re: Adding Shrimp to the Crawfish Boil

Osmosis happens very fast, the salt will bring the flavor in with it very quickly, it happens in seconds not minutes.

The only thing you do when you soak shrimp is make it harder to peel and rubbery. Soak water is too hot and continues to cook the shrimp.

You can knock it, IDGAF, but I bet not a single one of you has tried the 1-2 minute boiling time. As long as you still have a rolling boil after adding it is all the time you need.

I’ve never had hard to peel shrimp from putting the salt and seasoning in from the beginning. You see the word “boil” all throughout threads like this, and that is where the simple problem lies. I heat up to the point where the water starts making that first big “swell” then shut it down. I do crawfish the same way, but just a little bit longer after the swells begin. No need to bring either one to a boil.
The other reason for stuck peelings is if the retailer couldn’t sell the shrimp, and then froze or near froze them overnight.

I usually add 5-10 pounds of shrimp to each of my boils. I buy the bags of “easy peel” frozen shrimp from Walmart. I like to use either the colossal or jumbo size. I add them when I kill the fire to the crawfish. I then use a boil boss to cool the water. They come out perfect every time and soak up great flavor.

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FIL already has some shrimp, but it’s not head-on. Is that going to cause a problem?

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No they will be easier to peel and absorb more flavor.

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Quart? How much seasoning? Who the frick measures water? Please tell me you aren't from Louisiana.

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I am. I'm not measuring, but simple math will tell you that a half filled 40 quart pot is 20 quarts of water.

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Half a pot of water. If it's a very small pot, 1lb bag, big pot is a big pound bag.

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It makes a big difference if you are putting a 1 lb bag of seasoning into a 20 quart pot vs a 40 quart pot. "Very small pot" and "big pot" mean different things to different people. That was why I asked, douchebag.

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The only thing you do when you soak shrimp is make it harder to peel and rubbery

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I love these shrimp boil threads

I used to bring the shrimp to a boil and immediately cut the fire soon as I seen a roll. I'd then throw in a frozen 2 liter jug of water to cool whole they soak.

However, I've found that the method of boiling without seasoned water and soaking in cooled off seasoned water makes the shell pop off much better.