Steamed Shrimp, Camp Version
Shrimp steamed over an inch of water, dusted with Old Bay and hit with citrus.
- calories
- 190
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 32
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 13 min
- water
- 250 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Raw shrimp, shell on | 1 lb | large, 16-20 per pound; frozen is fine and travels as its own ice |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 1 cup | just enough to make steam |
| Old Bay seasoning | 1 tbsp | |
| Lemon or lime juice | 2 tbsp | a squeeze bottle or one whole fruit |
| Salt | a pinch | at the end, not during |
Method
- Pour 250 ml of water into the pot. You want steam, not a boil bath.
- Bring it to a hard boil, then add the shrimp in as thin a layer as the pot allows and lid it.
- Four minutes on low heat for large shrimp. Stir once, lid it again, and give it two to four more.
- Pull one out and look at it. Pink, loosely curled into a C, done. Curled into a tight O means you went too far.
- Drain, dump the shrimp back in the pot, and toss with Old Bay, citrus, and a pinch of salt.
The original is an Instant Pot recipe, which is a way of saying it is steam and a timer. A camp pot with a lid does the same job on a stove. The only real variable is water volume: an inch is plenty, and more than that turns steaming into boiling, which leaches flavor out of the shrimp and into water you are about to pour on the ground.
Shrimp is the rare protein that punishes patience. The window between done and rubber is roughly ninety seconds, so check early and pull early. Carryover heat in a hot aluminum pot will finish them while you are getting the seasoning open. This one stays in cooler territory, not shelf-stable, so it is a day-one or day-two meal off a car or a boat.
Packing
Frozen shrimp goes in the bottom of the cooler in a doubled zip bag and does double duty as a cold pack for day one. Premix the Old Bay into a small tin; carry citrus as a squeeze bottle so nothing rolls off the picnic table.
Variations
- Skip the shells and buy peeled if you do not want to sit there peeling by headlamp. Shells add flavor and cost you five minutes.
- Leftovers go cold into tortillas the next morning with hot sauce.
- No Old Bay: paprika, celery salt, and black pepper gets you most of the way.
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/how-to-cook-shrimp-instant-pot