Several weeks ago, my better half asked me to watch an episode of The Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. The show featured Ina Garten making an oven-roasted Southern shrimp boil. Although I was skeptical at first about a roasted boil, I eventually understood that boiling was being swapped by pan roasting but maintaining all the makings of a shrimp boil. Needless to say, I was impressed.
So yesterday, shortly after our weekly grocery shipment arrived, my husband called me into the kitchen, where he had artfully arrayed all the ingredients for the dish and said, “Guess what we’re having for dinner?” It wasn’t until later that evening, after we started to prep, that we realized we had way too much food for two. A few minutes later, my husband returned with a slight grin and said “Guess who’s coming to dinner?” He had extended a last-minute invite to some neighbors who were planning to dine out and happily agreed to partake in our spread.
It was a feast indeed, perfectly tender shrimp in their shells, accompanied by spicy kielbasa, sweet, almost-summer corn, earthy roasted potatoes, all spiced with the typical seafood boil Old Bay seasoning, drizzled with lemon juice, and sprinkled with fresh parsley. A quintessential summer meal with which to celebrate the Memorial Day weekend on our deck.
Oven Roasted Southern Shrimp “Boil” (adapted from “Be My Guest with Ina Garten” on the Food Network.)
Ingredients
1 pound small (1-inch diameter) Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
Extra-virgin olive oil
Old Bay seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ears corn, husked and cut across in 1½-inch chunks
1 pound smoked kielbasa, sliced ½-inch-thick diagonally
1½ pounds large (16- to 20-count) shrimp in the shell
2½ tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 lemons
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a large (13 x 16-inch) roasting pan, toss the potatoes with 1½ tablespoons olive oil, 1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread the potatoes in a single layer, cut sides down, and roast for 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place the corn in a medium bowl, add 1½ tablespoons olive oil, 1½teaspoons Old Bay seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and toss well.
4. When the potatoes are done, turn them with a small spatula and spread out in the pan.
5. Add the corn and kielbasa, toss with a spatula, and roast for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, place the shrimp in the same bowl and toss with 1 ½tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning, ½teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
7. Add the shrimp to the pan and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing halfway through, until the shrimp are just cooked through.
8. Sprinkle with the parsley and the juice of one lemon.
9. Cut the second lemon in wedges and serve hot in large warmed bowls with the lemon wedges and an extra bowl for discarding the corn cobs and shells.
Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Beer
Cooking from Books 