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Old Bay Shrimp

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Make this classic Old Bay Shrimp boil recipe in advance and chill. Serve with cocktail sauce or butter and watch these Boiled Old Bay Shrimp disappear!

Originally Posted: April 24th, 2012    |   Updated: December 18th, 2018

close up overhead shot of cooked old bay shrimp boil topped with extra old bay seasoning with wood bowl filled with cocktail sauce

OLD BAY SHRIMP BOIL RECIPE

Have you ever wanted something really bad and not been able to have it? Well, my husband did, and what he wanted was these Old Bay Shrimp.

See, at his 16th birthday party,  he found out that he was allergic to shellfish, not mildly, but anaphylaxis-carry-an-EPI-pen-emergency-hospital-admission type of allergic.

Now that I am a parent, I cringe to think of the horror that my mother-in-law had to endure when she saw her son start to have trouble breathing and not understand why.

Yikes right!?!

Fast forward to many years of avoiding shellfish at all costs while still being a good-enough sport to sit through clam bakes, crab-eating trips to Baltimore and a road trip through coastal Maine where someone made said person who is allergic to shellfish stop at every roadside stand in view for real clam chowder.

All the while, all he wanted was a big bowl of Old Bay Shrimp.

cooked old bay shrimp falling out of a paper bag in front of cocktail sauce on a tray sprinkled with old bay

To sit and eat them, dirty fingers and all, in peace, with some spicy cocktail sauce.

After we had our son, our son’s pediatrician suggested that my husband get re-tested for his shellfish allergy, because apparently, you can “out-grow” your allergy. Who knew?

Yep, you guessed it – Mr. EverydayMaven is no longer allergic to shellfish or any food for that matter.

We found this out about a year ago and I am embarrassed to admit I just finally got around to making this for him.

Yes, he loved it.

And, ate one pound by himself in peace, dirty fingers and all.

How long does it take to make a shrimp boil?

Not long at all. In somewhere around 10 minutes (Including prep time!) you can have this Old Bay shrimp boil recipe finished and chilling in the fridge. If you’re making your own cocktail sauce for the shrimp, that will only tack on an extra minute or two.

Can you make this Old Bay shrimp boil recipe Keto or Whole30?

Yes, absolutely. For Whole30, leave out the sauce or just use sugar-free ketchup instead. For keto, serve with melted butter.

Looking for more Old Bay recipes?

Here are a few more recipes on the blog featuring Old Bay seasoning:

Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

Old Bay Shrimp
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Chilling Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
 

Make this classic Old Bay Shrimp in advance and chill. Serve with cocktail sauce or butter and watch these Boiled Old Bay Shrimp disappear!

Course: Appetizer, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: boiled shrimp, Old Bay, Old Bay Shrimp, peel N' eat shrimp, Shrimp Appetizer
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 268 kcal
Author: Alyssa Brantley
5 from 6 votes
cooked old bay shrimp falling out of a paper bag in front of cocktail sauce on a tray sprinkled with old bay
Print
Ingredients
SHRIMP:
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar *can sub beer
  • 8 cups water
  • 1/3 cup Old Bay seasoning
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 6 whole peppercorns
  • 2 pounds large Wild-caught Shrimp
  • 2 T Old Bay seasoning for tossing
COCKTAIL SAUCE:
  • 1 cup ketchup natural or organic
  • 3 T horseradish
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce gluten free if necessary
  • pinch salt
Instructions
SHRIMP:

  1. Combine vinegar, water, 1/3 cup Old Bay, garlic and peppercorns in a large soup pot. 

    Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

    pouring old bay seasoning into vinegar in a large soup pot to make old bay shrimp

  2. When water is rapidly boiling, add shrimp, cover and cook 2 to 4 minutes (until shrimp are just pink).

    large soup pot filled with cider vinegar, old bay, spices and shrimp. covered with a lid and boiling for old bay shrimp

  3. Immediately drain shrimp and toss with remaining 2 tablespoons Old Bay.

    draining cooked old bay shrimp into a colander

  4. Place uncovered in a bowl and refrigerate (at least 30 minutes) until ready to serve.

COCKTAIL SAUCE:

  1. Combine all ingredients.

    I use 3 tablespoons of horseradish to 1 cup of ketchup but I like my cocktail sauce to have a kick. 

    Start with 2 tablespoons and slowly adjust to taste and spice level. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Serve with plenty of napkins and Enjoy!

    combining ingredients for easy cocktail sauce recipe in a small glass bowl
NOTES:

 

Note that the nutrition information is for the Old Bay Shrimp ONLY and doesn't include the cocktail sauce as many of you will serve this without the sauce or with melted butter. 

Nutrition Facts
Old Bay Shrimp
Amount Per Serving (0.5 pound of cooked shrimp)
Calories 268 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 5%
Cholesterol 571mg 190%
Sodium 1792mg 75%
Potassium 292mg 8%
Total Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Protein 47g 94%
Vitamin A 4.2%
Vitamin C 13.6%
Calcium 43.3%
Iron 43.5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.

cooked old bay shrimp falling out of a paper bag in front of cocktail sauce on a tray sprinkled with old bay

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Nicole Foster says

    February 18, 2019 at 10:06 pm

    This was fantastic – both my husband and I loved it! Thank you for the keto suggestion of dipping in butter also!

    Reply

  12. Ann says

    July 22, 2018 at 6:01 pm

    Just made tonight and NEVER have made shrimp with Old Bay like we get steamed at the grocer in Nags Head…this seriously mimics it and may even be better (I used twice as much garlic and saved it from the colander to add to my post-peeled scrumptious shrimp!) Thanks so much for this recipe…glad Costco sells huge bottles of Old Bay as I’ll be doing this recipe on a regular basis as its so quick, easy & delicious!

    Reply

  14. Ralph De Pino says

    December 30, 2017 at 9:38 am

    Hi Alyssa, I used your recipe this past christmas eve. I used colossal ready cooked shrimp and left the tail on. I will never eat raw shrimp again after that. Thank You

    Reply

  15. Joel says

    October 12, 2017 at 6:59 am

    One thing we do in the south to take advantage of all those spices before cooking the shrimp we throw in sausage and mushrooms to Soak up some of the seasoning and keep that separated along with the corn and potatoes before the shrimp for those people that are shellfish allergic

    Reply

  17. Deni says

    February 6, 2016 at 6:25 pm

    I’m trying to figure out cooking the shrimp without deveining. I thought that wasn’t possible. Why DON’T you need to devein?

    Reply

    • Brandon says

      May 10, 2016 at 3:56 pm

      Following this recipe at least 5 times, I have not de-veined the shrimp any of those times. There is nothing off-putting or anything that has made us ill. ?

      Reply

    • Steve Rivkin says

      March 20, 2017 at 10:09 am

      It is true some say deveining makes shrimp tastes better but a large percentage of the world does not do this and says no difference – I think it is more the thought for “some” people that the black vein is shrimp poop which does not sound yummy – but many eat crab guts and all kinds of things – so let cultures and people make their own decisions. On stir fry shrinp my Asian friends eat them shell and all – they taught me. I got used to it and like it fine but how they are cooked is a factor.

      Reply

  18. Shannon says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:49 am

    This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it tonight! Question–can I peel the shrimp before cooking? Not a huge deal, but I’d like it to be a little less messy to eat. (And if they’re already peeled I can eat them more quickly ?) Thanks in advance!

    Reply

  19. Monica says

    December 6, 2015 at 10:32 am

    Thank you for recipe! I know you said you used thawed shrimp but can I use frozen shrimp? I have two lbs in the freezer and plan to make it this afternoon. Thanks again!

    Reply

    • EverydayMaven says

      December 6, 2015 at 10:57 am

      Hi Monica! Do you mean put the frozen shrimp directly into the boiling water? I wouldn’t suggest that as the shrimp will likely get overcooked. A quick thawing method is to take the frozen shrimp and put them in a colander and run cold water over them for 10 to 15 minutes. Then continue on with the recipe as written. Enjoy!

      Reply

  21. Cathy Todd says

    March 4, 2015 at 8:25 am

    I made this last night.Wow, wonderful. I am a seafood snob and this reminded me of the Jersey shore, newspapers, and licking fingers. Thank you so much!

    Reply

  22. Chiefan13 says

    October 26, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    Just got back from Galveston, TX with #20 of fresh shrimp of various sizes. This is the first thing we’ve done with them and it’s hard to beat. Thanks!!!!

    Reply

  23. Beth says

    September 28, 2013 at 3:42 am

    I’m doing this shrimp thing as part of a surprise birthday party for my husband (and his 6 best friends). A total “boy food” event…you know, messy wings, meatballs and these delicious sounding shrimp. Can’t wait! And, yes, newspapers all over the table on the porch and paper plates. And a roll of paper towels. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  24. Sara S. says

    March 12, 2013 at 10:49 am

    Made this recipe last weekend and we LOVED it! I think I could’ve eaten all two pounds myself! haha 🙂 That was some serious self control…

    Reply

  25. Jonny Hackett says

    February 2, 2013 at 1:09 pm

    Plan on making this for my wife tomorrow since she’s never had peel and eat shrimp. My mother used to make this for us as kids and I loved it. Did you both with de-veining the shrimp? I can’t remember if we did or not. Thanks!

    Reply

  28. Linda says

    April 28, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    I am curious as to the purpose of the vinegar in the mixture? I make Old Bay shrimp, but have never added vinegar. I like the idea of adding some Old Bay at the end of the cooking time to increase the flavor–haven’t tried that either, but I’m going to!

    Reply

    • EverydayMaven says

      April 28, 2012 at 4:50 pm

      Hi Linda, The vinegar helps the shrimp peel easier and enhances the flavor. Definitely toss them with some extra Old Bay – it’s the best!

      Reply

  32. Joanne says

    April 25, 2012 at 5:03 am

    I’m still hoping I outgrow my dog allergies but no such luck just yet. Thankfully, I have no food allergies! So I’m i the clear to make this!

    Reply

  33. Heather @girlichef says

    April 24, 2012 at 3:41 pm

    Oh my gosh, YUM! I haven’t had this type of shrimp in years — and yes, now I’m totally in NEED of some, as well. How awesome that he outgrew that allergy – it’s like the clouds parted. Ha! Yum. So making these. SOON!

    Reply

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