Recipe: Shrimp Boil

This recipe from Martha Stewart magazine just says summer, whether you tuck yourself away in a cottage in Maine or you are right here in Boise, Idaho, hoping the super-hot temperatures won't keep you from eating on your patio.

Yield: 4 servings

2 lemons, halved, plus wedges for serving

3 bay leaves

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

1 large garlic head, halved horizontally

3 medium onion, peeled and quartered

1 dried red chile

coarse salt or sea salt

8 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine

1 pound new red potatoes, unpeeled, halved if large

4 ears corn, husked, halved crosswise

1 pound unpeeled large shrimp, shell slit lengthwise from top to halfway down back, deveined

hot sauce, for serving

Fill a large stockpot with 4 quarts water. Squeeze lemons into water; add rinds. Add bay leaves, seasoning, garlic, onions, chile, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Add potatoes; simmer 12 minutes. Add corn, simmer 5 minutes. Add shrimp; cover, and simmer until opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer ingredients to parchment paper or a bowl. Sprinkle with salt; serve with lemon and hot sauce.

-- Emily Simnitt

This story was originally published July 14, 2006 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Recipe: Shrimp Boil."