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!
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.
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:
- Crispy Old Bay Shrimp
- Old Bay Shrimp Celery Boats
- Baked Old Bay Sweet Potato Fries
- Old Bay Grilled Salmon
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Make this classic Old Bay Shrimp in advance and chill. Serve with cocktail sauce or butter and watch these Boiled Old Bay Shrimp disappear!
- 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
- 1 cup ketchup natural or organic
- 3 T horseradish
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce gluten free if necessary
- pinch salt
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Combine vinegar, water, 1/3 cup Old Bay, garlic and peppercorns in a large soup pot.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
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When water is rapidly boiling, add shrimp, cover and cook 2 to 4 minutes (until shrimp are just pink).
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Immediately drain shrimp and toss with remaining 2 tablespoons Old Bay.
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Place uncovered in a bowl and refrigerate (at least 30 minutes) until ready to serve.
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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!
- Click here to get help figuring out which Shrimp to buy! (Seafood Watch)
- For Whole30, omit the sauce or use a sugar free ketchup to make it.
- For Keto, serve with melted butter.
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.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Originally Posted: April 24th, 2012 | Updated: December 18th, 2018
I’m curious when you talk about this recipe for parties or dinners…do you take the shells off or have your company take off their own shells? Isn’t that a bit difficult when people are there for a party and dressed up….(not sitting around a table). I’d be worried for accidental fingers going on my sofa etc. I understand doing this around a family table, great fun I’m sure.
Hey Marty! Great question – for a casual gathering (close family, sitting around a table, backyard BBQ, etc.), I leave the shells on. But, for a fancier party where people would be dressed up or more of a cocktail party, I would remove the shells after cooking, leave the tails on and sprinkle with a bit more Old Bay before serving so that the guests could pick up the tail and easily eat like they would a shrimp cocktail. Hope that helps!
I’ve made these twice in the past week. Yhe family loved them. We served them warm with a caesar salad. I didn’t have peppercorns and used garlic powder, but they were AMAZING! So glad Costco sells the big containers of Old Bay Seasoning. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Best comment Mike! Thanks and I am most definitely adding that to my Costco shopping list – we use A LOT of Old Bay!
Can I use jumbo (16-20 count) shrimp for this recipe? How do I adjust the cooking time? Really looking forward to trying this once the Covid-19 pandemic is over.
Hey Mike! Absolutely! I have made this with all different size shrimp and it works perfectly! Cooking time should be the same but just check 1 before pulling them all out!
Hi, I only have frozen cooked shrimp in my freezer. Any modification I should keep in mind?
Hi Gaya – you could quickly warm the shrimp by submerging in boiling water for 15 seconds and then toss with the Old Bay. It won’t be the same (cooking the raw shrimp in the mixture adds a ton of flavor and locks it in with the shells), but, it will still be pretty yummy!
Made this for dinner for my family the other night and there were none left! Really easy and delicious. I will definitely be making this again!
One of our favs as well Shannon – they always go so fast!! So happy your family loved them 🙂
Can the recipe be doubled or tripled? Looking forward to trying this out.
Hey Mike! Absolutely – I’ve made 5x the recipe as written 🙂
Do the shells split when boiled? And we like ours warm , so we can eat fresh from the pot, yes?
Hi Suzy! The shells shouldn’t split with this amount of cooking time! We also eat them warm sometimes – soooo good!
This was fantastic – both my husband and I loved it! Thank you for the keto suggestion of dipping in butter also!
You’re welcome Nicole – so happy to hear you loved it!
Do I use frozen or showed shrimp?
I have used both!
Do I have to do anything special with frozen? Thaw them first? Just dump them in? I’m new at this cooking thing, bare with me.
Hey Tom! Great question – I would thaw them first so that they cook evenly. You can take the frozen shrimp (in the shell) and put them in a colander and run very cold water over them for about 10 minutes to quick thaw OR just leave in the fridge overnight or for a few hours. Hope you love it!
Do I mince the garlic?? I’m about to do this now for tonight.
Hi Ann! Nope, you just toss them right into the pot! Hope you loved it 🙂