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Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, March 6, 2011

How to have a Mississippi Gulf Shrimp Boil

Two rigs of volunteers will be pulling out of the refuge this coming week, so we decided to have a shrimp boil send off tonight using fresh caught Mississippi Gulf shrimp.  I have to admit that I was more of an observer in this undertaking, as I didn’t have much of an idea of what was involved.  So, if you want to have a shrimp boil, here’s what you do:

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              First, you gather a bunch of like minded, hungry volunteer folks that enjoy a good time.  Smile

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Then you gather the ingredients.  Set a big pot of water atop some heat, and stand around waiting for a watched pot to boil.  Time flies as everyone tells tales of life on the road.  Adult beverages can help speed the time.

57 MS Sandhill Crane NWR14

When the water comes to a full rolling boil, add the ingredients in the following order, with an appropriate amount of time between ingredients so that everything is done to perfection at the same time: potatoes, corn, brussel sprouts, onions, mushrooms, and lastly the shrimp.  (The boiling water has been pre-seasoned with a whole garlic bulb and Old Bay Seasoning to taste)

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At just the right moment, pull everything out of the pot, and…

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pour it onto the table.  We used a cardboard box lined with a large plastic bag for easy cleanup.

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                                                                 Then, dig in and enjoy!

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For those with more adventurous pallets, Joe’s stuff or “Slap Ya Mama” can be sprinkled over everything.  Being a fan of non-spicy foods, I passed on slapping my mama!  Smile  I also have to report that pulling the heads off of the shrimp didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.  That’s a real step forward for me.  I think that so much of what I like to eat or not is a mental thing.  It has to do with what you grow up with, and coming from Chicago, I never ate shrimp as a kid.  I’d like to think I could work up to trying a raw oyster someday…Smile with tongue out

IMG_9517After finishing the shrimp boil, I'd suggest having a dessert of King Cake with ice cream around a campfire.  It is Mardi Gras after all.  King Cake is a Mardi Gras tradition, and I needed some help using up the half gallon of Blue Bell ice cream I bought a couple of weeks ago to test out my new freezer.  My freezer works fine, and I knew it would be about six months before I’d ever eat that much ice cream.  It’s good to have friends help you out.  Smile

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                                                   What a great way to end a Sunday evening!

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

30 comments:

  1. I grew up not caring for the taste of shrimp, but for the last 10 years or so I can't get enough of it. Raw oysters are another thing - I will go to my grave never having tasted them. I ate oyster stew once, and that was enogh!

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  2. Boy sure made me hungry. I too have never done a shrimp boil. Thanks for sharing the how to and photos. Will need to try it some time.

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  3. Craig and I are big ice cream fans. I really like Blue Bell. Have I ever mentioned I did a portrait of Bell for their anniversary? It's my Jersey cow pictured on my web page. One of the nicer cows I have ever done.

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  4. As usual, great pics & info...I can eat shrimp but think I would have to pass on the raw oysters. There's just something about that word "raw"...lol.

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  5. Great looking meal and a fun way to cook it all up too!

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  6. Think I would have bypassed that Shrimp boil thing & gone directly to the King Cake & ice cream. When it comes to seafood I think I'll just stick with Captain Hyliners fish sticks...

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  7. I am just not a seafood fan except for crab. But my hubby grew up in Virginia and can't get enough of it - including those oysters. I can't even bare to watch him eat them. Us Montanans eat steak.

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  8. We have never done a shrimp boil but we did fire up the old turkey fryer one night and cooked just about everything in sight...we spared the picnic table though! ;-)

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  9. Thanks for explaining how you did the shrimp boil. No, growing up in Iowa, we didn't eat shrimp either. It's good to learn how other people do things.

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  10. I love shrimp boils but have never, thankfully, experienced one with brussel sprouts included!

    About that oyster ~ NONONONONONONONONO! I don't advise it! It will haunt you in the middle of the night and you will never, I repeat never, get over it!

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  11. Hmmm, had no idea how a shrimp boil was done. I think I might stick with deep fried shrimp and fries!! I did eat a raw oyster once when I was still working at the bank. At the annual meeting, the wife of the president was quite persuasive in her urgings to partake. What could I do? One was plenty - never again!

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  12. Oh my, all that you described sounded very tasty! Your group of volunteers looks like they really know how to enjoy themselves.

    John
    relaxedrush.blogspot.com

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  13. WOW...that boil looked scrumptious! We love that Slap Ya Mama seasoning and shrimp and basically all seafood now. Had a really hard time at first with the heads and such on most seafood but once I overcame that mind over matter, it's easy now.

    As for the ice cream...no way any of it would last in our freezer for longer than a day...we are ice cream fanatics!

    Glad to hear that nasty weather didn't ruin your wonderful outing.

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  14. The brussel sprouts and mushrooms are a new one for me--never heard of those two things in a shrimp boil but it sure looked good!

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  15. I know what you mean. Coming from a dairy farm in Eastern Ontario, you don't see no shrimp anywhere, or oysters, or lobster. But, I love all of it even though I can't eat some of it anymore and that's a real bummer!

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  16. Oh my..what fun that looks like!!!!! I have watched Paula Dean do a fish boil, but wasn't fast enough to get the "order" of boil right...Thanks for the great "boilin' blog"!!!

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  17. WOW! Looks like great food and lots of fun.

    Travel Safe
    Dawn and Denise

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  18. Ok, that was too much for me. I need shrimp, NOW! Oh! How I miss good, fresh seafood, with all the trimmings!

    I've never partaken a Mississippi Shrimp Boil. Nor was a familiar with how to prepare it. both are on my bucket list, now!

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  19. Wow-the shrimp boil looked awesome !

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  20. That would be a good one, all right. But I agree on no brussels sprouts. We've got a nice can of Old Bay but haven't used any yet. We're not into shrimp beheadings.

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  21. Looks yummy! Never thought of including brussel sprouts, but I think we will have to next time...

    I too love Slap Ya Mama. It has flavor not just heat!

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  22. I think the shrimp boil looks great even though as someone eles said, I would pass on the brussels sprouts. I don't think I could get passed the raw part of oysters, just like I haven't gotten myself to eat sushi. It is definitely a mental thing.

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  23. That sounds like a great way to send them off. I love shrimp, but prefer grilled to boiled. Looks like the whole crowd enjoyed the boil, and that is what counts.

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  24. Yummy! I wonder how many calories was involved in the whole shebang?

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  25. Woulda been NO calories for me 'cuz I don't like all the things boiled together with the shrimp. I'm sure of it.

    Yep. I vote for the Blue Bell, though.

    Emjay (the land-based eater)

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  26. The shrimp boil looked good. You didn't say who got the baby from the king cake. Did you get it?

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  27. I too, being from Chicago, hadn't tried shrimp until I moved south. I do like it. Did it come de-veined, or did you have to do that too? I never liked doing that, but the shrimp sure was good. Great food and friends, priceless.

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  28. That boil looked pretty good but seemed to be missing the crawfish and Zatarains Crab Boil)(http://www.zatarains.com/Recipes/Boiled-Seafood.aspx)

    I didn't make it to eat raw oysters until I was graduating from graduate school but am real sorry I waited so long. There is absolutely nothing like a oyster po' boy sprinkled with tabasco. And several dozen raw oysters make a meal.

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  29. The parties with friends are what I love most about the RV lifestyle. We work hard, travel a lot, but there seems to be a new friend around every bend.

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