I’m so pleased to introduce my readers to a new MostlySensible contributor, Ann Shrader. She’s my mom! There’s no one on earth who has a knack for putting together some really neat gift and hospitality ideas. Ann Shrader has been a missionary kid, a Bible college professor’s wife, and a pastor’s wife, and a veteran of potlucks, events, and gift giving.
Here’s her latest idea for you to file away in your idea box.
Shrimp Boil Party
We had our SS class over for a Shrimp Boil party. What a fun way to feed a crowd!
It’s a casual meal and is super easy to prepare so the cook can join in with all the before-eating activities. This low country boil takes about 45 minutes to cook and is done in stages. Ingredients (small red potatoes, sausage, corn on the cob, and pearl onions are added to pot of seasoned (Old Bay) boiling water. The shrimp is added to the pot at the last few minutes of cooking time. Utensils are not allowed…fingers only…unless you also decide to add some sides such as cole slaw, black eye pea salad, and/or spicy corn salsa. Serve with spicy mustard, melted garlic butter and Red Lobster-style muffins. 
Also, have some extra seasoning available for those who want an extra kick. Cover the table with butcher paper or newspaper pages. When ready to serve, just dump the cooked ingredients onto the table and invite everyone to dig in. Have hand wipes or wet towels available for clean up. When everyone has had their fill, roll up the paper and toss…clean up can’t get any easier than that!
Also, have some extra seasoning available for those who want an extra kick. Cover the table with butcher paper or newspaper pages. When ready to serve, just dump the cooked ingredients onto the table and invite everyone to dig in. Have hand wipes or wet towels available for clean up. When everyone has had their fill, roll up the paper and toss…clean up can’t get any easier than that! I should also give a tip about the shrimp:
This recipe uses unpeeled raw shrimp and obviously the fresher the shrimp the tastier the dish. We don’t live near the coast, however, so we rely on our local fish mart in our grocery store to provide us the freshest possible fish. On the day before the party, I had a dilemma when buying the shrimp. 
There was a chance that our party would have to be postponed because of a winter storm forecast so….I asked about freezing the shrimp. I was told that the shrimp (on ice) in the fish mart case had been previously frozen (it all is!) so freezing it again was not a good idea. His suggestion was to go ahead and buy the frozen. Great idea! Why didn’t I realize that their shrimp had been previously frozen?!! I will now buy this frozen unpeeled raw shrimp when it is on sale. I don’t have to “worry” about buying the shrimp “fresh” because the frozen kind is as “fresh” as it can be where we live.
There was a chance that our party would have to be postponed because of a winter storm forecast so….I asked about freezing the shrimp. I was told that the shrimp (on ice) in the fish mart case had been previously frozen (it all is!) so freezing it again was not a good idea. His suggestion was to go ahead and buy the frozen. Great idea! Why didn’t I realize that their shrimp had been previously frozen?!! I will now buy this frozen unpeeled raw shrimp when it is on sale. I don’t have to “worry” about buying the shrimp “fresh” because the frozen kind is as “fresh” as it can be where we live. The evening was a huge success and we are thinking that we may have to do it again next year. This can easily become a yearly tradition for us!
Shrimp Boil
2015-02-25 21:32:47
Great way to feed a crowd!
Ingredients
- small red potatoes
- Keilbasa sausage
- corn on the cob
- pearl onions
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Shrimp, unpeeled raw
Instructions
- This low country boil takes about 45 minutes to cook and is done in stages. All ingredients except shrimp are added to pot of seasoned (Old Bay) boiling water. The shrimp is added to the pot at the last few minutes of cooking time. Cover the table with butcher paper or newspaper pages. When ready to serve, just dump the cooked ingredients onto the table and invite everyone to dig in.
Notes
- This recipe uses unpeeled raw shrimp and obviously the fresher the shrimp the tastier the dish. We don't live near the coast, however, so we rely on our local fish mart in our grocery store to provide us the freshest possible fish. On the day before the party, I had a dilemma when buying the shrimp. There was a chance that our party would have to be postponed because of a winter storm forecast so....I asked about freezing the shrimp. I was told that the shrimp (on ice) in the fish mart case had been previously frozen (it all is!) so freezing it again was not a good idea. His suggestion was to go ahead and buy the frozen. Great idea! Why didn't I realize that their shrimp had been previously frozen?!! I will now buy this frozen unpeeled raw shrimp when it is on sale. I don't have to "worry" about buying the shrimp "fresh" because the frozen kind is as "fresh" as it can be where we live.
Adapted from from Old Bay website
Adapted from from Old Bay website
MostlySensible https://mostlysensible.com/
My mom, Ann, with two of my daughters. Three beautiful ladies!
