Boiler Room

Is there anything on this planet that’s as good as shrimp? Shrimp is one of the easiest things on the earth to cook but unfortunately so many people are afraid to mess it up.  Shrimp can be fried, sauteed, grilled, blackened, boiled and made just about anyway you like it.  The only real way to ruin shrimp is to overcook it when it then becomes tough and rubbery.  This happens to be the case with many varieties of sea foods by the way.  One of the easiest fool proof shrimp recipe I have found was a shrimp boil.  Potatoes, corn, sausage and shrimp, a perfect combination.
The only special equipment you need for a boil is a large stock pot.  Depending on the servings you will be making the larger the better.  Some people use a frying or boiling basket for ease of removing all your edibles but it’s not necessary if you have a colander.
After inviting four of our friends over we gathered the necessary equipment to feed a small army.  The amount of food can be multiplied easily to feed as many as needed.
Ingredients:

• 3 lbs 14-16 shrimp (royal reds are preferred)
• 5 lbs small fancy or fingerling potatoes (unpeeled, whole)
• 6 ears of corn (husked and halved)
• 2-3 lbs sausage (andouille, brats or any preference)
• 1 seasoning bag ( 4 bay leaves,1 tbsp. black peppercorns or coarse pepper,1 tbsp. salt,2 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. celery seed, 1 tsp. whole cloves, 1 tsp. mustard seed, 1 tbsp. allspice,1 tsp. dry thyme leaves)
• 1 Lemon quartered

• Salt if desired

Directions;
Fill stockpot about a third of the way with water and bring to a boil.  When boiling add the seasoning bag, potatoes, corn and lemons.  Cover and let boil for 15 minutes then add the shrimp and sausage.  Continue to boil for 5 minutes then remove from the heat.  You will want to let the boil rest for about 20-30 minutes.  There is a lot of water so don’t be worried about cooling.  This resting period is crucial as the seasoning needs time to soak into the food.  Without letting the boil soak you will get bland shrimp.  That’s it, you are ready to serve.  Drain and put contents into a large bowl for everyone to share. This is a very hard recipe to mess up.  Boil, add food, boil, rest.  It’s really that easy.
I love making this for a large number of people because it is delicious and the ingredients really make the recipe.  You can get creative and look up many boil recipes online.  The next one I’d like to try is the Cajun boil.
A few tips, get quality ingredients.  I like to use fingerling potatoes as they have a good taste and you don’t have to chop or peel.  Another thing is to buy good shrimp.  I really like Royal Reds as they hold up to peeling better and they are a little sweeter and denser than regular gulf shrimp.  They are a colder water shrimp and many liken their taste to lobster although I find that a bit of a stretch but I do notice a difference.  I hope you all try this and let me know what you think.

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Steamed Clams and Mussels

One New England treat enjoyed as a youngster was steamed clams and drawn butter.  For this recipe we took that idea and ran with it a bit.  This is an easy 30 minute or less meal that you’ll want to make again and again.  This recipe uses clams, mussels and shrimp and surprisingly but happily welcomed, andouille sausage.
First we’ll start by choosing what kind of clams to choose.  Typically the smaller the clam the more tender and sweeter the meat will be.  I use Cedar Key Clams as there some of the best you can buy at your local fishmonger.  You’ll want to find clams that are fully closed when on ice and smell fresh with no hints of ammonia. You’ll want to scrub the clams and rinse with water.  To store clams put in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth in the fridge until you are ready to cook.

The mussels will be picked out the same way but your choices will be limited to typically black or green mussels with the green mussels being much larger and much more expensive.  The black mussels come from Canada and can be found live almost all year round where the green mussels are imported from New Zealand and are usually found frozen.  You need to de-beard the clams and purge the saltier water out of them.  Here’s a link to prepare your mussels.

For this recipe you’ll want to get at least 16-20 count shrimp.  The larger shrimp take longer to cook and won’t overcook when steamed with the rest of the ingredients.
Now lets get to cooking.  Here’s what you’ll need;
Ingredients:

• 5 tbs butter
• 1 small onion chopped
• Parsley – handful
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/2 bottle dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 lbs Cedar Key clams
• 2 lbs Live mussels
• 1 lb shrimp
• 2 lbs Andouille sausage

Directions:
In a large stock pot melt butter and saute the garlic and onion until they brown slightly.

Add  white wine, vegetable stock and red pepper flake and bring to a boil.  Add clams, mussels, shrimp and sausage and cover.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5-6 minutes until all the clams and mussels have opened up. Take pot off heat as you don’t want to overcook your clams or mussels or they may become tough.  Transfer all meat and shellfish to soup bowls.  Strain the broth through a cheesecloth to get rid of any purged sand.  Transfer broth to the soup bowls over your clams and mussels and add parsley.  The clams and mussels are best enjoyed with a little broth or you could also draw some butter but try the broth first, you won’t be sorry.  Enjoy.

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