Sweet Nonna's Seafood Boil

Remember when I hosted Sweethearts' Seafood Boil for Valentines' Day?? Well, my mom teased that she liked seafood boils...and where was her invitation? So, when we were talking about our Mothers' Day celebration, I suggested a shrimp boil. She was excited. I loved that it was easy and didn't require too much prep.

A note on the recipe title. We joke that she was a mean Mommy, but she's a sweet Nonna. She assures the boys, "It's okay that your mom is mean. She'll be a sweet nonna.' And on that note, I submitted a photo our local newspaper for a Mothers' Day photo contest. My caption: Mean Mommy, Sweet Nonna. I won...well, I won one of the many prizes. But Nonna was so tickled to see her photo, with the boys from last Mothers' Day, in the newspaper this morning. By the time we got to her house this afternoon, she had clipped it out and framed it.

Back to Sweet Nonna's Seafood Boil...

Ingredients comfortably fed 7 people with leftovers

• 1 to 1-1/2 gallons water (adjust to fit pot, I actually did two pots full today and split all of the ingredient between the two)
• 4 C clam juice
• 1 C spice (we used Old Bay) + more for sprinkling
• 1 pounds potatoes (we used the Teeny Tiny potatoes from Trader Joe's)
• 4 ears of corn, shucked and chopped into thirds
• 1 pounds andouille sausage, cut into 2" pieces (Boo. I accidently left these in the fridge at home! Again!! But I'm sure they would have been fabulous in here.)
• 2 pounds shellfish (we used a mixture of littleneck clams and mussels)
• 2 pounds tail-on shrimp
• 1 pound scallops
• 1 pound cod
• 1 pound peeled shrimp
• 1 pound calamari rings
• 6-8 lemons
• 1 C fresh parsley, chopped
• sliced bread for serving

Also needed

• large table
• newsprint

Procedure
Place large pot on stove. Pour in the water and clam juice. Add in the spice mix, cover, and bring to a rolling boil. It's a lot of liquid, so it will take awhile. Leave it at a low boil for 10 minutes. Add in the potatoes and corn. Cover and boil for 10 minutes. The potatoes should be cooked, but not mushy. Add in the shellfish. Cover and boil until they open; ours took approximately 6 minutes. Add in the shrimp, calamari, and fish. Cover and boil until they turn opaque; ours took approximately 3 to 4 minutes.

Wrangle the food out of the broth onto the newsprinted lined table. Once the food is out on the table, squeeze lemon juice over the top. Sprinkle with more Old Bay and parsley.

Funny story: when I got to my parents' house, my mom had set the table with crystal goblets, a tablecloth, and recycled placecards from a previous party. Ummmm....Mom, we don't need plates or utensils. We just need newsprint and napkins! She and my dad reset the table while I finished up cooking.

Clean-up is a breeze. Just roll up the newsprint and toss it in the trash. This is an easy-to-pull together party that we will definitely be doing again soon.