Shrimp Boil

While shrimp boil is common on the Gulf coast, you can also make it at home wherever you are in the world. Here’s a great shrimp boil recipe to feed 25, 100 and even 200 people along with tips and tricks to help.

Because we wanted to celebrate our house in Alabama selling and becoming Texans for good, we had a shrimp boil. So I got to researching and trying to come up with a good go-to recipe for our family.

When we moved from Alabama to West Texas, we put our house on the market – just in time for the housing market crash. As a result, it took over 5 years for our Alabama home to sell. And it finally did! So it was definitely time to party!

What better way to celebrate than with a shrimp boil? Shrimp boils are very common on the Gulf coast, but for some reason, there are just not that many of them in West Texas! But our location and lack of coastline didn’t stop us.

Because it takes a good amount of time to cook, a shrimp boil is all about sharing. That means that is great for a large gathering in someone’s backyard. The more the merrier! But make sure you have your biggest cooking pots ready to go.

A Short Recipe Search

Our oldest daughter and her husband were on vacation to the Texas coast and brought back a lot of frozen shrimp. As a result, they have had quite a few shrimp boils.

The following recipe is from them. Her husband had worked out the proportions of the ingredients. I didn’t even have to worry about researching to create the perfect recipe!

All I had to do was tell him how many people I wanted to feed and viola – he provided the recipe!

Feeding An Army – The Easy Way!

First, I need to explain how this shrimp boil recipe is different than most I’ve featured on this blog.

While most of my recipes are family sized, this is not! In this recipe, I’m providing proportions for 25, 100, or 200 people. For our celebration, we expected around 110 people and 100 ended up attending. (Thankfully we made enough, but we all wanted more!)

Not only is a shrimp boil delicious, it’s deceptively easy to make. Whether you are serving a large crowd or a small gathering, this meal lends itself to minimal work the day of your event.

Most of the work is done beforehand by cutting and chopping the meat and vegetables. You can definitely delegate that work to a trusted child or teenager if you need extra help getting everything done.

After the shrimp boil is cooked, drain the water and empty the contents of the pot onto a table with a plastic tablecloth. Maybe to keep things a bit more civilized, you can place contents into serving containers.

I wanted our shrimp boil to be easy and civilized, so I used large disposable aluminum containers. Then, you can get creative with your sides since this recipe is so versatile. You can serve the shrimp boil alone or add coleslaw, rice, rolls … and it all works!

A Shrimp Boil By Any Other Name… Is Still As Tasty!

Let me just say that this is one way to make a shrimp boil. I really was amazed at all the different varieties there were of this dish. For example, in some places it’s called Frogmore Stew??

There are two kinds of social gatherings in coastal Georgia and South Carolina that revolve around shellfish. One is very much like a Louisiana boil, usually involving shrimp, corn on the cob, sausage, and red potatoes, and sometimes ham, and is considered part of Lowcountry cuisine. Known variously as Frogmore Stew, Beaufort Stew, a Beaufort boil, a Lowcountry boil, or a tidewater boil, they tend to be a bit milder than their Louisiana cousins. For example, it is not unusual for a Lowcountry recipe to call for a mixture of hot and mild boil seasonings, whereas a Louisiana recipe may start with crab boil packets and add large amounts of cayenne pepper. While shrimp are most often used, crabs or crawfish may be included if available. This is also a bit different from a Louisiana boil, which usually involves just one kind of shellfish at a time.

Frogmore is name of a community in the middle of St. Helena Island, near Beaufort, South Carolina. Although there are many versions of this dish around, the name Frogmore Stew was coined in the 1960s by Richard Gay, one of the owners of Gay Fish Company, circa 1948, on St. Helena Island. Frogmore Stew became far more well-known after it was featured on the cover of Gourmet Magazine in the 1980s, and is enjoyed by all, with this name, to this day. In 2005, The Travel Channel featured Richard’s brother, Charles Gay, cooking Frogmore Stew in its popular program Taste of America with Mark DeCarlo.

I had no idea this recipe has such an interesting history!

Why A Shrimp Boil?

My favorite thing about this dish is that it enables families to come together and enjoy each others’ company. It’s one of those meals that encourages people to talk, linger, and socialize. And since we make a LOT of shrimp boil at once, no one rushes conversations due to being worried about the food running out!

Helpful Tips For Making This Shrimp Boil Recipe

• First, be sure to purchase shrimp that is in the shell and de-veined. Why? When you are boiling the shrimp in a pot of water, it will dry out and not taste as good if you use pre-shelled ones.
• Second, if you are cooking in large quantities, make sure you plan ahead with your supplies and time. We used 10-gallon stockpots over propane burners. Obviously, that is a lot more water than people normally boil, so be sure to allow plenty of time. It took us about 30 minutes to get the water to boil.

That’s it! While we had a bunch of fun making and eating our shrimp boil, the sweetest part was celebrating and enjoying the company of our friends and family.

3.79 from 23 votes

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Shrimp Boil

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 10 mins

 

Southern cooking that feeds an army!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bulk cooking, seafood, shrimp

Servings: 25 servings

Calories: 1123 kcal

Author: Cultured Palate

Ingredients

To serve 25:

• 7 bags seasoning I use Zatarain's
• 13 lbs red potatoes
• 3 bags baby carrots
• 3 large bags of small corn on the cob frozen
• 3 bell peppers
• 1 bunches celery
• 2 - 3 jalapenos
• 1/2 habanero pepper
• 13 lbs shrimp frozen
• 13 lbs sausage

To Serve 50:

• 15 bags seasoning I use Zatarain's
• 25 lbs red potatoes
• 5 bags baby carrots
• 6 large bags of small corn on the cob frozen
• 6 bell peppers
• 3 bunches celery
• 4 - 6 jalapenos
• 1 - 1 1/2 habanero pepper
• 25 lbs shrimp frozen
• 25 lbs sausage

To Serve 100:

• 30 bags seasoning I use Zatarain's
• 50 lbs red potatoes
• 10 bags baby carrots
• 12 large bags of small corn on the cob frozen
• 10 bell peppers
• 5 bunches celery
• 8 - 12 jalapenos
• 2 - 3 habanero pepper
• 50 lbs shrimp frozen
• 50 lbs sausage

Instructions

Keeping everything separate:

1. Wash and cut potatoes into large chunks
2. Wash and cut celery and bell peppers into large slices
3. Slice jalapenos

4. Cut sausage into 3/4" - 1" slices

Cooking:

1. We cook in batches using the amounts for 25 people. Total cooking time is 60 minutes after the water boils and you begin adding the ingredients.
2. Bring water to a boil.
3. Place seasoning bags in a mesh bag or cheesecloth.
4. Add potatoes and seasoning bags.
5. Wait 10 minutes.
6. Add carrots, corn, and sausage.
7. Wait 10 minutes.
8. Add bell peppers, celery, jalapenos and habaneros.
9. Let cook 5 - 10 minutes.
10. Add the frozen shrimp.

11. Wait for 5 - 8 minutes. The shrimp should be pink and tender.

To Serve:

1. Drain the water and dump the shrimp boil onto a table with a plastic tablecloth or place in serving dish - allow everyone to help themselves!
2. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I use a 10 gallon pot to cook the shrimp boil recipe in and it holds the ingredients for 25 people if you only add about 2 gallons of water.

Helpful Tips For Making A Shrimp Boil

• First, be sure to purchase shrimp that is in the shell and de-veined. ]
• Second, if you are cooking in large quantities we use 10-gallon stockpots over propane burners. Obviously, that is a lot more water than people normally boil, so be sure to allow plenty of time. It took us about 30 minutes to get the water to boil.

Nutrition Facts

Shrimp Boil

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1123 Calories from Fat 594

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 66g 102%

Saturated Fat 21g 105%

Cholesterol 764mg 255%

Sodium 3378mg 141%

Potassium 1883mg 54%

Total Carbohydrates 38g 13%

Dietary Fiber 4g 16%

Sugars 3g

Protein 88g 176%

Vitamin A 16.3%

Vitamin C 60.8%

Calcium 38.8%

Iron 52.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

For What Occasion Do You Have a Shrimp Boil?

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Dina-Marie, RN and founder of Cultured Palate has learned the importance of diet for health - the hard way! As the mom of 10, and leaving the corporate world to start a vineyard, she knows the value of simple living and you can too! Dina-Marie and Cultured Palate's medical advisors, Dr. Dalton and Dr. O'Connor, want you to have accurate information at your fingertips.