Jennifer's Recipe: Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil

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Sometimes life has a funny way of turning out. In the mid 70's we were newly married and living in Bismarck, ND. Shortly after moving there, my husband Gary attended a conference in Dekalb, Illinois. We had never heard of Dekalb. He was so sure he would never visit there again, that he bought me a T-shirt as a souvenir. I still remember that shirt. It had a picture of a building from Northern Illinois University, their mascot Huskie, and rows of corn. I thought it was a funny combination. Less than ten years later we moved to Rockford, about 40 miles from Dekalb. Talk about a funny turn of events!

The corn on the t-shirt might have been field corn but since moving to Illinois I have tasted some of the best sweet corn ever. Illinois ranks 9th in the country for growing sweet corn. August is the time to buy and eat it. It is hard to resist at the stores and farmers' markets. Occasionally I like to do something a little different with the corn. No surprise there. Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil is a fun and unique way to use ears of corn. You add a few more ingredients and a simple delicious meal is ready. It might seem like this is also a funny combination, but it all comes together perfectly. It is baked on one pan and that makes clean-up a breeze. Sheet pan dinners are one of my favorite ways to make a meal.

The t-shirt is long gone but I certainly know where Dekalb is now! More importantly, I know where to buy good sweet corn. Summer moves so quickly, but August and sweetcorn are something to look forward to. I hope you will try Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil before summer is gone. I have one final tip for you and it is not a cooking tip. If you or someone you know is on a trip and buys a t-shirt, just be careful where the shirt is from. Who knows where it may lead to?

Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil

Ingredients:

1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes or small red potatoes - cut into quarters or in half if petite

1/4 Cup of unsalted butter - melted

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

3 ears of sweet corn - cut each ear into 6 mini ears of corn

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

12 ounces of sausage - see notes below - sliced into about 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried - optional

1 lemon - cut into wedges - optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper, foil or grease the pan.

Par boil the potatoes for about 6-8 minutes in a saucepan of water. Meanwhile combine the butter, garlic, and Old Bay Seasoning in a small bowl. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes and put them on the prepared sheet pan. Add the corn, shrimp, and sausage to the sheet pan too. Drizzle the butter mixture over the ingredients and stir till well coated.

Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the shrimp is opaque. Serve with parsley and lemon if desired.
Serves 5-6 depending on appetites.

Notes:

* You may need to parboil the potatoes up to 10 minutes to get them done enough with this amount of potatoes.

* It does dirty another bowl, but I prefer to put all the ingredients in a big bowl, then add the butter mix and stir before putting it on the sheet pan.

* You may need to divide this between several sheet pans if you don't have one large enough to fit everything.

* Sausage choices - Andouille (typical for shrimp boil), Kielbasa, Turkey or Chicken Sausage, Chorizo, Polish Sausage.

* I don't care for Andouille sausage, so I have used Beef Polish from Costco or Asiago Kale Chicken Sausage.

* I buy shrimp that say 31-40 shrimp per pound. It is a good size, but you can experiment with a different size too.

* I make a copycat version of Old Bay Seasoning. See below.

* Recipes Source - slightly adapted from D*** Delicious.net

Copycat Old Bay Seasoning

ingredients:

1 Tablespoon celery salt

1 Tablespoon finely chopped bay leaf

2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika