Cajun Shrimp Boil

By Samin Nosrat

Updated September 5, 2018

  • Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Frances Boswell. Prop stylist: Pamela Duncan Silver.
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Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes (mostly waiting for the water to boil)
Rating
4(598)
Comments
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In New Orleans, a seafood boil, the Southern tradition of gathering around a newspaper-lined table to eat large amounts of boiled shellfish with your bare hands, is all about salt and spice. In the words of Jared Austin, a Mississippi riverboat pilot and seafood-boil master, ‘‘Nothing about any of this is subtle — people standing around the pot should sneeze and cough.’’ The key to a successful shrimp boil is layering ingredients into the pot so that everything is done cooking at once: First add the potatoes and sausage, then the shrimp, then the frozen corn to bring the temperature down and prevent overcooking. Let it all soak to absorb the salt and spice, then dump it out onto the table and eat with copious amounts of rémoulade. While this recipe can easily be halved, it’s a simple — and extraordinarily fun — way to feed a crowd. Just remember to heed Austin’s advice: ‘‘Don’t be afraid of cayenne. Don’t be afraid to let your nose run.’’

Featured in: A Cajun Seasoned Boil for a Big Party

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Ingredients

Yield:10 to 12 servings

  • 3 (3-ounce) Louisiana or Zatarain’s brand seafood-boil seasoning pouches

  • ¼ cup cayenne-pepper powder

  • 1 ½ cups kosher salt (or ⅔ cup fine sea salt)

  • 2 yellow onions, peeled and halved through root

  • 3 celery ribs, cut into 3-inch pieces

  • 2 lemons, quartered

  • 4 heads garlic

  • 6 ears corn, shucked and cut into 3-inch pieces

  • 2 ½ pounds small (2-inch) red potatoes

  • 2 12-ounce kielbasi, cut into 3-inch pieces

  • 6 pounds shrimp, preferably with shells on

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 to 12 servings)

48 grams carbs; 365 milligrams cholesterol; 411 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 4 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 1052 milligrams sodium; 53 grams protein; 6 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Fill a very large (24-quart) pot with 8 quarts of water set over high heat. Add seasoning pouches, cayenne, salt, onions and celery. Squeeze lemon juice, and add wedges. Break garlic into cloves, and discard excess skin, then add unpeeled cloves. Cover the pot, and bring to a rolling boil.

  2. Step 2

    Lay corn on a baking sheet in a single layer, then place in freezer.

  3. Step 3

    Taste the water after it comes to a boil. It should be very heavily salted and spiced, with a bright orange foam (when standing near the boiling pot causes you to cough, it’s spicy enough).

  4. Step 4

    Add potatoes and sausage to the pot, and let the water return to a boil. Turn off heat, and allow to soak for 10 minutes or until potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Bring the water to a boil, and add shrimp. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn off heat, add corn and allow to soak for 7 minutes. Drain, and serve immediately with rémoulade (preferably on a newspaper-lined table).

Tip

  • To prepare 5 to 6 servings, halve the amounts in the recipe but follow timing as directed.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
598 user ratings
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Comments

Jennifer

I have lived in South Louisiana for 38 years, including Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Nowhere have I ever seen remoulade sauce at a shrimp boil. That is usually reserved for cold shrimp in a cocktail at a fancy meal, like Galatoire's. I doubt the riverboat captain uses it either.

Andrea Tyree

No, You need to leave the shells on the shrimp. Bare shrimp with little tails are all wrong--and won't taste right.

Jess

Remoulade????

Mike Gulledge

I have found the grease from the sausage will coat the shrimp and blocks the seasonings from flavoring them. I boil sausage separately

Sandra

This was fantastic! Left out the big load of cayenne pepper and put in just about an eighth tsp of red pepper flakes. Plenty! - let all the other subtle spicy flavors come thru. Also followed someone's advice about how to add ingredients: sausage and potatoes til tender, then add the corn chunks (fresh, not frozen) til done, then the shrimp for the final 5 mins. No waiting in-between necessary. The butter/lemon/black pepper sauce was scrumptious and took about two minutes to prepare in microwave

Deborah

Don't drain -- take off just some liquid so serves easier (and possibly save and freeze for broth). Serve in bowls with a side bowl to discard the shells. The liquid is delicious. I used a seafood spice blend from the coop, added onion and garlic powder, celery salt and chili powder, and I skipped the cayenne. Delish! Next time I might try adding additional seafood such as crab or lobster tails.

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