Boiled Peanuts - Simply Recipes

Before there was edamame in this country, there were hot boiled peanuts, which according to my Southern friends, are a staple in much of the South.

What Are Boiled Peanuts?

Boiled peanuts are just raw peanuts that have been boiled in salted water for hours. Great with beer or a cold soda, these salty soft peanuts are totally addictive!

A little messy too, given that the shells absorb some of the water which can squirt out at you when you bite into them to get the nut out. People usually eat them outside where you can toss the shells and not worry about the salt water dribbles.

The Comfort of Boiled Peanuts READ MORE:

When Are Raw Peanuts Available?

The season for raw peanuts is May through November; my pal Garrett picked these up for me this week at the local farmer's market.

Now every time I post a traditional Southern recipe I get a little pit in my stomach because I'm not Southern and I'm sure I'm going to mess up how I write about the recipe. So here to help me with this one is my very Alabama BFF Steve-Anna Stephens:

I can't even hear the words "hot boiled peanuts" without hearing 'em doled out in a thick Southern drawl. When Elise told me she was experimenting with a boiled peanut recipe, I immediately conjured up an image of a 50 gallon drum, situated over a fire pit in the dirt on the side of the road in Alabama—filled with steaming saltwater, and peanuts in the shell.

You used to could get (yes, I meant to write that) a bag of peanuts for about fifty cents. I like to crack the boiled shell between my teeth and slurp the peanuts into my mouth. There's usually a little saltwater left in the shell, so, believe it or not slurping is the more polite option over squirting saltwater on an innocent bystander.

Now I can't decide which is better, Elise posting a grits recipe or a recipe for hot boiled peanuts!

So there you have it, from a true lady of the South.

Seasoning Boiled Peanuts

Most people I talked to just boil their peanuts in plain salt water. Some add seasonings, I think a traditional seasoning (if you are going to use anything in addition to salt) is shrimp boil seasoning.

I used a combination of smoked paprika and Old Bay which was quite tasty.

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