Table Talk
Shrimp & Sausage Boil
The last camping trip of the season must be done in style. Or at least, it must be attempted to be done in style. Our trip up Poudre Canyon (finally!) began inauspiciously, with a campsite finally located in the dark, and, of course, in the rain. The meal that we had planned, a seafood boil, was ditched, due to the fact that we couldn't start a campfire in the rain, and replaced with chicken salad sandwiches with olives & sundried tomatoes, what was supposed to be our lunch the following day. But my oh my were they delicious at 8:30p with a nice glass of Rioja! We woke to a beautiful sunny day, only to be revisited by drizzly rain again at lunch time. This time, however, we were determined to have the wonderful seafood boil that we had planned for the night before. I put a large pot of water on to boil, added some seasoning, small red potatoes, kielbasa sausage, corn on the cob & shrimp. This was dumped out on the picnic table, where we all dug in, stuffing ourselves on a real feast at Sleeping Elephant campground, in the rain.
Shrimp & Sausage Boil
1 3oz. bag of shrimp or crab boil
3 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
2-3 lbs small new red potatoes
4-5 ears of corn, husked and cut in 2-3 inch pieces
1 2lb spicy smoked linked sausage (kielbasa or andouille), diagonally sliced in 1-inch pieces
3-4lbs medium to large unpeeled shrimp (preferably heads on)
3-4 lemons, halved
Snipped fresh Italian parsley
Garlic Mayonnaise or Cocktail Sauce
1. In a 12-16 quart pot bring 2 gallons of water to a boil. Add shrimp/crab boil and Old Bay Seasoning; reduce heat.
2. Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes before adding potatoes, a few at a time, allowing water to continue simmering.
3. Simmer 7-10 minutes, until nearly tender. Add corn; simmer uncovered, 5 minutes.
4. Add sausage and shrimp. simmer 3-5 minutes, until shrimp are opaque (do not overcook shrimp) and sausage is heated through; drain
5. Transfer to large platter. Add lemon halves and sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot or within 1 hour of cooking. Pass garlic mayo or Cocktail Sauce.
Serves 6-8.
