Cooking for One

Shrimp Boil for One, with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

by:
January  8, 2010
5
1 Ratings
Shrimp Boil for One, with Homemade Cocktail Sauce
  • Serves 1
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 cocktail 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

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the Boil
  • 1/2 pound large 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 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons Louisiana brand liquid crawfish boil seasoning (if you use anything other than this, use at least twice what the directions call for)
  • 3 quarts water
  • 2 teaspoons Louisiana brand powdered shrimp boil seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • For the Cocktail Sauce
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 to 4 teaspoons finely grated horseradish
  • 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco 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 cocktail 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.)
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  • Angela Jones
    Angela Jones
  • Andreadoria56
    Andreadoria56
  • drbabs
    drbabs
  • Kayb
    Kayb
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!

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8 Reviews

MP
MP September 3, 2019
I've made this recipe twice. It is fast, easy and delicious! A great one-person meal!
 
Angela J.
Angela J. August 14, 2018
I have no lemon or lime but I'm still gonna make it.
 
Andreadoria56
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
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
Bree June 30, 2010
Thankyou, thankyou. Finally someone has posted a recipe for Shrimp boil scaled down for just me & it sounds wonderful.
 
Kayb
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
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
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!