Try this ‘shrimply’ awesome boil

There’s a lot to be said for your workhorse kitchen tools. When people are talking to me about air fryers, slow cookers and Instant Pots, I know that almost any of these recipes can be made in the oven. I find it to be the tastiest way to cook many things. Someone will probably hate that I’ve started cooking my from-the-freezer hamburgers in the oven with a little finisher on the stove-top. Trust me, it works great. I make plenty of stews in a lidded dutch oven at 350 degrees. Roasted on a sheet pan in the oven is my preferred method for most any vegetable. I even make rice in a pan in the oven when I have to make a lot. The oven browns, roasts, bakes, cooks low and slow … Someone should do an infomercial. Now I’m going to ask you to make a “boil” in the oven.

The purists for seafood boils might hate this recipe, but listen, this way you get the full flavor strength of the seasoning, rather than watering it down. The oven bag helps seal in the moisture and makes clean up simple. A pot on the stove needs tending to, while in the oven you set the timer and walk away from the kitchen. This is an easy recipe to scale for the number of dinner guests, and it’s definitely easy enough for a weeknight. For me, that’s a lot of the appeal. I’ve made it with added crab legs and other shellfish. If you prefer to use raw shrimp, just add them about halfway through cooking rather than the last ten minutes. I haven’t had any trouble with overcooking anything even when I needed to add some more time for the potatoes.

I recently made this for friends and was told that I was hired to make their last meal, if it came to that. There is no amount of this dish that I can make that my oldest child will not finish within 24 hours. An unconventional method maybe, but a tried-and-true kitchen appliance.

Oven-Roasted “Shrimp Boil”

Ingredients:

• 6 baby potatoes

• 1 pound kielbasa

• 2 ears corn, shucked

• 1 pound cooked and peeled jumbo shrimp (16-20 per pound), defrosted

• 2/3 cup salted butter

• 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

• 1 tablespoon Zatarain’s Craw~ sh, Shrimp & Crab Boil

• 6 garlic cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder

• Oven-safe bag (the kind for roasting turkey)

• Salt, to taste

• Lemon and parsley for serving

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Boil the potatoes, whole, for approximately 12-15 minutes. The potatoes should be just cooked.

Melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the seasonings, garlic and bouillon powder to the butter, stir well. Add 2 tablespoons water. Taste it and see if you should add more salt and/or seasoning. I like to do this with a heavy hand, myself, and I personally add 1-2 teaspoons more of Old Bay and some salt. It will be seasoning the whole dish so you need quite a lot.

Cut the kielbasa on the bias into thick slices. Cut the potatoes in half. Slice the onion into chunks and separate. Add these and the corn to an oven bag set inside a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Add the butter sauce to the bag and while holding the top securely, shake it around so it all gets coated. Close the bag with the provided ties.

Bake for 20 minutes, then add the shrimp to the bag. Toss it around again. Bake for 10 more minutes and check if done. It may need a few more minutes, depending on the potatoes.

Serve with lemon and parsley. I also like to make some extra melted butter with garlic, salt and Old Bay seasoning for dipping.

Serves 3-4.

Mariko Jackson writes about family and food. Email her at thelittlefoodie@gmail.com.