Who watches 5 Ingredient Fix?
It’s one of my personal favorite shows on the Food Network. I am always amazed at what Claire can do with 5 ingredients – and I love her spunk.
Her saying “BYOC” (Be Your Own Chef) is something I can totally relate to – because I think that’s one of the most important things you can do when following a recipe. The joy of cooking is that the longer you do it, the more adventurous you become and the more you start to know and understand flavors, textures, ingredients – and how they all work together.
This is the stuff Sundays are made of. It doesn’t get any more fun – any more relaxed or vacation-like than these peel-and-eat shrimp. Right in your living room. Dining room. Whatever your thing is.
Well, it does get more fun if you’re also enjoying mango margaritas. I imagine you wouldn’t dream of separating the two.
Beer Shrimp Boil
Adapted from Claire Robinson
- 3 (12-ounce) bottles lager beer
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon shrimp boil seasoning or Creole mix
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 lemon, juiced, halves reserved
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, shells left on, rinsed well
- Your favorite French bread, for dipping and sopping
The recipe calls for shrimp with the heads on, but unless you have access to shrimp right off the boat, you probably won’t be able to find them. I found gorgeous jumbo Key West shrimp with the shells, and they were great.
In a large pot, bring the beer, water, shrimp boil seasoning, salt, peppercorns and the juiced lemon halves to a boil over medium heat. Allow mixture to boil covered for 10 minutes. In the meantime, melt butter in a small saucepan and add the lemon juice. Add the shrimp to the pot of boiling beer, cover, and turn off heat. Check shrimp after 3 minutes for a pink color throughout. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and transfer to serving bowls.
Add 1/2 cup of the beer boiling liquid to the butter and simmer for 2 minutes, then transfer to small serving bowls. Serve the warm shrimp with the butter dipping sauce on the side, and don’t forget the empty bowls for the shrimp shells. Enjoy!
Makes 4 servings.
