Shrimp Boil Recipe Reviews:

Although there are millions of recipes out there, I am continually being asked to start posting up some of what I cook and what I eat as I travel around. I think to do this with some meaning it would be best if I made videos of the recipes that I cook, but for now I will try to start with some of the more fun recipes that I do, some created by me and some not. But they all have one thing in common; they are good-- so good in fact that I am asked by many teenagers, “How did you do that?” So here goes, enjoy.

The hardest group of people that I have cooked for is teenagers, and so my aim is for this group to get together, have some fun and learn how to cook a few different things that they can show to their parents. 

The following recipes were taken from the internet.  After each recipe is my review and comments.

Recipe #1
4 qts. water
2 bottles beer (optional)
2 lemons, quartered
2 onions, quartered
1 (2 oz.) Special Seasoning (I use Old Bay)
2 bay leaves
2 potatoes, quartered
1 Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa, cut in chunks
1 pkg. Sweet Select Corn on the cob
1 1/2 - 2 lb. shrimp, head off-shells on
Directions: Combine first 6 ingredients, cook at a rolling boil for 15 minutes. Lower to medium boil; add sausage. Cook 15-20 minutes, then add potatoes, cook 15-20 minutes, then add corn. Cook 15-20 minutes. Bring back to a rolling boil; add shrimp. Cook 1-3 minutes. Drain and serve. Serves 4

Review: Yea, bring this stuff to a rolling boil for 15 minutes without anything in it and watch it evaporate. Better yet, add the sausage for 15-20 minutes then keep cooking it again and again for 20 minutes. Let’s see, that’s 60 minutes for sausage cooking, when the sausage is already cooked when you buy it. Right, better keep your day job.  2 potatoes, how big?  2 ounces of seasoning?  That’s really going to spice things up - try a lot more.  I suggest whoever made this recipe drink the beer as an option, then call us to see how it’s done.

Recipe #2
2 lbs. fresh shrimp (shell on)
2 lbs. Polish sausage (mild or hot)
4 ears fresh corn or 8 sm. frozen (break fresh in half)
2 tsp. salt
Old Bay Seasoning
Directions: Fill big pot with water, salt, 2 tablespoons Old Bay. Bring to boil. Add corn and sausage. Lower to medium heat and cook 10 minutes. Stir. Add raw shrimp and cook until shrimp turn pink (about 4 minutes). Drain. Put in big bowl on table. Cover table with newspapers; roll of paper towels, butter, salt and pepper. Use paper plates and enjoy. Easy clean-up!

Review: Love this one - I wonder where these people are from!  Don’t you know that 2 lbs of polish sausage with 2 lbs of shrimp are going to make this come out very oily?  We are talking about boiling shrimp, not polish sausage - keep the mix at ¼ sausages to shrimp maximum.

I love the 2 tsp of salt, in a big pot of water. Well, how big a pot? Does this mean a 40 gallon pot? That’s what we consider kinda big. Try the salt amount in this size pot. And of course you do want to fill this big pot with water then put in this little amount of food. Right, keep your day job.

As much as I like to use “Old Bay,” this is not the stuff to use for a shrimp boil. You can use this to steam things like they do very well on the east Coast with crabs and things, but for shrimp you want to use some of the stuff from Louisiana, either Zatarains, Tony’s, Durkee’s or homemade mixtures if you can find them. You see we are boiling things here not steaming them.

By the way you don’t have to worry about lowering the heat when you add the corn and sausage because the temps are going down anyway, you want this stuff to cook on high not medium. Get it done, get it cooked and out of there.

One other thing, your 4 minutes are too long to cook shrimp, we can tell you are not from an area where shrimp are cooked all the time.

Last thing, forget the butter, it’s bad for you. If you want to put something on the corn, cook some topped off Garlic Pods then spread it on like butter.  

Recipe #3
2 lb. shrimp, cleaned & deveined
1 lb. sausage, cut in sm. pieces
6 ears corn, cleaned & cut into halves
10 sm. new potatoes, cleaned
Directions: Boil sausage in large pot of water about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and cook until tender. Add corn and cook 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook 5 minutes.

Review: Another genius recipe. At least we are getting a little closer to something eatable, but still cooking sausage for 35 minutes does not get it. Also if you use shrimp that are large enough for just 1 to the pound, then 5 minutes may hold up, otherwise try to cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes. And that depends on any set time you throw in there. Really, keep your day job.

Recipe #4
2 short ears frozen sweet corn
2 small red potatoes
1/2 lb. shrimp
2 (3 inch) long pieces smoked 90% fat-free turkey sausage
1 tbsp. Creole seasoning or Cajun spices
Directions: Start large pot of water boiling. Add seasonings and potatoes. Boil 15 minutes. Add corn and sausage. Return to boil and cook for 5-8 minutes. Add washed raw shrimp. Return to boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat. Let sit in pot for 5-10 minutes. Drain and serve

Review: This is not a shrimp boil, it’s a tasting for one person, but at least we are starting to use the proper seasonings, Creole or Cajun. Same school of boiling we think - keep cooking those little poor potatoes for 23 minutes then let them sit for another 10. Better get your drink in your hand, assuming you can find the potatoes after that long of cooking. And what are you going to do with what’s left in the bag of sausages after you use just 2 (DA)? Cook them all then go out and buy more shrimp to go with this. A ½ lb shrimp boil is an insult to these little shrimp guys.

Recipe #5
18 little red potatoes, cleaned
1 doz. med. white onions, peeled
2 lbs. Polish sausage, cut up into sm. chunks
1 doz. 3 inch ears frozen corn (Green Giant)
4-5 lbs. raw shrimp in shell
(Insert toothpicks to keep whole).
Prepare a large pot of very salty water, add:
3 pkgs. Crab Boil
Directions: Bring to boil, add little red potatoes, boil 6 minutes, add onions. Bring to boil for 2 minutes. Add corn and Polish sausage. Boil 12 minutes. Add shrimp, boil 2 minutes, remove and drain. Cover table with news papers, pour pot contents into center of table. Use paper plates, forks and fingers. Food will be all gone and cleans up easy. Serve with corn bread and white wine.

Review: Tooth picks, forks, corn bread- better not let any Cajuns see you doing this. Seems like we may be getting a little closer to what a shrimp boil is, but tooth picks? Now what are we supposed to be doing with these - I hope we are not putting them into the shrimp. Keep what whole?

Still, cooking these poor little potatoes for 23 minutes, your mother would ask you to leave the table.

You did get the finger part right, and the white wine is great. You are allowed to do shrimp boils, but cut down on the onions ratio to shrimp.

Recipe #6

5 lbs. shrimp in shell
2 1/2 lbs. Hillshire Farm all beef blue label sausage
Fresh or frozen corn on the cob (allow 2 sm. ears per person)
New potatoes, split in half
1 pkg. Durkee shrimp boil seasoning
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp. salt
Water to cover
Directions: Bring water to boil with salt and seasoning. Add sausage, cut into 2 1/2" pieces. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add corn and potatoes, cook for another 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until tender, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. This will serve 8 people. Serve with cocktail sauce.

Review: We’ll try to be nice with this one- the shrimp amount is fine. But here we go again - cooking those sausages for 25 minutes, they will be like cooked and dried prunes. But that’s OK since you want to use beef sausage anyway, hope no one has dentures. Why split the potatoes in half, they are already small enough, plus you are cooking them for 15 minutes, keep em whole.

We like Durkee seasonings, but because we are from Louisiana we are obligated to buy from our local sources, hope you understand.

Try eating the cocktail sauce with your sausage and potatoes, forget it. Go to a Remoulade sauce and make people think you are a genius.

Final Comments: I read with interest that some of these recipes call for “water to cover.” I would like to know how does a person tell when there is enough water to cover the food, but not too much for the seasonings to be diluted. Do you put all the food into a pot, and then add the water to cover, then start the boiling process? Or do you put all the food into the pot, cover with water, then take all the food out, and then start the boiling process? I hate to get logical here, but you can see that the cooking times would vary greatly depending on how a person does this. Just a thought-think about it.

Well, that’s it for my reviews and comments on recipes for shrimp boils. I’m sure I didn’t make many friends with this, but if you want to do it right, then you better get it right. If you have a recipe that you would like to be reviewed, just send us an email.

Call me on your next shrimp boil event, I’ll make it a hit.  I guarantee it!