Beer Boiled Gulf Shrimp
Weekend recipes. Large Gulf shrimp boiled in your favorite beer. I like to use a light ale (not too hoppy) rather than dark beer or pilsner. There's a little butter for a touch of flavor. This is a great way to get messy as you eat--finger food at its best!
Weekend recipes. Large Gulf shrimp boiled in your favorite beer. I like to use a light ale (not too hoppy) rather than dark beer or pilsner. There's a little butter for a touch of flavor. This is a great way to get messy as you eat--finger food at its best!
- Carbohydrate 7.93371875471135 g
- Cholesterol 15.2515625065405 mg
- Fat 6.13852812800177 g
- Fiber 2.2698749670468 g
- Protein 1.12255937577728 g
- Saturated Fat 3.77761000178843 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (406g)
- Sodium 45.9412500212817 mg
- Sugar 5.66384378766455 g
- Trans Fat 0.494060625250492 g
- Calories 79 calories
Step-by-step
- Pour the beer into a large pot with a lid. Add the onion, garlic, butter and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a hard boil on high heat and cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the shrimp. Cover with a lid, and boil until the shrimp have all turned pink and are cooked. Stir the shrimp with a spoon frequently to ensure even cooking.
- Dump the shrimp into a colander to drain, and pick out the onion pieces. Return to the pot and squeeze in the lemon and add the parsley. Stir and serve.
Overcooking shellfish in boiling liquid ruins texture by tightly binding muscle proteins, turning tender meat into rubber within seconds. Preventing this requires maintaining strict temperature control and removing the pot from the heat source the exact moment the proteins denature completely. Light ales work best as a boiling medium because highly hopped styles concentrate bitterness during reduction, overpowering the delicate sweetness of the shellfish.
Boiling the aromatic base of onions, garlic, and Cajun seasoning for five minutes before adding the shrimp extracts essential oils and softens the cell walls of the vegetables. Once the shrimp go into the pot, stirring frequently ensures uniform heat distribution across all three pounds of seafood. Watch the shells closely for a color transition from grey-translucent to opaque pink, which indicates they have reached internal doneness. Drain the batch immediately through a colander to halt the cooking process residual heat would otherwise continue.
Leftover boiled shrimp do not freeze well after cooking because the rapid temperature shifts degrade the cellular structure of the flesh, causing severe moisture loss and a mealy mouthfeel. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days, consuming them cold or gently warmed without additional boiling.
