Cajun Shrimp Boil

Joe Jepsen's Specialty submitted via Kate Jepsen

It’s not the Jepsen Family Summer Party without this Cajun Boil!  There’s just something about grabbing food from a spread on butcher paper and eating mostly with your hands, that brings a family closer!  This has become Joe’s specialty and over the years he has experimented with the recipe, perfecting it to what it is today! The aroma is intense, so we usually do it outside over a propane burner, but when we cook it inside, it gets everyone interested and excited for dinner as the ingredients simmer and the scent fills the home.

(This recipe is flexible and cooks are encouraged to alter quantities to their own taste)
Water for pot (canning pot, turkey roaster, or other large, 30 qt. pot)
½ to 1 lb. fresh (3 whole heads) or jarred minced garlic
3 to 4 (small) boxes crab and shrimp boil seasonings (Zatarains or Kroger)
¼ to ½ box (8 oz.) creole seasoning (Tony Chachere’s)
1 bottle (6 oz.) hot sauce (Crystal)
1/3 – ½ pound salt
4 to 5 lemons, cut into sections
2 ½ to 3 lbs. small new red potatoes or white potatoes, washed
½ to 1 lb. white onions, peeled and cut in half
2 to 3 lbs. link or dinner sausage
½ to 1 lb. cleaned baby carrots
6 or 7 ears fresh corn on the cob, cut in half
2 to 4 lbs. medium to large shrimp
1 lb. jumbo shrimp
1 pouch crab meat
1 to 2 lbs. crab legs
1 lb. crawfish
½ lb. scallops
Ice
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter to serve

1. Fill a 30 quart stock pot (preferably with straining basket) about ½ to 2/3 full with water
2. Add garlic, seasonings, hot sauce, salt and cut lemons (squeeze lemon juice into water before dropping in lemons)
3. Test seasonings and adjust, if necessary
4. Bring water to a rolling boil
5. Add potatoes and onions, return to a boil and cook 5 minutes
6. Add sausage and carrots, return to a boil and cook 5 minutes
7. Add corn, return to a boil and cook 5 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender
8. When vegetables are tender, add shrimp, crab, crawfish, and scallops and cook 3 minutes or until shrimp is pink
9. Remove from heat and add ice
10. Stir until shrimp drop to the bottom
11. Let stand 3 to 4 minutes
12. Pull straining basket from water and drain well (or use a colander to scoop)
13. Pour mixture over table covered with butcher paper
14. Serve hot with salt, pepper, and butter