Sunday Dinner: Cajun Shrimp Boil

You might have noticed from past posts that crawfish boils are an integral part of our summer, but sometimes we like to do mini versions just for the two of us at home. Since crawfish are hard to come by up here, we substitute shrimp and it’s just as tasty. The whole process is very easy and, if you serve it up on newspaper outside like we do, requires very little clean-up.

For a boil for 2-4 people, you will need:
  1 bag Zatarain’s Crawfish, Shrimp, and Crab Boil in a Bag (we also like to use this brand and just don’t add the cayenne and salt)
  3-4 tablespoons cayenne pepper
  1/4 cup Crystal hot sauce (you can add more if you like it spicy)
  2-3 bay leaves
  2-3 tablespoons salt

  4-6 lemons, halved
  1 head of garlic, peeled, cloves left whole
  1-2 onions peeled and quartered
  6 small dutch gold or red potatoes, left whole
  2-3 ears of corn, shucked and cut in half
  12 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and left whole
  1 package smoked kielbasa, cut into small rounds
  1 lb raw shrimp, shell on
  Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning

Fill a large stock pot, preferably one with a strainer insert, just a little over halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add first group of ingredients. Let boil 10 minutes.

Keeping the pot at a boil, add lemons, garlic, and onions, juicing the lemons into the pot as you add them. Let boil 10 minutes.

Add corn, potatoes, and mushrooms and let boil 10 additional minutes.

Add kielbasa and cook 15 more minutes. While kielbasa is cooking, get 4 cups of ice ready to add at the end.

Finally, add the shrimp and cook until pink and curled (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat, add ice to stop the cooking process, and allow pot to sit for additional 5 minutes to enhance the flavor (note: you can skip this step and serve immediately if you want less spice).

Strain the pot, sprinkle and serve with Tony Chachere’s if you like, and enjoy!  If you’re a garlic fan like we are, try spreading the garlic on the potatoes!