Poor Man's Shrimp Cocktail

Poor Man's Shrimp Cocktail

If you've been following my posts, or read my intro, you will have noticed that I have food allergies.  Of those food allergies, Shrimp is one of them.  I was very pleasantly surprised when an old friend (not that HE is old, the friendship is, but not old like bad, old like a well worn shoe.....oh man, you know what I mean!), sent me a recipe, a friend of his sent him from Florida, called "Poor Man's Shrimp Cocktail."  My first thought was, aw how sweet a recipe for an allergen, delete.  Then I remembered that he follows my blog! He knows my food allergy.  He's a Fireman, he has a blog "Working on the East Side", he wouldn't give me a recipe for something that could potentially kill me, or at the least, itch me to near death.  Of course, this was exactly right.  I immediately went out and bought the ingredients.  Thanks Herbie!!!!

Before I developed the shrimp allergy, it was one of my favorite treats.  I can not tell you how excited I was to get the recipe started.   I felt like I was being pretty daring, making this shrimp cocktail....., well, there's no shrimp, but it does have it in the name, so that counts, OK maybe not, anyway.   Let me tell you, this is good and good for you.  I asked him if I could blog this recipe and he said, yes.  So here you go.  It's too good not to share, even though it has taken me a month to share it.  Yeah, so I've been lazy. Sorry.

Poor Man's Shrimp Cocktail:


Ingredients:

1 cup dry crab boil seasoning (such as Zatarain's or Old Bay)
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 yellow onions, quartered
6 garlic cloves
3 lemons, halved crosswise
2 1-pound heads of cauliflower, cored, trimmed into 2" florets
Cocktail Sauce

Preparation:

Combine Crab boil, salt, onions, garlic, and 6 quarts of water in a large pot
Squeeze juice from lemons into pot and add lemon halves.
Set pot over high heat and bring liquid to a boil.
Cook for 10 minutes to let flavors meld
Using a slotted spoon, remove onions, garlic and lemons from broth, discard
Return liquid to a roiling boil
Add cauliflower, turn off heat
Cover pot tightly and let stand until cauliflower is crisp-tender, 5-10 minutes
Drain
Spread out cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool completely
Arrange room temperature or chilled cauliflower on a platter with cocktail sauce for dipping

Do Ahead: Cauliflower can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate


Ingredient Info:  Crab boil seasoning is available in most supermarkets in the seafood or spice section, and at specialty food stores.