Shrimp Boil

First things first, let's give credit where credit is due.  Alice Hyde shared this recipe with my mom years ago, and it has become a very special event in our family.  I say event because it truly is a spectacle.  After boiling onions, potatoes, corn, chicken, sausage, and shrimp together in a giant pot, everything is poured steaming hot into the middle of a newspaper-covered table.  There are no utensils; you eat with your hands like a caveman.  Additional items that we like to place on the table include hot crusty bread, cocktail sauce, salt (we just put out the entire salt container and let guests pour a tiny pile to take pinches from), and several rolls of paper towels to use as napkins.  The fun, rustic feel of this meal is appealing to adults and especially to kids.  It only takes about an hour to cook once everything is prepped and the water is boiling.  And the best part?  When the meal is done, you can just roll up the paper and throw everything away!

Unless you have a very big pot, I recommend dividing this recipe between 2 separate pots to avoid messy boil-overs.  If you don't like spice, then leave out the cayenne and tabasco.  Be advised that once you add the spices, you will want to have plenty of ventilation.

Shrimp Boil

**Plan to start the shrimp boil 51 minutes before you want to eat (60-65 minutes for high altitude.)   This recipe feeds 8 people comfortably, and more if you have kids or light eaters in your group.

To a large stock pot (or 2) add:

2 gallons water

1 cup salt

2 T. Zatarans liquid seasoning

2 t. Zatarans dry seasoning

1 t. red cayenne pepper

2 t. Tabasco

2 lemons cut in half and juiced into the water

2 bell peppers quartered

12 small boiling onions

2 lbs. sausage cut into small pieces  (Ekrich type)

-Bring all of this to boil for 20 minutes (probably 30 to 35 minutes for high altitude folks)

Add to the pot:

12 pieces of chicken of your choice

12 small new potatoes

-Boil for an additional 15 minutes- then add or until potatoes are done

Add to the pot:

 12 ears of small frozen corn

-Boil for 12 minutes add

Add to the pot:

2   1/2 pounds of shrimp with shell on

- Boil for only 4 minutes or less or until they are bright pink

Pour into a colander to drain and serve in the middle of a table covered with a thick layer of newspaper.