This Peel and Eat Shrimp recipe makes a great shrimp appetizer especially when you have fresh Key West Pink Shrimp! Everyone loves boiled shrimp, and this make-ahead dish is so easy to make, it's going to become your new favorite.
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What is Peel 'n Eat Shrimp?
A popular Happy Hour appetizer in Florida restaurants and all over the USA, Peel 'n Eat Shrimp is a plateful of medium-sized shrimp that are often boiled in beer and Old Bay seasoning. The finger-food is served chilled with a side of cocktail sauce.
This recipe is for Peel and Eat Shrimp with No Beer. I put a little optional apple cider vinegar in the water. It adds a little flavor and you cannot taste it--I promise!
This is one of my family's favorite warm-weather seafood recipes. The best shrimp are down here in the Florida Keys are we are lucky enough to be able to pick them up every day.
There are a lot of different ways to cook this dish, and it's simple to make.
My Special Ingredient
My special ingredient is Key West Spice Company's Southernmost Blend made by Tony Lazarus in Key West.
Like Old Bay seasoning, the blend is an all-purpose seasoning with a blend of spices including paprika, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. It has a little kick to it if used in large amounts.
I use it on fish and shrimp. It's all-natural, gluten-free, and has no carbs, no fat, no sugar, and it tastes great! I highly recommend it!
You can get Key West Spice Company Southernmost Blend in Florida at Publix, Winn Dixie, and many Florida Keys gift shops. If you're not in The Keys, you can pick it up at on Amazon.
What You Need
This is an easy recipe to make. Because the shrimp are served in their shells, you can get size medium or large shrimp, cook them for two minutes, and chill for an hour. Each person at your table will peel his or her own, so it's virtually no work for the cook. One pound makes 3 or 4 appetizer servings.
- 1 pound medium or large shrimp, defrosted
- Seafood seasoning, such as Key West Southernmost Blend or original Old Bay Seasoning
- Apple cider vinegar
- Garlic
- Lemon wedges
- Cocktail sauce (optional)
See the recipe card below for quantities.
How To Devein Shrimp
The dark vein you see running along the back of the shrimp is the shrimp's digestive tract. You might not see the vein on smaller shrimp and it's harmless to consume, according to the American Shrimp Processors Association.
For larger shrimp, Large, XL, or Jumbo, you can remove the vein by cutting the shell halfway down the back of each shrimp with a pair of scissors, Then, make a shallow incision and pull out the vein with the tip of a paring knife.
Leave the rest of the shell intact so there's something to peel.
How To Cook Peel 'n Eat Shrimp
- Fill a large pot halfway with water. Add seafood seasoning, apple cider vinegar, a few smashed garlic cloves, and squeeze in the juice of one lemon; throw the lemon in the pot. Over high heat, bring the water to a rolling boil.
- When boiling, add the shrimp. Bring water back to a rolling boil and cook for 2 minutes or until the shrimp are white and no longer translucent.
- Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of ice water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process.
- When cool, place in a serving bowl. Dust with a teaspoon of the seasoning. Serve with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce.
Serve hot or chill until ready to serve. The shrimp can be cooked a day before serving.
What Do Key West Shrimp Taste Like?
The shrimp from Key West is often called Key West Pinks. They are crisp and have a sweet and mild taste.
When buying shrimp, look for wild shrimp. They come from the Gulf of Mexico, now called the Gulf of America, which is their natural environment, instead of a farm with an unnatural diet.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the shrimp with lemon wedges, cocktail sauce, and/or melted butter.
These shrimp make great appetizers. As a main course, the shrimp would be great alongside Caesar Salad, Roasted Mahi, Fried Yellowtail, Seared Mangrove Snapper with Mango Slaw, Crab Cakes, or Stone Crab Claws.
For Homemade Cocktail Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1-2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (found in the condiment aisle)
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- A few drops of hot sauce
Check out Seafood Cocktail Sauce for the full scoop on cocktail sauce.
Top Tips:
- Look for high-quality shrimp. If frozen, choose shrimp labeled as wild-caught or Key West Pink Shrimp for the best flavor.
- Do not overcook the shrimp! Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes just until they turn white and are no longer translucent.
- If you can get a bottle of Southernmost Seasoning, it has great flavor, and you can season all of your seafood with it. It tastes great!
- Peel-and-eat shrimp can get messy—set up plenty of napkins and a discard bowl for shells.
The Best Peel 'n Eat Shrimp Recipe!
- This dish makes restaurant-style peel-and-eat shrimp in 2-5 minutes.
- The cooking time will vary depending on how large your shrimp are.
- Get seafood seasoning from Key West Seasoning Co. or original Old Bay works too.
- Squeeze a lemon into the water as it comes to a boil, add the seasoning, and then the shrimp.
- Bring the shrimp back to a boil and in one to two minutes, they should be done.
- Eat hot or chill for up to 24 hours before serving.
FAQ
Depending on how they're cooked, peel-and-eat shrimp are simple to eat. Make sure your hands are clean, peel the shrimp, and pop them in your mouth. This is a great dish for outdoor gatherings and casual meals.
You can eat peel and eat shrimp hot right out of the pot or chilled overnight. Either way, they taste great with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce.
You can make the shrimp the day before serving them. When you serve them, season them with a little extra spice blend. Cooked shrimp should be good for another 2 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Without the cocktail sauce, there is under one gram of net carbs in each serving.
Yes, peel 'n eat shrimp is always cooked. The FDA advises against eating raw shrimp because they could be contaminated with bacteria and parasites.
Cold beer is usually a staple ingredient for Peel 'n Eat Shrimp. I know we're in the Florida Keys, and beer is a big deal, but this dish, always a crowd-pleaser, is very good without the beer.
Peel 'n Eat Shrimp
Ingredients
FOR THE SHRIMP
- 1 pound uncooked shrimp, medium or large wild shrimp is recommended
- 1 tablespoon Key West Seasoning Company Southernmost Blend or use original flavor Old Bay
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 lemon
- 3 peeled and smashed garlic cloves
- 4 cups filtered water
- fresh parsley for garnish
FOR SERVING
- 1 teaspoon Key West Seasoning Company Southernmost Blend or use original flavor Old Bay
- 2 lemons sliced in wedges
Instructions
- Fill a big pot with water. Add seafood seasoning, apple cider vinegar, a few smashed garlic cloves, and squeeze in the juice of one lemon; throw the lemon in the pot. Bring the water to a boil.
- When the water is boiling, add the shrimp. Bring water back to a boil and cook about 2 minutes or until the shrimp are white and no longer translucent.
- Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of ice water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process.
- When cool, place in a serving bowl. Dust with a teaspoon of the seasoning. Serve with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce.
- Serve hot or chill until ready to serve.
Notes
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- ½ cup ketchup
-
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (found in condiment aisle)
-
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
-
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
-
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce (such as Cholula)
- The shrimp can be cooked and chilled one day before serving.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for a day or two after cooking.
- Do not freeze.
Julia Goolia says
Love this recipe!