This shrimp boil recipe by cookbook author Alexis de Boschnek is the perfect excuse to invite friends and family over for a food-filled weekend gathering.
Cookbook author and Catskills resident Alexis de Boschnek has plenty to show for her career as a recipe developer: two books, features in foodie pubs Bon Appétit and Epicurious, videos from her position as a senior test kitchen manager at Tasty, and more. With her latest release, Nights and Weekends, de Boschnek provides readers with dozens of dinner ideas that come together quickly without sacrificing taste—a skill she’s mastered as the caretaker of Uplands, a 100-acre regenerative farm in Delhi. Read on for a recipe that’s perfect for weekend entertaining.
Recipe: Shrimp Boil With Garlicky Old Bay Butter
Course: MainCuisine: SeafoodDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes30
minutesWhenever I think of seafood or shrimp boils, I imagine those long tables in Louisiana where an assortment of seafood is poured onto sheets of newspaper. Despite living 1,500 miles from the Pelican State, somewhere along the way I developed an affinity for this Cajun classic. While a shrimp boil might seem daunting, it couldn’t be easier to make. Each ingredient is added to a pot of boiling water until cooked through, so all it takes is keeping an eye on the timer. To me, the best part is drenching everything in the garlicky, Old Bay-spiked butter.
Ingredients
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1 head plus 3 large cloves garlic
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½ cup plus 1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
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2 Tbsp kosher salt
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1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
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2 lemons, quartered
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1 pound new potatoes
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2 yellow onions, quartered
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1 (1-pound) smoked kielbasa, sliced into 1-inch pieces
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4 ears corn, shucked and halved
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1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
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½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
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1 cup coarsely chopped flatleaf parsley
Directions
- Peel the 3 large garlic cloves; grate them and set them aside. Separate the head of garlic and peel the cloves.
- Combine ½ cup of the Old Bay with the salt and pepper in a large pot. Squeeze the lemons into the pot, then drop in the rinds. Drop in the whole garlic cloves. Fill the pot with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and onions and cook until the potatoes are just fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Add the kielbasa and cook for 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink and opaque, about 2 minutes. Drain the shrimp boil in a colander and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon Old Bay and the grated garlic. Cook, stirring, until deeply aromatic, about 1 minute. Remove the butter from the heat and stir in the parsley.
- Pour the Old Bay butter sauce over the shrimp boil and serve immediately.
Notes
- I like to serve shrimp boils on a layer of newspaper covering an outdoor dining table; I love the communal feel, and it makes cleaning up a breeze. If you’re serving a bigger crowd, you can easily double or even triple this recipe, just make sure to use a bigger pot. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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