Shrimp in the Rough 01
Otherwise known as Peel-and-Eat or other such local names, the idea is the same; Shrimp boiled or steamed, or sometimes sautéed or baked, and seasoned with Old Bay or other nautical spices, served cold, in the shell, and depending on the region, era, and / or local, the heads are either on or off. They are usually served on a bed of lettuce, or not, and with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges… and sometimes with some kind of fancy secret sauce. Below is a simple take on the theme… It will start with about 1-1/2 pounds of 51-60 Shrimp (shell, and head if necessary, on), and should yield about 15 to 20 shrimp each for 4 people.
Servings Prep Time
4servings 10minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2-3minutes 10-60minutes
Servings Prep Time
4servings 10minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2-3minutes 10-60minutes
Ingredients
For the Shrimp…
For the Cocktail Sauce…
Instructions
Cooking the Shrimp…
  1. Bring the Water to a boil with the Sea Salt, Cider Vinegar, and Old Bay, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  2. Prepare the Ice Bath; Ice and Water in a large bowl, and put a strainer in place in the wink to drain the cooked Shrimp.
  3. Make sure that the water is boiling; add the Shrimp all at once and stir quickly.
  4. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes until the Shrimps are bright pink. (Go by the 2 to 3 minute timeline and don’t worry about the color as this can be misleading depending on the species of shrimp and how they have been handled.)
  5. After 2 or 3 minutes, immediately remove the shrimp from heat and strain in the strainer, and then plunge into the Ice Water Bath, stirring around a little.
  6. After the shrimp have been in the Ice Water for about 10 minutes, thoroughly drain them, place in a container, and refrigerate until needed.
Make the Cocktail Sauce…
  1. To a small bowl: Add the Catsup, Chili Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Lemon Juice, Tabasco Sauce, Horseradish (drained), and White Pepper.
  2. Stir well to mix.
  3. Place in a container and refrigerate until needed.
Assembly…
  1. Arrange the Shrimps on a bed of lettuce, or other greens, or just right on a plate.
  2. Serve with Cocktail Sauce, Lemon Wedges, garnish with Parsley Sprigs.
Recipe Notes

This classic is great for just about any time of day or event.