Old Bay Boiled Peanuts

I finally got around to boiling some peanuts. There are a lot of recipes on the internet. One called for boiling them for two to three hours. That got me a salty, wet and slightly crunchy peanut. Didn't work. Instead, this crock pot method from About.com's "Southern Food" section worked much better: take 1.5 quart of green (that is, not roasted but raw) peanuts - in the shell people, for Godsakes! - and add 1.5 quart water and 1/2 c salt, and cook on HIGH for 7 hours.

My problem: I only had 1/2 lb, which amounted to around 4 cups - or 1 quart. No problem: it turned out fine. But for this, I wanted to make it more Maryland-like. Seeing as how boiled peanuts aren't really found much in Maryland (are they in Virginia?) the only way to do that would be to add some Chesapeake Bay Seasoning. I poured a few tablespoons of Old Bay into the mix, stirred it and turned it on.

These things really are good hot or cold. Contrary to what one commenter said in an earlier post, most suggestions I've seen do not suggest eating the shell. Even so, it's pretty damn chewy and fibrous, so it's not going to be easy for me to eat. But the peanuts were nice, salty and soft as boiled peanuts ought to be. And they had that hint of Old Bay.



I tried half a pound in a pot on my stove. The