So if any of you have invited my dad’s wife, Kim, to a potluck, chances are you’ve tasted her shrimp cocktail or shrimp pasta salad. If you are a foodie like me, you were wondering what made these shrimp pop with flavor! Well, it is all about the brine. It takes a little longer, but what is twenty minutes when we are talking flavor!

Ingredients

2 lbs of large, raw, de-veined shrimp (fresh or thawed)
½ cup sea salt (or Kosher salt, never table salt)
2 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
¼ cup honey or brown sugar
1 Tbsp peppercorns
1 Bay leaf
2 cups boiling water
2 cups of ice

Place salt, honey, and Old Bay Seasoning in a large bowl. Add boiling water and stir until salt is melted. Add peppercorns and bay leaf. Add ice and let solution come to room temperature. Place shrimp in solution and cover for twenty minutes. Bring a large pot of water to boil. After 20 minutes, rinse shrimp in a colander. Spoon shrimp into the boiling water and cook until their tails curl tight. As the shrimp finish cooking, fish out with a slotted spoon and place onto fresh bowl of ice. Chill for an hour. Serve with good cocktail sauce, preferably a brand with some kick!