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Epicurious

Peel and Eat Boiled Shrimp

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A platter of boiled shrimp with bay leaves and sliced lemons.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele

I like to boil shrimp with the shells on because it’s less work for me. It also keeps the shrimp more tender, juicy, and flavorful, and it creates a fun ice-breaking project for dinner party guests to peel shrimp themselves and get a little dirty as they eat. Ask your fishmonger for deveined and “easy-peel” shell-on shrimp if you can, or follow the instructions for prep below. Set out a few empty bowls around the table for people to dump shrimp shells in and save them to make a shrimp stock! Serve with aioli, French bread, and a green salad.

This recipe was excerpted from 'For the Table' by Anna Stockwell. Buy the full book on Amazon. This book was selected as one of the best cookbooks of 2022.

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