Shrimp Boil for One, with Homemade co*cktail Sauce Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Cooking for One

by: Kayb

January8,2010

5

1 Ratings

  • Serves 1

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Every year, I head south to the Gulf Coast for vacation -- at least once, more if I can manage it. The last few years, it's been Orange Beach, Alabama, in the same condo complex, which is located (a) on the beach and (b) across the highway from a seafood market. And every day, I stroll across the highway at about 6 p.m. to pick up that night's dinner -- fresh shrimp. Shrimp, corn, potatos; homemade co*cktail sauce; sliced avocados sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder; with ice cold Yuengling; with a caprese salad alongside. On the balcony, watching the sun set over the Gulf and listening to the waves. You can't beat it. And if there's more than one of you....just double, or triple, or quadruple everything. You just need a bigger pot. —Kayb

Ingredients
  • For the Boil
  • 1/2 poundlarge shrimp in the shell, deveined
  • 2 to 3 golf-ball-sized new redskin potatos
  • 1 ear fresh yellow corn, husked and silked
  • 1 lemon or lime, halved
  • 6 tablespoonssalt
  • 2 tablespoonsLouisiana brand liquid crawfish boil seasoning (if you use anything other than this, use at least twice what the directions call for)
  • 3 quartswater
  • 2 teaspoonsLouisiana brand powdered shrimp boil seasoning
  • 2 tablespoonsmelted butter
  • For the co*cktail Sauce
  • 1/4 cupketchup
  • 2 to 4 teaspoonsfinely grated horseradish
  • 2 tablespoonslime or lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoonsWorcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoonTabasco or other hot sauce, or to taste
Directions
  1. In large stockpot, bring water, salt, crawfish boil seasoning and halved lime to a boil. Rinse shrimp and set aside.
  2. Scrub potatos and add to pot. Boil for 10 minutes. Break corn in half, to make two small ears, and add. Boil for five minutes more. Add shrimp; allow pot to return to boil and boil for exactly one minute. Drain shrimp and vegetables in colander.
  3. Separate shrimp from vegetables. Toss potatos and corn with melted butter, and sprinkle with powdered shrimp boil seasoning.
  4. For co*cktail sauce, while potatos are boiling, mix all ingredients and refrigerate. Keeps for several days, so if you're at the coast and going to be eating seafood for several nights, make plenty!
  5. Enjoy with cold beer! (And the avocado on the side is a good touch, as well.)

Tags:

  • Condiment/Spread
  • American
  • Shrimp
  • Seafood
  • Lime
  • Serves a Crowd
  • Cooking for One
  • Summer
  • Entree
Contest Entries
  • Your Best Home Alone Dinner

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Angela Jones

  • Andreadoria56

  • drbabs

  • Kayb

I'm a business professional who learned to cook early on, and have expanded my tastes and my skills as I've traveled and been exposed to new cuisines and new dishes. I love fresh vegetables, any kind of protein on the grill, and breakfasts that involve fried eggs with runny yolks. My recipes tend toward the simple and the Southern, with bits of Asia or the Mediterranean or Mexico thrown in here and there. And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a float in the lake, as pictured, is a pretty fine lunch!

8 Reviews

MP September 3, 2019

I've made this recipe twice. It is fast, easy and delicious! A great one-person meal!

Angela J. August 14, 2018

I have no lemon or lime but I'm still gonna make it.

Andreadoria56 May 27, 2011

Looks and sounds great

But are my eyes deceiving me or is there some kind of sausage in the dish on the picture?

Regardless I'm gonna try it, but first I have to find a recipe for liquid craw fish boil seasoning and powdered shrimp boil seasoning. That is definitely not available here in Denmark.

Kayb May 27, 2011

Sometimes I do put andouille sausage in it. This is actually an old photo for a larger shrimp boil that included sausage. And if I were you, I'd order the seasoning here: http://www.louisianafishfry.com/. Enjoy!

Bree June 30, 2010

Thankyou, thankyou. Finally someone has posted a recipe for Shrimp boil scaled down for just me & it sounds wonderful.

Kayb June 30, 2010

Sigh. I posted it before the BP disaster. I've not made it to the Gulf Coast this year, first year in forever, and it just breaks my heart to see the devastation and wonder what the effect will be on all the wildlife and the wonderful seafood. But yes, it's a fine thing to do to treat yourself for dinner for one!

drbabs January 11, 2010

This sounds yummy! My parents live in New Orleans and every summer we rent a big house on the beach in Blue Mountain Beach, Florida. (We used to go to Gulf Shores, too.) This would be great for one of our big family dinners!

Kayb January 11, 2010

It absolutely is. I've done it with as much as 10 pounds of shrimp; I have to go to two pots, and split everything between them. A tip for when you're serving potatos and corn to a crowd -- use a small cooler you can put in the dishwasher. Keeps it all good and hot!

Shrimp Boil for One, with Homemade co*cktail Sauce Recipe on Food52 (2024)
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