Shrimp boil poster here. I should have mentioned in case it's not obvious--strain/drain it before serving. i.e., it's not soup or stew--you're just serving the solid food.

^^^
Pat the shrimp dry after rinsing. They don't have to be totally dry, but you don't want them so wet that you dilute your butter or cause it to spatter.

Skillet shrimp

I like this as an appetizer before a steak dinner. Or, at fancier events at home, as a passed hors d'oeuvre. But you could make it an entree if you wanted to.

Use the biggest skillet you have. If it's heavy enough (ideally, cast iron) you can use it on the BBQ. Otherwise, this is a stove recipe.

You'll need 3 spices: cayenne pepper, onion powder, and seasoned salt.
(I learned this recipe with Lawry's, which I later learned has MSG, but you can substitute any other basic season mix you like. Or, if you're watching your salt, I bet it would work with just lots of black pepper, preferably but not necessarily fresh ground.)

Rinse about 2 lbs. of medium or large shrimp, shells on.
Preheat the pan over medium heat--so it doesn't cool off when you throw in all that shrimp.
Once it's up to temp (not too hot--you'll burn the butter) melt two sticks of butter in the skillet.
When it's hot and foamy (but not brown!), add the shrimp. Sprinkle generously with your 3 spices. Don't be shy with the cayenne.
After about 2 minutes, flip them (if you can), or just stir them up. Sprinkle generously again. Be a little more generous with the onion powder and cayenne, not quite so with the seasoned salt.
When they're cooked through and bright pink (4-6 min.), they're done. Remove them to a plate/platter covered with paper towels. Serve while they're hot.

If you're doing more than 2 lbs. of shrimp, you can repeat batches in the same butter. Don't be quite so generous with the seasonings the second time around--a bunch of it is already in the butter from the first batch.

Potato salad is easy. My mom used to make it with one seasoning ingredient called "salad seasoning"--in the grocery store spice rack. Just that and mayonnaise (and potatoes, onions, and hard boiled eggs).

I like to do it with a half/half mix of light mayo and hot spicy mustard. Also, if your crowd likes bacon, throw in about 2 or 3 strips' worth of crumbled bacon.

For veggies, I like stuff you can get at the roadside stand on the way--green beans, corn, summer squash or zucchini (sauteed in butter w/salt & pepper), sliced cucumbers (plain or in vinegar), sliced tomatoes with pepper and maybe a little mayo, etc.

Avocado is also yummy on fish tacos.

For the big white fish we love grouper! I swear it's better than steak, we get it when we go down to north Carolina

Night 1: Grill a big firm white fish. Like mahi mahi. All you need is salt, pepper, and fresh lemon.
Night 2: Fish tacos.
1. Re-warm the leftover fish and cut up in chunks. Dust with chili powder. (I like regular mild grocery store chili powder; go hotter if you like.)
2. Heat up fresh corn tortillas (the soft kind--the ones on the end of the aisle in the grocery store, not refrigerated, are best). You can warm them in a dry skillet, the oven, a steamer (briefly), or the microwave. Whatever.
3. Shred some cabbage. If you want, toss it with oil & vinegar (3 parts vinegar to one part oil). Or just leave it raw.
4. Make a spicy mayo. To spice your mayo you can use hot chili powder, hot sauce, sriracha, or the sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce (be careful--not too much).

Both of these go really well with corn on the cob and lots of beer/wine.


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Shrimp boil

You'll need the following. The quantities are just guesstimates. Usually we just throw a ton of food into the pot in roughly even quantities and it all works out.

a really big pot
a colander, strainer, or slotted spoon
potatoes: .5 to 1 lb. per person
corn on the cob 1.5 ears per person
hot sausage (hot italian or chorizo) .25 to .5 lb. per person
FRESH shrimp .5 to 1 lb. per person. At least medium size but preferably large or jumbo.
beer
newspaper
tons o' paper towels

1. Fill the pot about 1/3 way with water. Pour in a couple of beers.
2. Bring to boil. If you have a couple of bay leaves, throw them in, if not, don't worry.
3. Wash and scrub the potatoes, cut into large chunks, and toss in.
4. Cut the sausage into 3-4" pieces. (For average big sausage links, halves or thirds.) When the potatoes START to get soft (10-12 min., I'm guessing, but check with a fork), toss in the sausage.
5. Break the corn cobs into halves or thirds. When the sausage has been going about 7-8 min., toss in the corn.
6. Rinse the shrimp. Don't de-vein unless you're a fanatic about that kind of thing. Leave the shells on. When the corn looks almost ready (when it's been in maybe 5-6 min.), call "DINNER" and toss in the shrimp.
7. The shrimp should only take 2-4 minutes. When they're bright pink they're ready. You don't want to overcook them, they'll get tough.
8. Serve on a table covered in newspaper, with lots of paper towels. Some people like individual bowls, some like common table bowls, some just throw it on the table.

The hot sausage should pleasantly flavor the whole mix, but not result in a really spicy dish. If people like it hot, have hot sauce available.

9. Enjoy with lots of beer.

We are leaving tomorrow to stay at a beach rental, so we're on borrowed kitchen gear without the benefit of our spices and condiments. What are your favorite recipes that you make when you're in a foreign environment? We're thinking lots of basic grilling and salads (just buy some dressing) and basic rice and stuff, but I thought I would ask and see if anyone had some great recipes that didn't require your extensive spice rack and condiment list?