Lemon in Boiled Peanuts

by Brian
(Florida)

Will adding 1 cut up lemon to a 5 gallon pot of boiled peanuts intensify the Cajun flavor, or what else might I use to accomplish this?

Thanks,
Brian

Comments for Lemon in Boiled Peanuts

Click here to add your own comments

Nov 17, 2012

Intensifying the flavor in Cajun boiled peanuts.
by: Bret

Brian,
A single cut lemon added to 5 gallons of boiled peanuts probably won't intensify the Cajun flavor.

If you want to add lemon to your Cajun boiled peanuts recipe, I suggest using about 1 lemon per gallon of water, maybe more. While adding lemons to Cajun boiled peanuts will add lemony flavor, you likely will not achieve the degree of Cajun flavor that you desire.

If you have strongly spiced the water you use to make Cajun boiled peanuts (taste the solution to determine how strong it is), then soaking the peanuts in the spiced brine as it cools will definitely intensify the flavor in them. This soaking as the liquid cools is commonly done in Louisiana shrimp and crawfish boils.

We typically use repeated cycles of cooling, soaking, and then re-simmering the peanuts to saturate them with the juicy flavor. You may want to start this cooling, soaking and re-simmering before the peanuts have fully softened, to insure they don't become softer than you like (from the additional simmering time).

To maximize the juicy flavor in boiled peanuts, whether Cajun or regular style, soak the peanuts in the juice, in the refrigerator, overnight. If that still does not give you the intense flavor you seek, then add more of your spices to the mix.

You can add spices as they boil, or even after they are done cooking, as long as you let the peanuts to continue to soak in the flavored juice. They will continue to suck up the flavor until they become saturated with the spicy juice.

Please share your recipe with us when you create one that achieves the intense Cajun flavor that you crave.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Cajun Boiled Peanuts.