Beer and peel-and-eat shrimp. One of life’s simplest pleasures. Nothing beats whiling the time away with an ice cold beer and a big ole bucket of tasty, perfectly cooked shrimp. No worries. No rush. Just keep eatin’ and sippin’. These Key West peel-and-eat shrimp were the perfect way to spend my afternoon. Nice big shrimp. Seasoned my way, which means plenty of Old Bay. And a delicious dipping sauce on the side. Good times and good eats!

Try Something Different
If you usually find yourself dipping your Key West peel-and-eat shrimp in cocktail sauce or butter, I really urge you to try the mayonnaise-based dipping sauce in this recipe. It’s got a little mustard tang to it. It’s nice and creamy. And for just a bit of heat, it’s sprinkled with red pepper flake. It’s different in a very good way.
Also try my Parrot Bay coconut shrimp.
Key West Peel-and-Eat Shrimp
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 2 ½ cups lager-style beer preferably Landshark Lager
- 2 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning plus more for serving, if desired
- 2 medium lemons halved, divided
- 1 ½ pounds shrimp medium or large, deveined, shells on
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped, for garnish
For the dipping sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoons sour cream
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- pinch dried red pepper flake
Instructions
For the dipping sauce
- Combine all but the pepper flake in a small bowl.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Serve sprinkled with the red pepper flake for a little color and kick.
For the shrimp
- Add beer, Old Bay and two of the lemon halves to a large pot over high heat.
- Bring to a boil.
- Add the shrimp, making sure they are as submersed as possible.
- Cover and turn off the heat.
- Let shrimp sit in the liquid for 5 minutes. Shrimp should be opaque and firm to the touch.
- Drain the shrimp in a colander and transfer to a serving platter.
- Serve shrimp garnished with parsley, sprinkled with Old Bay (if desired), the two remaining lemon halves and the dipping sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.