Boiled Peanuts
This is the first recipe that isn’t a recipe but rather some guidelines that dependably delivers boiled peanuts. That said, you can skip all of the below, throw some raw peanuts in a pot, cover with salt water and start boiling until they are done to your liking. Add spices as you want when you want….
Basic Rules
- Use “Raw” peanuts in the shell.
- Soak in saltwater.
- Spice
- Boil until the desired consistency is reached.
- Spice
- Soak the boiled peanuts until the desired flavor inside the shell is reached.
- Drain and Freeze
- Serve hot boiled peanuts by reheating the frozen peanuts in water with red pepper flakes and spice mix.
So let’s unpack this with more details.
Raw Peanuts – Raw peanuts refer to unroasted/uncooked nuts. At times, they also include to mean Green Peanuts, though rare. In most cases, Raw peanuts available are air dried/dehydrated to bring down their moisture content in order to make them less perishable thereby longer storage. In the UK they are often referred to as Monkey Nuts. The peanuts you select have the biggest impact on the boiling time and flavor of the peanuts. Old peanuts, like beans, take forever.
Saltwater – Shoot for 35g/l saltwater. Basically, the same ratio as ocean water. Makes it easy to remember. Measure the water being added to the Peanuts so you know how much salt to add. If adding a spice mix with salt, such as a Zatarains Crab Boil mix, to your water back off some of the pure salt to account for the additional salt in the spice mix.
Spice – Adding spices is the real challenge. Some benefit from being added pre-boil, some towards the end of the boil and others during the soak. I have no scientific knowledge why, but my feeling is that some spices don’t really retain their flavor during the long boiling process. Better to add after the fact. To be honest I think that the majority of the flavor is added during the reheat process when you add the final spices before serving. That said, adding a baseline of spices prior to boiling does add depth to the boiled peanuts. My preference is a couple of “capfuls” of the Zatarains Liquid Boil. Once the peanuts are boiled to your liking, add any spice you like along with Crushed Red Pepper Flakes. Cajun, Creole, Old Bay or your own special mix. Use fresh heads of garlic, onion and your favorite fresh pepper. Jalapeno, serrano, or habanero. Peel garlic but leave whole cloves. Cut onion into thick slices, and halve peppers I halve. Add into the pot 20-30 minutes before the peanuts are done to get them ready for the final soak.
Soak – Fill a large pot a little more than half full with the raw peanuts. Cover the peanuts by several inches of water, be careful though as they will float at this point. If needed put a plate or smaller pot lid on the raw peanuts to keep them submerged. Bring to a boil and then add the salt / spices. Mix and then take off the boil. This allows the salt and spices to dissolve into the water and gets a head start on the soak. Cover the pot and soak at least overnight. After several hours you will notice that the water level reduces as the peanuts soak in the water. Add water as need to keep them covered. At some point the peanuts will submerge and you can remove the plate/lid holding down the peanuts. A big reason to soak is to really cut down on the cooking time and that saves energy and money.
Boil – Bring pot back up to a low boil/ fast simmer. Boil for anywhere from 2-3 hours to 24 hours. It all depends on the peanut. New peanuts go faster, older peanuts take forever. Keep watch on the water level and keep adding water throughout the boil.
Add more spices – once the peanuts are boiled to your taste add additional seasonings. Red paper flakes, spice mixes etc. Whatever floats your boat.
Soak – Take the peanuts off the boil and allow to soak for a couple of hours on low heat (140F+) in the oven or pressure cooker if it has a “hold” function. I find that the second soak with the newly added spices enhances the flavor. When your happy with the flavor, bring back to a boil one last time for a few minutes and then cool.
Freeze – Drain the cooked peanuts and freeze in ziplock bags. Can last a very long time.
Reheat and Serve – Put desired amount of peanuts in small pot and boil in liquid similar to what it was soaked in. It doesn’t have to be exact but add some red pepper flakes and preferred spice mix. Bring to boil. Serve hot.
Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
I like to use the instant pot. It’s faster, easier and makes great boiled peanuts. The keep warm / hold feature is perfect for the soaks.
Ingredients
Raw Peanuts to fill half the pot.
Water to cover – measure the volume
35g/l water to salt ratio
2 cap fulls of Zatarains Liquid Crab Boil
2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
¼ Cup Cajun or Creole seasoning
Instructions
Place peanuts in the Instant Pot.
Add water, salt and Liquid Crab Boil. Peanuts must be covered.
Place a plate or pot lid on top of the peanuts to help weight them down.
Place lid on Instant Pot, check to see that the valve is in “sealing” position.
Set to “Pressure Cook” for 5 minutes and let it do a natural pressure release for 30 minutes.
Let the peanuts soak on “Keep Warm”. Check occasionally the water level and top up as needed. Remove the plate/lid once the peanuts stay submerged.
Set to “Pressure Cook” for 60 minutes and let it do a natural pressure release. Check for Doneness. Cook longer if needed.
Add red pepper flakes and Seasoning and let soak on Keep Warm until ready to serve or drain and freeze.
Faster Way to go about it….
Add all ingredients, pressure cook for 60-75 minutes test for doneness. Start Eating. Almost as good as the longer recipe and gets it done faster but the peanuts may be somewhat dry….