Shrimp with Mustard Lime Dipping Sauce

My friend Craig whom is an excellent cook made this fabulous shrimp for a picnic. I couldn't stop eating them. The shrimp were flavored perfectly and I could have eaten them just as they were, but the dipping sauce was a perfect match. They were possibly the best cold shrimp appetizer I have ever had.

He found the recipe in a Bon Appetit magazine in the R.S.V.P. section where a reader requested the recipe for the peel 'n' eat shrimp at Son of a Gun in Los Angeles.

Leave the shell on or remove the shells.  It's up to you. I'm not a big fan of peel 'n' eat (too messy).  So I peeled the shrimp, leaving the tails on before I cooked them.

Though I loved the shrimp exactly how they were.  I just can't leave well enough alone.  I was unsettled when I read the original recipe that called for 1/4 cup of Old Bay for an undetermined amount of water and 3 whole lemons for only 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp.  It seemed wasteful to me (I am a frugal girl) So I started to do some research...

After scouring the internet I discovered that everyone boils; cooks about 3 min. and always uses an ice bath.  That I have done.  But this I have not - it was an unusual method that went against what I understood about how to cook boiled shrimp.

I found a recipe for Perfect Boiled Shrimp at food.com that insists that you don't need to boil the water when boiling shrimp and most of the comments were solid raves.  I had to check it out.

NO NEED TO BOIL, BOILED SHRIMP

So here we go... Cover the shrimp with cold tap water (about 2" above the shrimp) then place the pot over high heat; stirring constantly. When a shrimp floats, about 3 - 4 min. (no need for the water to boil) it's perfectly cooked. The time will depend on how hot your stove is and the size of your shrimp.  I was cooking on a very hot gas stove and my large (16-20) shrimp took 4 min. to cook. THE ICE BATH IS VERY CRUCIAL TO STOP THE COOKING which will result in a tender shrimp.  This method delivered a perfectly cooked tender shrimp that was flavorful.  I will be cooking my shrimp this way in the future, because I feel there is less room for error.

Other than the way I cooked the shrimp I did everything else as the original recipe called for; toss shrimp with 2 T. olive oil, 1 T. old bay seasoning and 2T. flat leaf parsley.  Then serve with mustard lime dipping sauce. Delish!

SHRIMP with MUSTARD LIME dipping sauce
the original recipe

COOK THE SHRIMP

This is what I did to cook my shrimp;
1 pound, large 16-20 shrimp
6 - 8 cups cold water (about 2" above the shrimp)
3 Tbsp. old bay
1 lemon, cut in half, juice squeezed then add it to the pot.

Place all the ingredients in a pot and cook over high heat; stirring constantly until a shrimp floats. You will need to have about 2 inches of water above the shrimp so they have room to float.  My large 16-20 shrimp took 4 min. to cook.  When the shrimp are cooked, immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking; let cool; then drain.

Do Ahead: shrimp can be cooked 1 day ahead, as well as the mustard sauce and kept in the refrigerator covered.
The thing that needs to wait is...
Just before serving, whisk oil and 1 Tbsp. Old Bay in a medium bowl.  Add shrimp and parsley and toss to coat.

DRESS THE SHRIMP

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. old bay
2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped

MUSARD-LIME DIPPING SAUCE 
- this sauce would be great on grilled chicken breast also

½             cup         mayonnaise

2              Tbsp.     spicy brown mustard

1              tsp.        fresh lime juice (I used half a lime) personal taste

1              tsp.        honey

1              tsp.        light brown sugar

½             tsp.        English mustard powder

½             tsp.        Worcestershire sauce

2-3           drops     Hot sauce, I used cholula

a pinch of              Kosher salt

                               Lime wedges for serving

Whisk mayonnaise, mustard, lime juice, honey, brown sugar, mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce together.  Season with hot sauce and salt to taste.