Port A Shrimp Boil
A quarter cup in the pot per gallon of water. Potatoes first, corn next, shrimp for three minutes at the very end, then the butter sauce over the whole tray and more blend across the top. This one's built to feed a crowd off one pot, and it's as much about the table setup as it is the cooking.
If you've got access to an outdoor propane burner, use it - three gallons of water comes to a boil a lot faster outside on a turkey-fryer setup than it will on a kitchen stove, and it keeps the whole production, and the smell, out of the house. Either way, the order matters: everything goes in based on how long it actually needs, ending with the shrimp for exactly three minutes.
Equipment
- Large stock pot (at least 8 quarts)
- Outdoor propane burner (recommended) or a large stovetop burner
- Slotted spoon or a boil basket
- Paper-lined table or large trays
Temperatures at a glance
| Boil, outdoor burner | Full rolling boil the whole time - a propane turkey-fryer burner gets there fastest |
| Boil, stovetop | Same rolling boil, just budget extra time to bring 3 gallons up to temp indoors |
Ingredients
- 3 gallons water
- 3/4 cup Port A Shrimp Shack, plus more to finish
- 3 lb small red potatoes
- 6 ears corn, halved
- 1 lb smoked sausage, cut into chunks
- 3 lb large shrimp, shell on
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 lemons, halved, for the pot
Method
- Bring the water to a rolling boil in a large stock pot and stir in the Port A Shrimp Shack and the halved lemons - a quarter cup of seasoning per gallon of water.
- Add the potatoes first and cook 12 to 15 minutes, until just barely fork tender. They'll keep cooking a little in the residual heat later, so don't take them all the way to soft yet.
- Add the corn and sausage and cook another 8 minutes.
- Add the shrimp last and cook exactly 3 minutes, then kill the heat immediately - they keep cooking in the residual heat and overcooked shrimp turn rubbery fast.
- Drain everything and dump it out onto a paper-lined table or a large tray. This is meant to be eaten with your hands, standing around a table, not plated.
- Pour the melted butter over the whole tray and dust it heavy with more Port A Shrimp Shack before anyone touches it.
Tips from the kitchen
- Buy shrimp with the shell on - it protects the meat during the boil and the shell itself picks up a lot of the seasoning flavor.
- An outdoor propane burner cuts your boil time roughly in half compared to a home stovetop, if you've got access to one.
- Leftover boil, if there is any, makes a great next-day seafood pasta - just pull the meat off the shells first.
Shrimp goes in for three minutes, no more. Everything else can wait on the shrimp, never the other way around.
Made with Port A Shrimp Shack
Small batch, low on salt so you can season heavy. Everything ships together, free over $45.
