Great Uncle Tag’s - Bay Spiced Shrimp

Ingredients:

5-6 lbs medium sized shrimp, raw with shells on

6 light beers (use any light beer you like)

6-8 dried bay leaves, whole

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1/3 cup Old Bay seasoning

2 large lemons (1 sliced, and one cut into wedges)

2 tablespoons whole peppercorns

2 tablespoons coriander seeds (whole)

1 tablespoon cloves, whole

Cocktail sauce, for dipping

1 chive/green onion for garnish *optional*

Directions:

First, rinse shrimp and place in a large tray.  Squeeze the juice of one lemon, lightly season with 2 tablespoons of the Old Bay seasoning and stir in to incorporate.  Top with sliced lemons.  Set aside in the refrigerator.

In a large pot add beer, the remaining old bay seasoning, bay leaves, garlic, and all of the spices.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 15-20 minutes.  This will get all of the great flavor out of the ingredients.

Now time for the shrimp! We are going to poach the shrimp in the broth we just made.

Remove lid from pot and add the shrimp (if your pot is big enough then add all the shrimp, if not then it’s perfectly fine to do this in batches).  Add shrimp in and continue to stir shrimp around while leaving the lid off.  Shrimp are done once they are bright pink in color and the shells start to curl in slightly (about 5-7 mins).  The shells will keep the shrimp nice and tender but be careful not to overcook them as the shrimp will get rubbery.

Remove the shrimp from the pot with a straining/slotted spoon and they are ready for serving.  Garnish with lemon wedge, cocktail sauce, and chopped chives (optional).