Arguably the most entertaining, messy, and FUN meal to enjoy with friends, this Shrimp Boil is perfect for summertime! Perfectly cooked shrimp, briny clams, fresh corn, and spicy andouille sausage are boiled in a beer-spiked garlicky lemon broth. Summer perfection!
Next On Your Summer To-Do List..
Summer (sigh). Dear Summer.
Is your proverbial sun already starting to set? How did we get here?! I NEED ANSWERS!
On a slightly more contained note, I have nothing planned this weekend. Which is a RARITY for me. But if I’m being honest, “nothing” is a loose term. I actually have the Minnesota State Fair to get to, a girl’s night, a Farmer’s Market date, a few sweat sessions with pals, and BBQ planned. But that’s neither here nor there.
Being that my plans are minimal, I think it’s time to make a classic summer meal…
The SHRIMP BOIL!
What Is A Shrimp Boil?
A Shrimp Boil is a collection of ingredients (primarily being seafood), which are seasoned and boiled together, eaten straight from the pot or strewn out over a table. More broadly called a Seafood Boil, this dish can include a variety of different fish, shellfish, and mollusks, with the remaining ingredients being dictated by the region in which it’s being prepared. Many times, vegetables such as potatoes and corn are included, as well as some form of sausage.
What's In A Shrimp Boil?
Let’s talk details on this gorgeous summertime meal:
- The shrimp. Perfectly cooked (not overdone!), literally bursting with flavor.
- The clams. Briny, tiny, but mighty.
- The potatoes. Delicious little bites, best served with extra Old Bay.
- The corn. Freshly picked, pop-in-your-mouth kernels.
- The sausage. Spicy, salty, and smoky.
- And a big ole’ hunk of baguette to slop up all that beautiful broth.
How To Serve A Shrimp Boil
In my opinion, the best way to serve a meal like this is poured out over a paper-lined table (butcher paper is great for this, as it’s leakproof!), and with plenty of napkins! Melted butter gets extra flavor with the addition of garlic and hot sauce, making for an excellent dipping sauce.And of course, an alfresco meal like this wouldn’t be complete without a chilled glass of wine or your favorite beer.
I’ve made this meal for my family a the cabin a number of times. Not only is this meal over-the-top delicious, but it’s so much fun! I cannot tell you how many times we all looked around the table, chewing, laughing, in awe of the mess we were in the process of eating and creating.
Summers Are For Shrimp Boils
If you’ve never made a Shrimp (or any seafood!) Boil, please – for the sake of SUMMER – do yourself a favor: call up your closest pals, hit the local fish shop and Farmer’s Market for the goods, get a big ole’ stockpot, crack a brew, make the boil, and feast like kings. I can promise you one thing: you’ll have one hell of a time.
Cheers to summer!
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Shrimp Boil
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Old Bay seasoning
- 2 heads garlic halved
- 2 12 oz bottles your favorite beer*
- 4 onions, quartered
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 10 red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
- 4 ears corn, shucked and cut in to thirds
- 1-2 lb andouille style sausage, sliced in to 2 inch pieces
- 6 lemons
- 2 lbs peel-and-eat shrimp
- 1 lb little neck clams rinsed and scrubbed
Instructions
- Parboil the potatoes: Add halved potatoes to a large stock pot, fill with water to cover. Boil potatoes until just fork tender. Drain.
- As the potatoes are parboiling, fill the largest stock pot you can find (it needs to be BIG!), 1/2 way with water. Add Old Bay, garlic, beer, onions, and salt. Bring water to a boil.
- Add parboiled potatoes, corn, sausage, and lemons. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- While simmering, slice the fresh bread in to 1 inch thick slices, and broil lightly.
- Add clams and shrimp to the pot last, simmering for about 3 minutes, or until shrimp JUST turn pink. DO NOT OVERCOOK! Shrimp have a tendency to get rubbery when overcooked. Not good!
- Drain the liquid (you'll need a buddy!), but reserve about 3 cups of the cooking liquid for serving. Spread the shrimp boil over a newspaper lined picnic table (this is any outdoor meal, folks).
- Enjoy immediately with remaining 2 lemons cut in to wedges, Old Bay, cocktail sauce, melted butter, french bread, and plenty of cold beer.