JUDY'S BEST BOILED SHRIMP

I never buy shrimp already cooked;

IMHO, it has no flavor whatsoever. Another thing I don't buy is farm-raised shrimp. No flavor. I buy local wild-caught shrimp.

For the utmost in flavor, always cook the shrimp in its shell, because the shell helps to flavor the water. However, I don't do that. I like the veins out of the shrimp before it's cooked, because they're full of pollutants. But anyone who tastes my shrimp says it's full of flavor and delicious. Here's how I do it:

Judy's Best Boiled Shrimp

1 stalk celery with leaves

1 small onion

1 carrot

2 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

1 hot pepper

a few sprigs fresh parsley

2 tsp. Old Bay or Chesapeake Bay seasoning

1 cup drinking quality white wine, or beer (optional)

1 lb. fresh or frozen wild-caught shrimp

Chop all the veggies coarsely. Add to a 3-quart pot with 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil over high heat; add seasoning and wine or beer (if using). Bring back to a boil; cover; reduce heat enough so that the water maintains a slow boil; cook for 20-25 minutes.

Turn heat back to high and bring pot to a rapid boil. Add shrimp; let pot come back to a boil; turn heat off. If you are using small enough shrimp, it will be done; if they are larger, they may take another 30 seconds or so to finish cooking. Drain the pot and add ice cubes if necessary to stop cooking quickly. You don't want to overcook the shrimp, and it gets done amazingly fast. Remember it will continue to cook after it comes out of the pot if it stays hot. So either cool it down quickly with the ice cubes, or let it finish cooking if you think it needs to. If you're not familiar with cooking shrimp, it might take you a few times to get used to it. I kind of just know now when it's done and whether I need to cool it down with ice cubes.

You can serve these shrimp, chilled, with a nice sauce; or use it for a shrimp salad. Or checkout an amazing crab-shrimp salad over at my other blog, http://freecrabrecipes.blogspot.com.

If you have any questions about this recipe, just leave a comment at the end of this post, and I'll answer you.