Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Shrimp Boil Skillet
Shrimp, smoky sausage and sweet corn make an inviting skillet dinner. Browned potatoes share in the seafood seasoning, and lemon adds a bright finish over it all. There's plenty to choose from on the plate, whether your next forkful lands on shrimp or a golden piece of potato.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 15 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken · Turkey · Seafood
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Brown in sections
Keep nudging cooked ingredients to the side instead of piling everything together. The potatoes and sausage need a little open pan contact to pick up color before the shrimp and corn go in.
2. Check the potatoes early
The potatoes should be just tender before they hit the skillet. If yours are larger than tiny baby potatoes, give them the extra microwave time they need so they can brown instead of stay firm inside.
3. Go easy with the salt
Season as you go, but hold back a little once the sausage and seafood seasoning join the pan. Both bring saltiness, so taste-minded restraint helps here.
Get to know the ingredients
Baby yellow potatoes
Halve the potatoes after microwaving, then put the cut sides down when they go into the skillet. That flat side browns much better than the rounded skin side.
Shrimp
Use large peeled and deveined shrimp, and weigh them after thawing if you're starting from frozen. Cook just until they're opaque throughout so they stay tender.
Old Bay and sausage
Old Bay brings heat, and a Cajun-style smoked sausage can add even more. If heat isn't your thing, choose a milder seafood seasoning and milder sausage.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 9 steps completeMake room for Shrimp Boil Skillet
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
Once the shrimp is cooked through and the spinach has wilted, toss in the lemon juice off the finish line. Add parsley if you like, then serve it warm while the potatoes and sausage still have their browned edges.
A little more help as you go
Use a roomy skillet
This is a full pan, so use a very large, deep non-stick skillet. Space matters here because the potatoes and sausage need room to brown before everything gets tossed together.
Spinach is optional
Add the spinach only after the shrimp has had a short head start. It wilts quickly, and adding it late keeps it from disappearing completely into the skillet.
A few questions you might have
Do I need to boil the potatoes first?
No. They start in the microwave until just tender, then finish in the skillet where they can pick up color. Make sure they're tender before cutting and browning them.
Why does the recipe keep pushing ingredients to the side of the pan?
It gives each ingredient direct contact with the hot skillet. The onions soften first, the potatoes brown next, and the sausage gets its turn before the quick-cooking shrimp goes in.
Can I use frozen corn?
Yes, as long as it's thawed before it goes into the skillet. You can use fresh corn or frozen thawed corn.
How do I know the shrimp is done?
Look for the shrimp to be opaque throughout. It cooks after the butter, corn, seasoning and thyme go in, then finishes with the spinach as everything gets tossed together.
Is the spinach required?
No, it's optional. If you're using it, add it near the end and cook just until it wilts while the shrimp finishes cooking.
Any more cooking tips?
Choose frozen shrimp and thaw them before weighing. Shrimp at the meat counter may already have been sitting for a few days. For less heat, use a milder seafood seasoning and milder sausage. Put the potatoes cut-side down so the flat surfaces brown, and avoid stirring too often so everything has a chance to color.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: cookingclassy.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
