Growing up in Bayou La Batre Alabama, shrimp are not just something you eat but they are a way of life. Our whole town’s existence and sustainability is because of the little sea creature we call shrimp.
Shrimp boils are a staple in our community as well as communities all along the Gulf Coast. I have cooked hundreds of pounds of boiled shrimp at fundraisers, restaurants, tailgates and birthday parties.
My recipe is simple, delicious, and straight from the shrimp boat! I’m about to teach y’all how to throw a shrimp boil just the way I do in the Bayou, with a method that makes shrimp flavorful and easy to peel.
Boiling Shrimp is very easy. You will need some medium sized shrimp. Bring a pot filled halfway with water to a boil. Drop the shrimp into the boiling water. Bring the water back to boil and boil your shrimp for 1-2 minutes, then cut off the heat to the pot. Add your favorite seafood boil seasoning and salt. They take about 1 pound of seafood boil to 15 pounds of shrimp and half of a 26oz container of salt. Then let them soak for 5 minutes then serve with your favorite sides.
Soon you’ll be hosting your own shrimp boil impressing your friends and family with these delicious shrimp!
Continue reading the article to learn the steps needed to boil shrimp like a pro.
Equipment Needed for a Shrimp Boil
- 60qt pot or larger
- 30qt pot or larger (for the sides)
- Jet propane burner(one that outputs 125 BTUs or higher.)
- A large cooking paddle metal or wooden
- Metal tongs
- Metal scoop
- Heat resistant gloves or oven mitts
- 60qt or bigger ice chest
- 30qt or bigger ice chest
- Folding table
- Plastic shrimp boil platters or disposable cardboard trays
- Ice cold refreshments
How many pounds of Shrimp are needed for a shrimp boil?
I recommend two to three pounds of shrimp per person when trying to figure out how many pounds you will need for the shrimp boil.
This sounds like a lot but the shrimp loses weight from cooking and the Head is ⅓ of the weight of the shrimp and the shell is another ⅓.
Ingredients Needed for a Shrimp Boil
- Domestic medium sized shrimp either head on or headless. (I recommend two to three pounds of shrimp per person)
- Louisiana brand seafood boil (1 pound of seafood boil to 15 pounds of shrimp)
- Salt (half of a 26oz container to 15 pounds)
- Your favorite Rope sausage ( I use Conecuh sausage)
- Onions
- Red new potatoes
- Corn on the cob
- Slap Ya Mama cajun seasoning
Cooking your sides separately
This is where me and many other Shrimp boil experts differ. I cook my corn on the cob, new potatoes, and sausage in a different pot.
Many people will tell you to cook everything in the same pot. I would do this in the past, but cooking these three items separately actually enhances the flavor of the shrimp and makes it easier for people to sort through the sides.
Nothing is more frustrating than looking for a side item buried under a mountain of hot boiled shrimp.
These sides also have different cooking times and makes it extremely difficult to cook them correctly when they are all thrown in the same pot.
The main objective when boiling shrimp is to make sure the shrimp soak up the seasoning and spices and are easy to peel.
When the corn and potatoes are in the same pot as the shrimp they have a tendency to soak up more of the seasoning then the shrimp.
I boil the potatoes fist as they take the longest time to cook, then the corn, and finally the sausage.
I use a second smaller pot with a boiling basket for the sides and I boil them in water with no seasoning, as many people don’t like the sides to be too spicy.
I put these sides into a small empty ice chest so they are easily accessible and stay warm until the shrimp are done.
I’ll throw a stick or two of butter on top of the corn and potatoes and sprinkle a little Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning on them.
This is not to say that every side has to be cooked separately. Keep reading to find out what sides you can throw in the pot!
What to Add to the Shrimp Boil Pot?
The good news is there are a ton of delicious sides to throw in the pot with the shrimp!
The sides mentioned below will actually enhance the flavor of the shrimp and won’t absorb most of the seasoning like the ones mentioned earlier.
Some sides to add to the pot are:
- Fresh whole mushrooms
- Whole or chunks of onion
- Bell pepper chunks
- Fresh string beans
- Fresh whole okra
- Fresh whole brussel sprouts
- Lemons halves
- Oranges halves
- Whole spicy peppers
I add these sides into the pot when I’m starting the water to boil, that way while the water is heating up the flavors steep into the water.
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How to make Boiled Shrimp Peel Easy
Once your water is boiling, it is time to add your shrimp to the water. The secret to making boiled shrimp peel easy is to not add any seasoning or salt to the water while the shrimp are boiling.
When you add the seasoning or salt while the shrimp are boiling, it causes the salt to get between the shell and the meat; thus making it extremely difficult to peel.
I add the seasoning once the shrimp are done boiling and let them soak for about 5 minutes.
I recommend doing a taste test after the 5min soak time is up. If you find they need more spice or salt, add a little bit more and taste them till they are to your liking.
This method was taught to me by my shrimp loving grandfather and I’m passing it onto you so you can enjoy boiled shrimp with your friends and family.
How long to boil Shrimp?
You only need to Boil shrimp for 1-2 minutes. Once you drop your shrimp into the boiling water, the water will die down and stop boiling, so you need to bring the water back to a boil.
The key to not over cooking the shrimp is to pay close attention to the water while you are waiting for it to come back to a boil.
An indication that water is about to boil is a reddish pink foam will appear on top of the water just before the water is about to boil.
Also, while you are waiting on the shrimp to come back to boil, make sure the pot doesn’t boil over.
You can always slowly lower the heat on the burner, but not too low that the water stops boiling.
How to Season Boiled Shrimp?
Once your shrimp are finished boiling, it’s time to add your favorite shrimp seasoning. There are plenty of seasonings to choose from when boiling shrimp, but I recommend Louisiana seafood Boil powder.
I use 1 pound of seafood boil to 15 pounds of shrimp and half of a 26 oz container of salt.
You may find that just the seasoning, without the salt, will give you the taste you’re looking for. The best thing about my boiled shrimp method is that it can be used with a number of different seafood boil seasonings.
You could even experiment and make your own seasoning mix.
Many seafood boil seasonings sell packs that have the amount of seasoning they recommend for each pound of shrimp.
Experiment with different seasonings and find out which one is your favorite.
If you’re worried they will be too spicy, I will talk about how to avoid this later in the article so be sure to continue reading.
*Pro Tip: I do not recommend using liquid seafood boils for shrimp. Liquid seafood boil is concentrated and is really difficult to ensure proper seasoning. It is easy to over spice shrimp with liquid seafood boil.
How long to Let Boiled Shrimp Soak?
I let Shrimp soak in the seasoned water for 5-7 min. This is the most important step for the shrimp to absorb all the flavor of the seasoning.
The longer you let the shrimp soak, the more of the seasoning it absorbs.
One trick is to help the shrimp absorb the seasoning is to spray the outside of the pot with a water hose as this will cause the shrimp to cool down faster soaking more of the seasoning.
Be sure to stir the pot constantly while they are soaking.
Check out the Boil Boss, it’s a tool that hooks up to your water hose and it connects around your pot and will evenly apply cool water around the pot allowing the shrimp to absorb the seasoning and you are able to amaze all your friends with some excellent boiled shrimp.
Make sure to stir the shrimp throughout the soaking period.
I recommend taste testing the shrimp after 3 minutes into the soaking process and see if the spice level is adequate or if you need to add a little extra to make it to your desired spiciness level.
If you’re worried about making the shrimp too spicy or too salty just add a little seasoning and salt at a time and taste test them every 5 min till you get to your desired flavor then you just let them soak for 5 minutes.
How to peel Boiled Shrimp?
When hosting a shrimp boil, it is common there’s that one person who has never eaten a boiled shrimp and doesn’t know how to peel one.
If your shrimp have heads on them, grab the head of the shrimp with one hand and place it between your thumb and trigger finger.
Then grab the tail of the shrimp with your other hand placing it between your thumb and trigger finger with quick snap motion remove the head of the shrimp from the tail.
Many people including me will suck on the head of the shrimp. This is where all the flavor is so don’t knock it till you try it!
Put the end of the tail in one hand and peel the top part of the shrimp shell off. Then pinch the bottom of the tail of the shrimp you should be able to pull the meat from the rest of the shell.
Time to Serve the Boiled Shrimp
After all this time and effort it is time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. The Shrimp is now ready to be served.
One way to serve is to just dump everything out on a table outside with a trash bag tablecloth and let everyone stand around and eat directly from the table. Be sure to have a large empty garbage can for the shells.
If you plan on hosting several shrimp boils I recommend getting the table top that goes around the top of a trash can and people can throw away their shells in the middle of the table and they will fall into the trash can.
You can also dump the shrimp into a large clean ice chest 60 qt or bigger.
Make sure to have a scoop handy and people can make individual plates.
If you want people to have their own plate I recommend getting some disposable cardboard trays.
Boiling Multiple Batches of Shrimp
Whenever I have to boil multiple batches of shrimp, I use fresh water in the pot every time.
Using the same water will cause the shrimp to be hard to peel if they are cooked in water with seafood boil seasoning.
What makes my method of boiling shrimp so great is that they are easy to peel.
One of the most common issues people have when boiling shrimp is that the meat sticks to the shell.
If you have a large enough boiling pot, you can also boil all the shrimp all at once and put them into a large ice chest. The shrimp will stay warm for up to 4 hours.
Leftover Boiled Shrimp
If you have any leftover shrimp you have a variety of options to preserve them and use them in many different dishes.
You can put the shrimp straight in the fridge, but be sure to peel and eat them within the week if you don’t plan on freezing them.
Cold boiled shrimp are perfect for shrimp salad or a snack later! If you plan on freezing the shrimp for a length of time the first step is to peel all the leftover shrimp.
I know this sounds labor intensive, but it is well worth it. This allows you to have shrimp in your freezer or fridge ready to go.
Once you peeled all your shrimp, put them into quart freezer bags, push whatever air out you can, then close the bag and place them in the freezer. They should last up to one year in your freezer.
You can also place the whole boiled shrimp into gallon freezer bags and place them in the freezer. They will last up to 3 months.
You can heat up these frozen boiled shrimp by dropping them into boiling water and letting them sit in the hot water for 3 min.
One of the best dishes you can make with leftover boiled shrimp is southern style shrimp salad.