I’ve had a love affair with the deep blue sea since childhood. I blame Matt Hooper. I spent nearly a decade growing up wanting to be him, sometimes I still wish I had.
So, I was especially sensitive to a documentary I saw some years ago, The End of the Line, about the worrisome trend of endangered fish populations and what it could mean to our planet. I’m sorry to say that until I saw that documentary, I assumed that the vastness of the ocean meant a nearly endless supply of seafood. I should’ve read my history books.
The film, however, had the desired effect, as I have started paying attention to Seafood Watch ever since and trying to buy the best, most ethically sourced seafood I can. The stores in Ames were iffy at best, so I checked again and learned that Whole Foods is partnering with Seafood Watch so their fish options rank between best choice and good alternative. (Not a paid ad, but seriously, yay!)
That’s a long way of saying that it took a little more time to find a key ingredient in this week’s recipe, the beloved shrimp boil. Only, you know, in a sheet pan.
It was worth the wait.
The sheet pan shrimp boil is exactly as it sounds — take all the ingredients in your typical shrimp boil, spread it out on a sheet pan, pour on Old Bay and butter, bake, and you’ve got an amazing, and quick dinner. The longest part was parboiling the potatoes to ensure they’re cooked along with everything else.
We have one more pound of EZ Peel (no deveining required!), USA made, and ethical shrimpies, and I’ll be honest, I’m considering making this one again.
Here’s what I did, mostly following the Damn Delicious recipe, except I wanted the fun of peeling the shrimp:
Ingredients
- 1 lb. medium shrimp (uncooked, EZ peel or peeled)
- 1 (about 12 oz.) package smoked andouille sausage, sliced (I get ethical meat too, I recommend D’artagnan sausage, which is sold in some Hy-Vees)
- 1 lb. small yellow potatoes, quartered
- 3 ears corn, cut crosswise into six pieces each
- ¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 T. Old Bay seasoning
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving (optional)
- Chopped parsley leaves, for serving (optional)
- Olive oil, for coating
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a large rimmed sheet pan (I use the spray kind.)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the potatoes until parboiled, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the sausage, shrimp, and corn onto the greased sheet pan. When the potatoes are ready, drain them and carefully spread on top, trying to keep all items on a single layer.
Stir the garlic and Old Bay into the melted butter, and then pour on top of the shrimp mixture.
Bake the mixture for 12 to 15 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and the corn is tender. Top each serving with parsley and squeeze on a wedge of lemon, and enjoy!