I was at the grocery store and this was in the 'clearance' basket...
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Io1nocwFL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
Crabs/lobsters are all but impossible to come by around here, but I guess I could do a big bag of jumbo shrimp??
What else could I dump in it?
Potatoes, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, hot dogs, onions, garlic, sausage. I could go on....
Quote from: ronbeaux on December 09, 2009, 11:48:21 AM
Potatoes, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, hot dogs, onions, garlic, sausage. I could go on....
Ahh, so pretty much anything!
Squirt,
I've heard about Zatarain's before. What does "In Bag" mean?
For shrimp, yeah, I'd go for 16-20 ct per pound. I'd assume you'd get them frozen. Defrost in VERY lightly salted or plain water. Then, don't cook too long or they get really tough. I like doing them with shells on. I've heard it makes for better flavor, just like bone-in meat.
Besides, leaving the shells on slows the diners down some. :D
yep its good stuff. in the summer when we do corn we put some in the water.
nepas
Quote from: squirtthecat on December 09, 2009, 11:50:07 AM
Quote from: ronbeaux on December 09, 2009, 11:48:21 AM
Potatoes, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, hot dogs, onions, garlic, sausage. I could go on....
Ahh, so pretty much anything!
Yep. This is what normally goes into my crawfish bawls. Oh, and corn.
Corn? Yeah, I think I have a little bit of sweet corn in the freezer..
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_CbvAIVzmFFM/SoYXTa6toKI/AAAAAAAA51o/b_-lszzPwhQ/s800/0814092047-00.jpg)
Arnie, it's a dry mix. And I think it is in a mesh bag you toss in the pot.
corn, little taters, lemons, onions, smoked sausage, bugs, crabs, shrimps.........mmmmmm i wanna go back to Baton Rouge again
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on December 09, 2009, 12:02:39 PM
corn, little taters, lemons, onions, smoked sausage, bugs, crabs, shrimps.........mmmmmm i wanna go back to Baton Rouge again
I'm gonna need a bigger pot!
Quote from: ArnieM on December 09, 2009, 11:52:37 AM
Squirt,
I've heard about Zatarain's before. What does "In Bag" mean?
It means all the spices and stuff are contained in a bag, so they don't get into everything you are boiling with it. We also used to use the liquid crab boil in addition to the "in bag" stuff for our shrimp boils. If we did crabs, it didn't matter if it was in the bag. Our shrimp boils consist of
5# or more shrimp - in shell
corn on the cob
potatoes
lemons
onions
hot dogs.
We were a family of 5, but I was fast enough, I got to eat about half of it! I could put it away. Good Memories. We used to seine our own shrimp, so we always had a lot around in the freezer. They had to - I had two big empty legs to fill!
We do a crab boil two three times a year (ya just thought all I do is brisket) ;D And thats what we use. Boiling water, onion, lemons, red potatos, corn on the cob, crab legs, shrimp and some crawfish. Just be careful and not bust the bag!
C
Cool, thanks guys!
Now I need to find a basket for my big dutch oven... Otherwise I'll be fishing stuff out of there with a slotted spoon.
STC,
Gotta pasta pot insert?
KyNola
No, and some days, I wish I did.
I can probably find a cheapo deep fryer basket that will fit in my big 7.25 qt Le Creuset..
Try you rice cooker ;D
Quote from: ronbeaux on December 09, 2009, 01:17:55 PM
Try you rice cooker ;D
You beat me to it!
I'll set it up out in the driveway and stir it with a boat oar like your video... :D
That ain't no boat ore! It's a custom made jambalaya paddle!
Quote from: ronbeaux on December 09, 2009, 01:33:09 PM
That ain't no boat ore! It's a custom made jambalaya paddle!
I know, I was just busting your chops.. ;D
And for what shrimp cost around here, I won't be putting them in the pressure cooker!
squirt you will have fun with that. the corn and the potatoes are fantastic in crab boil. I enjoy that as much as the shrimp and crayfish.
Little tip when doing corn in the crab boil. Add a cup of sugar to the pot, well my pot anyway. Anyway, point is that the sugar will help tame the corn so it's not so harsh. It tends to really soak up the seasonings, like mushrooms. It won't affect the shrimps all that much. Don't get me wrong, I like spicy food, but flaming lips from gnawing on COTC soaked in red pepper is a little too much.
Quote from: ronbeaux on December 09, 2009, 02:02:25 PM
Little tip when doing corn in the crab boil. Add a cup of sugar to the pot, well my pot anyway
Good to know!
Just how big was that pot you used in the video?? You said you had like 30+ pounds of crawfish in it..
That was a 38lb sack into a 120qt pot. The FIL had my REAL propane burner or it would have been much much louder. Normally sacks around here range from 38lbs for the 'Select' meaning big ass crawfish to 52lbs for whatever is left over.
WOW!
Thanks again for the sugar tip.. I'm looking at a 4 quart 'boil' to begin with. ::)
Well then you sure don't want to put the whole cup of sugar in there ;D
Quote from: ronbeaux on December 09, 2009, 07:08:19 PM
Well then you sure don't want to put the whole cup of sugar in there ;D
Yeah, I'll do some ciphering first... ;)
Squirt,
As previously mentioned, shrimp just needs a quick, little dip or it is tough. I was in a quandary over tough and spicy shrimp or mild tender shrimp. The spices just didn't penetrate the shell on shrimp if they were lightly boiled; at least for my taste.
I have started soaking the shrimp in the cold crab boil and water solution for a while. Remove the shrimp, bring up the boil, add a can of pickled jalapenos with juice, then throw in the shrimp for a quick dip. Pull them while still rare and let the carryover heat finish things off.
Drain well and serve with the jalapenos interspersed with the shrimp. The result is a spicy yet tender delight.
Serve with Pachanga Red;
This is a quick and easy Red sauce that tastes better than anything you buy in a bottle.
3/8 cup Ketchup
3/8cup chili sauce
1 Heaping Tablespoon Creamed Horseradish
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
Good luck and quick boiling,
Pachanga
Quote from: Pachanga on December 10, 2009, 02:14:03 AM
This is a quick and easy Red sauce that tastes better than anything you buy in a bottle.
3/8 cup Ketchup
3/8 cup chili sauce
1 Heaping Tablespoon Creamed Horseradish
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
Thanks Pachanga. That looks similar to a sauce Hal's sister puts together for shrimp... Good stuff.
Interesting technique Pachanga. I like that idea.
Because shrimp takes such a short time to cook, I have taken to boiling shrimp without the shell unless I'm doing 10-15 pounds worth because as Pachanga says, no longer than they can stay in the boil, they don't have an opportunity to really soak up the flavor. I use the liquid crawfish boil and If I'm just doing 2-3 pounds for Jan and me, I really up the amount of liquid that goes in the water and bring it to a rolling boil along with lemon juice, lemon halves and extra Tony Chacere's dry cajun seasoning in the water. Don't stick your head over the pot unless you choose not to breathe for a while. I throw the peeled shrimp into the boiling water, put a lid on it and immediately turn off the heat. Through trial and error I have learned that in exactly 7 minutes, they are perfectly done and I get them out of the water immediately.
KyNola
KyNola,
I will be giving your technique a try. I'm a Tony's fan myself but use Old Bay some also. I would be interested in your preferred brand of liquid crawfish boil.
Thanks for the timing information. It takes lots of experimentation to figure that out.
Good luck and let it boil,
Pachanga
Pachanga,
I like the Zatarain's liquid crab boil. I have also used Rex's before as well. Rex's is hard for me to find locally. Like I said, because they're only going to be in there 7 minutes, I double or maybe triple the amount of liquid crab boil that the bottle calls for.
I have used Old Bay in place of Tony's as well too.
You really intrigued me with putting the shrimp in a cold crab boil. Would never have thought of that but it makes sense. Here's what I'm thinking about. Using your technique, peel some shrimp and put them in the cold crab boil solution for a while. Take them out, pat them dry, allow to form a pellicle and then smoke those babies.
KyNola
I occasionally make my Cilantro Potato Salad using the boiling bags for the red potatoes.
Adds some zest to it.
I have a real easy crab, crawfish tail and corn chowder that I throw together that calls for liquid crab boil in it. YUM.
KyNola
Quote from: KyNola on December 10, 2009, 10:24:46 AM
I have a real easy crab, crawfish tail and corn chowder that I throw together that calls for liquid crab boil in it. YUM.
KyNola
Oh that sounds damn good and so does that cilantro Potato salad of CRG's
KyNola,
QuoteHere's what I'm thinking about. Using your technique, peel some shrimp and put them in the cold crab boil solution for a while. Take them out, pat them dry, allow to form a pellicle and then smoke those babies.
Nice idea. You've got that brain cranking. The best of both worlds. Let us know the results if you beat me to it. I peeled over 70 pounds of wild gulf shrimp this year and vacuum packed them. Saved the shells for gumbo stock.
Good luck and shrimp it up,
Pachanga
How 'bout something completely off the wall...
Pintos cooked with the crab boil bag? (turbo cooked, of course!)
I'll look first to make sure there isn't any salt in the crab boil..
Quote from: Pachanga on December 10, 2009, 10:46:45 AM
KyNola,
QuoteHere's what I'm thinking about. Using your technique, peel some shrimp and put them in the cold crab boil solution for a while. Take them out, pat them dry, allow to form a pellicle and then smoke those babies.
Nice idea. You've got that brain cranking. The best of both worlds. Let us know the results if you beat me to it. I peeled over 70 pounds of wild gulf shrimp this year and vacuum packed them. Saved the shells for gumbo stock.
Good luck and shrimp it up,
Pachanga
Now that could be "Out of the Park".
Excellent thread and some great post!
Sorry STC, feel like I hijacked your thread.
Don't know why you couldn't cook those beans in the crab boil. Be advised you may really jack them up with seasoning. That bag of stuff is pretty potent.
KyNola
Quote from: KyNola on December 10, 2009, 01:54:50 PM
Sorry STC, feel like I hijacked your thread.
Don't know why you couldn't cook those beans in the crab boil. Be advised you may really jack them up with seasoning. That bag of stuff is pretty potent.
KyNola
No hijacking at all! These are all great ideas.. Crab boil brined smoked shrimp!
I might try the Pinto beans tonight while the Mrs is having their Christmas program at her school. (in case I need to fumigate the house before she gets home :D)
I can stir in some of that chuck I smoked last weekend..
We'll see how it goes. (or if I have to unplug it and put it out on the deck)
I've given some more thought to the crab boiled pinto beans. I assume you're going to do them with your pressure cooker. I'm wondering if doing them under pressure may force a LOT of spice in those beans. If you do it tonight, I'll be anxious to hear your results on it.
Can't believe you found it on a CLEARANCE rack. The grocery where I buy my liquid boil also has a clearance rack. I walked by in once and there were probably 10 bottles of my beloved liquid boil on the rack at a ridiculous low price so they all went home with me and I was mad because I thought they were no longer going to carry it. Apparently they caught so much flak over not carrying it anymore that they now stock twice as much as they used to. :D
KyNola
Definitely doing it 'under pressure'... Gotta run the carpet cleaner first. One of the critters thinks our bathroom should be her bathroom as well. >:(
I don't know how 'clearance' it was, it was 2 bucks for the box. But it seemed out of place in this podunk IGA in a tiny redneck town in the middle of nowhere... They don't even sell seafood in this place, unless Mrs Paul's fish sticks count.
Maybe they use it in Burgoo?? :D
Will report back later. Unless I mace myself with cayenne laden steam..
Unless I am mistaken, that crab boil is high in salt.
I am not a bean person, but I seem to recall NePas stating that salt will make the beans tough.
Maybe add it at the end ?
Quote from: FLBentRider on December 10, 2009, 05:06:21 PM
Unless I am mistaken, that crab boil is high in salt.
I am not a bean person, but I seem to recall NePas stating that salt will make the beans tough.
Maybe add it at the end ?
Not in this kind. Yeah, I learned about the salt thing the hard way. ;)
Let me find the ingredients.
Ingredients:
MUSTARD SEED, CORIANDER SEED, CAYENNE PEPPER, BAY LEAVES, DILL SEED, ALLSPICE.
Now, these ones:
(http://www.zatarains.com/~/media/Images/Sites/Zatarains/Product%20Pages/Product%20Details/Seafood%20Boils/Crawfish%20Shrimp%20and%20Crab%20Boil%20Complete.ashx?w=204&as=1)
(http://www.zatarains.com/~/media/Images/Sites/Zatarains/Product%20Pages/Product%20Details/Seafood%20Boils/Crawfish%20Shrimp%20and%20Crab%20Boil%20ExtraSpicy%20Complete.ashx?w=204&as=1)
(http://www.zatarains.com/~/media/Images/Sites/Zatarains/Product%20Pages/Product%20Details/Seafood%20Boils/ProBoil_14oz.ashx?w=204&as=1)
Ingredients:
SALT, DEXTROSE, CAYENNE PEPPER, NATURAL FLAVORS WITH OLEORESIN PAPRIKA, TOCOPHEROLS, ASCORBIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, LEMON JUICE (MALTODEXTRIN, LEMON, CITRIC ACID, SUGAR), SPICES, BLACK PEPPER. (etc, etc.)
For the shrimp, the worst thing you can do is overcook it...
And shrimp cooks fast.
(that cold soak idea sounds good)...
My shrimp is always spicy enough, because the sauce will wake you up by itself:
(JC makes it the same way)...
1 Bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
1 heaping TBLS prepared horseradish
splash of Lea & Perrins
splash of Tabasco
splash of lemon juice
I have not seen the xtra spicy or the pro boil. I'll have to take a look next time I go to the big city.
CRG,
That's what I'm thinking! That stuff looks like what I've been talking about if you're using a dry boil mix.
KyNola