serve at once.

Lagniappe:
Plain boiled shrimp are great alone. Just cover your table with old newspapers and place the shrimp right in the middle of the table -- Cajun style. Serve with a cold, crisp green salad or coleslaw, French bread, and a seafood sauce of your choice. It is simple food at its best.

If you wish to serve the shrimp chilled, Drain the hot shrimp and cover immediately with ice. Once the shrimp are cold, put them in an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Refrigerated, they will keep nicely for 24 hours. You can hold them for longer, but they begin to lose their quality. Never keep them for longer than 2 days.

New Orleans SHRIMP BOIL

Use 1 pack of Zatarain's Crab, Shrimp and Crawfish Boil seasoning per 5 pounds of shrimp. Bring it to a boil with whatever else you're putting in with the seafood -- corn, potatoes, onions, lemons, etc. -- and let that boil for about 10 minutes, until the corn and potatoes are cooked. Add the shrimp and let boil for THREE MINUTES only!. You may then strain and eat. You can also dump some ice into the pot and let the shrimp soak for a while -- the longer they soak in the seasoned liquid, the spicier they get!

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Now I'm hungry and it's 4:00 a.m. in beef territory Gotta go in search of frozen shrimp today!

Princess this sounds r-e-a-l-l-y good, glad you brought it up!

:happynewyear:

I lived in New Orleans for a while. There was a bar right outside the main gate that had free crawfish boils every Friday when it was Crawfish season.

Now that I'm in Yankee country... no such luck... but We do a shrimp boil every September at the base. One of the things they put in the boil last year that I'd never had before was Broccoli. It was excellent.... Mushrooms are great too.


We use the Zatarain's Pro Boil... It's a liquid.

This recipe should be called winter comfort food! I made the soup for the first time last night. Mr. Ragamuffin loved it, as did I! My husband is guarding the leftovers in the fridge......


Creamy Broccoli Soup

Makes: 6 servings, 3/4 cup each

1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper

COOK and stir onions in butter in 2-qt. saucepan on medium-high heat until onions are crisp-tender. Blend in flour. Reduce heat to medium.

ADD milk and cream cheese; cook until cream cheese is melted, stirring frequently.

STIR in remaining ingredients; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.


Substitute
Prepare as directed, using VELVEETA Made With 2% Milk Reduced Fat Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product.

Substitute
Substitute 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach; frozen cauliflower florets, chopped; or frozen asparagus spears, chopped; for the broccoli.

Use Your Microwave
Microwave onions and butter in 2-qt. microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec. or until onions are tender. Stir in milk. Microwave 3 to 4 min. or until heated through, stirring every 2 min. Stir in cream cheese. Microwave 4 to 6 min. or until cream cheese is melted, stirring every 2 min. Stir in remaining ingredients. Microwave 30 sec. or until heated through.