What is a shrimp boil, exactly? First and foremost, it’s a party. Eating outside with friends and family is one of the pleasures of hot weather, and a shrimp boil is a great way to gather everyone together over a delicious meal. Popular around the American South, especially in the Lowcountry and Gulf Coast regions, shrimp boils are a culinary tradition originally brought to the United States during the wave of Cajun immigration from Canada during the 1700s.

Ingredients

• 6 yellow onions, peeled and quartered
• 2 heads celery, rinsed and trimmed
• 5 artichokes, stems peeled
• 6 heads garlic, tops trimmed off
• 2 lemons, halved
• 2 (16-ounce) bottles zatarain's liquid shrimp and crab boil
• 3 bags shrimp boil spice, like zatarain's
• 3/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup creole or cajun seasoning
• 50 small red potatoes, washed
• 20 ears of corn, husked and broken in half
• 6 pounds andouille or polish sausage
• 15 green onions, ends trimmed
• 3 bunches asparagus, ends trimmed
• 10 pounds shell-on shrimp, fresh or frozen and thawed

Directions

1. Fill a 44-quart pot with a boiler basket a little over half full with cold water. Add the yellow onions, celery, artichokes, garlic, lemons, liquid boil, spice bags, salt, and Creole seasoning.
2. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the potatoes and return to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes (or a bit longer if your potatoes are larger then golf balls), then add the corn, sausage, and green onions and return to a boil.
3. Fish out one of the larger-sized potatoes and test for doneness. If it's cooked through, add the asparagus and cook until just tender. Remove the basket and let it drain. Bring it over to a paper-covered table and turn the contents over onto the table.
4. Return the basket to the pot of boiling water, add the shrimp, and stir well. Cook the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes, until cooked through. Take the basket back to the table and turn the shrimp out on top of the rest of the meal.
5. Eat, laugh, and be merry