There’s Beauty in Boiled Peanuts
MTM is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He grew up eating things like frozen custard and cheese curds and Friday Fish Fry. He is still a hot, slender man in spite of that early diet.
I have never lived north of the Mason-Dixon line. While I love to get out of the South, I would probably spontaneously combust if I tried to live anywhere else on earth. My Southern genes would nuke themselves trying to recreate the hot, humid Hell I’ve always lived in. I grew up eating all the usual Southern fried suspects – fried chicken; BBQ (vinegar base only – everything else is crap); shrimp and grits; fried okra; fluffy biscuits.
Boiled peanuts have to be at the top of my list of things that make me feel Southern. Hot out of the pot, their salty goodness is next-to-impossible to top. When the hot water runs down my arms and I’m covered in wet peanut shells, I reach food nirvana. I cannot fathom anyone else feeling differently about deliciousness so decadent.
Only MTM detests boiled peanuts. In fact, one of the biggest arguments in our marriage occurred at a Charleston RiverDogs game over the issue of peanuts. He wanted roasted; I demanded boiled. A stalemate ensued as we purchased enough peanuts to feed our entire stadium section – mine boiled; his roasted.
What was worse, we tore into them at once, loudly proclaiming with mouths-full-of-peanuts why one selection was superior to the other. That MTM eats his roasted peanuts SHELLS AND ALL only added to the dramatic impact of the escalating carnage. I mean, I had never in my whole Southern life seen another human being eat a peanut shell. WHAT do they teach people about eating in Milwaukee?
Our dapper friend Ray Huff sat down next to me, looked at MTM, and started eating my boiled peanuts with me. “Some people just don’t get Southern,” he said.
Maybe so. But everyone should get boiled peanuts.
When I last made boiled peanuts, I did it this way:
Bring water to a boil in a large, deep pot. Add enough salt to the water to make it briny, anywhere from 3/4 cup to 1 cup. The amount of salt is contingent upon how salty you want them. I prefer less salty, but some people prefer more. Stir to dissolve.
Wash 4 – 5 pounds of raw peanuts, leaving the shells on. When the water boils, place the peanuts in the water. Cover, stirring occasionally, and let boil for at least 3 hours, though I prefer the peanuts very soft, which usually takes at least 3 1/2 hours.
Remove from water and let cool just enough to be able to not burn your fingers when you rip into them.
This post is part of my Torture Myself By Writing About Food While On the Dukan Diet Series. To eat these posts from the beginning, click here and read forward for some butt-kicking pimento cheese and some delectable pickled shrimp.
I guess my bias here betrays the fact that I’m still a Yankee at heart. I’ve never tried boiled peanuts. Crime against the South,I know, but I prefer my peanuts roasted. Wonder how my former-farmer-friend Jimmy eats his. Does the White House revise peanut preference?
Hugs,
Kathy
I wonder, Kathy. I suspect they revise a lot of things with every regime change. You have to at least TRY them before you decide.
To MTM we toast,
Peanuts we roast.
Boiled is for eggs,
As Messy Andra begs.
For more Milwaukee beer,
For her MTM dear.
Miller High Life, the Champagne of Beers, is always in our fridge. That man is loyal to Milwaukee beer.
growing up, dad always had a big can of roasted peanuts sitting underneath one of the end tables. In the evenings after dinner, he’d sit down and start cracking and eating peanuts. Sometimes I’d join him, and we’d quickly have a big pile of peanut shells.
Boiled peanuts are pretty common in Chinese cuisine too (mom used them a lot anyway), usually added to dishes to create some texture.
So I guess you could say I go both ways
Boiled peanuts are an ingredient in many Southeast Asian dishes, shelled. I always find them to be a nice, homey surprise.
I agree with Andra on the food ways (and barbecue) of boiled peanuts lovers. They invoke summers at the beach, when they were a staple enjoyed with lots of cold Coke (when I was young) and cold beer as I came of age. Can you enjoy peanuts on the Dukan plan?
I had no idea that boiled peanuts were common in Chinese cuisine. Learning something new every day courtesy of Andra.
No peanuts in this phase. Not sure about the next phase. I was just telling MTM this morning that I am going to be on this phase longer than planned. In the third phase, I can add back some fats and carbs, but I haven’t checked whether peanuts are on the list. It is too crave-inducing to even look.
Well, you are bold to tell us all what you’re up to and brava to you for doing so.
Now, I want to go back to talking about the foods I can’t eat.
MTM is just wrong. Oh so wrong.
And eating the shells is nasty.
What is wrong with that man?!
It looks like he is chomping sawdust every time he does it. Now, I think he just does it to get a rise out of me.
As a newly hatched adolescent in 6th grade, my school got a new principal. He was from somewhere in deep GA. At the first assembly he was telling us an anecdote by way of introduction and he mentioned “baaald peeeanuts”. Well you know what a bunch of northern 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who had never heard of boiled peanuts did with that.
I think he did it intentionally as it gave him a chance to expound on regional differences and tolerance. Alas for Mr. G our little northern minds stayed in the gutter giggling and I doubt we heard a word after that.
Bostonian junior high schoolers have to be a tough audience. (Any junior high’ers are, for that matter.) I can’t imagine he had much respect after that. I seem to recall that you are allergic to shellfish and lactose, leaving the last two recipes beyond your trying, but if you can eat peanuts, you might enjoy trying out Mr G’s anecdote. Though, in truth, I can’t imagine that you couldn’t find boiled peanuts somewhere in Manhattan. I know they have them at the various Southern food restaurants, but they might have them in Chinatown, too.
Sorry to say that I’m not a fan of boiled peanuts either though it isn’t just regional because my Yankee wife is a big fan. And I have eaten an occasional shell when I’m in a real hurry.
I’m also a little late to yesterday’s shrimp post because my wife was out of town on business and I wanted to suggest her recipe.
12 oz of beer (preferably dark) and a 1/4 oz. of old bay for each lb of shrimp. Let it sit and marinate and then boil away.
Howard, I’ve heard about boiling shrimp in beer, but I’ve never tried it. We will have to do this once we are beyond this phase of the diet. Thanks for sharing her recipe here.
When I lived in Lake Tahoe one summer, the other college students I lived with teased me mercilessly about my Southern accent. Also, they could not believe that people would boil peanuts and they didn’t even know what okra was. One day I went to their local supermarket (I think it was called Raley’s) and special ordered a huge bag of raw peanuts and a few pounds of okra…Yes, I said “special ordered”. I took one evening to make boiled peanuts and fried okra for everyone. A couple of them wouldn’t even try them, but those who did were newly minted Southern converts!
Erin, I just love this story. For me, one of the best experiences on the planet is going somewhere – anywhere – and trying the food. I may not like it, but at least I tried and always come away with a new appreciation for a region or country because of it. It’s hilarious that you had to special order okra. OKRA? It’s so pervasive here that I take it for granted. And, to be honest, I don’t much care for it. Too slimy. I can only eat it fried, though pickled okra – really hot and spicy – isn’t bad. The pickling gets the slime out.
I lived in SC for 13 years and never could get used to the idea of eating “mushy” peanuts — why not just eat a spoonful of peanut butter? I like roasted peanuts so there is something to chew! Not so sure about eating the shell though. Never could eat grits either, but I know there are northerners who love those.
Kim, if MTM made his shrimp and grits for you, you would eat it, and you would love it. Making grits is an art unto itself. Few people do it right. Of course, I am hinting at another blog post……….therefore, I will stop now.
What’s going on here? Monday is about that horrible sounding diet (CONGRATULATIONS! on the loss by the way). And every day after is about yummy favorite foods. Are you able to eat these morsels again or having cravings?
Oh, and I sometimes eat the shells – boiled and roasted. So I understand, MTM.
I can’t eat these foods right now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate them.
I’ve got to learn that there are other ways to appreciate food besides stuffing it down my gullet, or I’m going to weigh 200 pounds by the time I reach the next decade mark. So, writing about food is a way to be appreciative, and it is calorie-free. 
I would love to try boiled peanuts. I’m going to see if any place around Boise sells raw peanuts and then I’m going to try your recipe. It sounds awesome. I love roasted peanuts, and as a child we’d put the whole shell in our mouth and suck off the salt and then eat the peanut inside – but we didn’t eat the shell. Also, my Daddy showed me that there is an actual peanut man inside the peanut and to this day I open my peanut (my first one) to check on him.
Lovely little old man he is with a lovely beard. 
I could almost taste the boiled peanuts and hopefully, soon, I will get my opportunity.
Lori, please let me know if you make them and send me some photos. I’d love to hear how they turn out and what you thought of them.
Andra, it was my birthday on Monday. My sister gave me a bag of peanuts as a present (I don’t know why either) – now i can do something with them! Thanks.
Boiled peanuts are quite good with ale, Jim. Just FYI.
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Cheers and thanks for the tips!
I adore boiled peanuts. I agree with Andra 100%. Eating the shell of a peanut is just so nasty sounding. The only time I ever ate the shell was when the peanuts were deep fried and even then they were tough and stringy.
But back to boiled peanuts, my Uncle’s family owned a farm near Marion, SC. When I was young my family would visit the farm and he would make boiled peanuts from the fresh green peanuts his family grew. They were the best boiled peanuts I have ever had. The nuts boiled to a silvery rose color and were so tender they almost melted in your mouth. I think I need to give my uncle a call……
Nancy, thank you for bringing up our even-worse Southern counterpart to boiled peanuts…….deep fried peanuts. Also very tasty.
Peanuts are coming in here soon. You should give him a call.
Yuck. Peanut shells are so stringy. Why in the world would you eat them shells on? Shudder.
MTM claims that it adds fiber. Whatever. I can think of lots of other ways to get fiber.
Oh, I’m such a midwesterner. I saw the words “frozen custard” and an involuntary “squee” happened. It is so.good. I missed out on cheese curds and the Friday fish fry, though, which is a bummer as both of them sound good.
I have also never had boiled peanuts. I’m not sure I’ve ever even encountered them. MTM’s a little crazy on the shell-eating front, though. I’ve never seen anyone do that.
I’m not a midwesterner, and I squee over frozen custard, too. We’re going to Milwaukee in August to visit MTM’s mom, and I want to time our trip to the Kopp’s flavors of the day. Regardless of where I am with this diet, I am eating some chocolate peanut butter chocolate.
Trust me. You don’t ever WANT to see anyone eat peanut shells.
I think a trip to Milwaukee is really the ideal excuse to gorge on dairy products. Although I must say it’s a little disturbing the number of dishes there that seem to involve both beer and cheese.
The best place to buy raw green (uncooked) peanuts is the Pig on Ben Sawyer Blvd. They are beautiful!
They sometimes have them boiled at the Pig downtown, but, when I need a fix, I used to walk over to Hominy Grill and get them takeout. (Not an endorsement of Hominy. I cannot fathom why everyone crows about that restaurant like they do. We lived two blocks from it for a decade and almost never ate there. But, their boiled peanuts are good.)
I have never had a boiled peanut. The thought of a boiled peanut just does not set well with me. Yes, I am a chicken. Katy and I do love Pistachios and sunflower seeds.
James, you have to at least try them before you decide.
I’m loving your review of Southern foods! This is fun for me. I am rare among my friends for loving okra and also loving grits…two holdovers from my mom/grandma. I really, really love fried okra…it’s not currently on my diet either, Andra! But I must at least taste a fried green tomato and fried okra before summer is over. You can’t find either on any California menu that I know of, so I do have to make my own. I’ve been known to eat so much of the okra that I’m sick…I don’t normally eat any fried food, and I can go crazy with this one! BUT…I have NEVER had a boiled peanut! How can that be with my heritage! So I’m going to try to figure out how to remedy this condition. I don’t even know where to begin, but that’s why God created Google!
Debra
Oh my, Debra. Fried green tomatoes. I think you just made me bump a rhapsody about something else to slobber all over writing about fried green tomatoes.
I can’t fathom that a good boiled peanut wouldn’t exist somewhere in LA. It is an Asian thing as well, though I don’t know whether they eat them straight out of the shell.
Debra, try roasting okra until its crispy. It satisfies my fried craving and it has a lot less calories:
Cut into 1/4″ – 1/2″ pieces and add to pyrex dish or cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. Spritz good with Pam or olive oil. Salt and pepper. Cook in 400 – 450 degree oven for 10 – 20 minutes until you get desired texture. Stir every 5-7 minutes so all sides brown.
Our book group had fried green tomatoes when we discussed the book of the same name and we gobbled them up. Not so sure if there is a book about boiled peanuts, though. hehehe I love a big messy bowl of peanuts, cracking them open and eating their roasted goodness. There was a restaurant of my youth, the Comeback Inn, where the mode operandi was to toss the shells on the floor. Crunch, crunch, crunching under our feet. We midwesterners do some strange things. I’ve never had a boiled peanut, Andra, but I would be game to give them a try.
MTM – ever been to a Door County Fish Boil? Tom’s Rotary used to have one in the fall, behind the American Legion Hall, as a fundraiser. I think I need to go get something to eat.
Penny, I once dined at a restaurant in North Carolina that encouraged everyone to throw their shells on the floor. I think it is a festive sound to crunch over.
Please let me know if you try boiled peanuts. I’d love to hear what you think of them.
Plenty of Fish Frys, but no Fish Boil…we generally went to the Northwoods, which was as much Fish Fry country as Milwaukee was.
MTM is right. Roasted is the only way to go.
Do you eat the shells, Bill?
Wow. Shells and all….I cannot even imagine what that must taste like…
Sawdust??? Ick.
Terribly curious about this…there is not a legume that I don’t dig, especially peanuts, but never heard of boiled peanuts. I’d try ‘em in a heartbeat…just last night I woke at 3AM and spoons and spoons of pb, too bad I didn’t have a bag of these yums. ~
They’re easy to make, Angela. And vegan!! You must make them and let me know what you think.
You two are funny. Love the peanut squabble. Funny that MLB is from Alabama and I’m from the midwest. We must be living in parallel/alternate universes.
Oh, and roasted is the correct way. But I NEVER eat the shell. Must be a Wisconsin thing.
I’m sure we would all get along famously.
Andra, MJ clued me in to your blog and I am salivating along with you, while reading about all the Southern foods I love – with boiled peanuts right at the top of the list.
I’m glad some readers mentioned green peanuts, because according to my mama, it’s only when peanuts are green that they’re “fit to be” boiled. (Fearful readers, I think garbanzo beans taste a little like boiled peanuts – so if you like those, you should be able to appreciate this delicacy.)
It’s funny to me that many typical Southern dishes seem absolutely outlandish to folks from outside the South. I remember the amazement of some new childhood friends (who were in Alabama courtesy the USAF) when I spoke of eating tomato sandwiches and banana sandwiches. They asked me, “Would you eat an orange sandwich, too?”
Oh, a tomato sandwich. Cate, I’m swooning. The tomatoes are really good this year, too. (And, no, I can’t imagine why anyone doesn’t understand the goodness of a tomato sandwich.)
Regional cooking is almost always an adventure. The South is a treasure trove of it, and it’s one of the things I love most about the culture. Ergo, I am on a diet.
I’m so glad you commented, Cate. I wish you a salty mess of boiled peanuts very soon.
Boiled peanuts are heaven to me. One of my best birthdays was spent drinking gin and eating boiled peanuts with you. Heres to good times with nuts. You know there is a boiled peanut “line” somewhere near the Georgia/ Alabama border after you pass that no more boiled peanuts. So I’m glad to be taking your recipe west with me.
I’m sure you can get Will to send you some. He was talking about making them the other night.
I’m on my way. Mmm.
Come on down. Any time.