You can take the girl out of Bama…
But you can’t take the boiled peanuts away from the girl! Every time I go back to Montgomery to visit the friends and family, I have a few stops that need to be made. I need to buy a book at Capitol City Books in Old Cloverdale, buy a copy of Garden and Gun magazine at whatever southern airport I land in, eat a Chick-fil-a chicken biscuit sandwich. But the most important stop is to buy a bag of boiled peanuts from the guy selling them on Old Selma Road. It’s usually my first stop since he lives down the street from my grandmother. Every time I tear through a bag I remind myself to make some when I get home. The problem is that boiled peanuts are traditionally made with green peanuts, and I have no idea how to get my little paws on those. So while visiting Bama and purchasing my bag of gold last week, I asked the guy that makes him where he gets his. He informed me that he just uses the dehydrated ones you can find anywhere, since the green ones can mold so easily. So there. There was nothing stopping me. So I made some.
To be honest, I’m not totally sure the appeal of boiled peanuts transcends nostalgia. So far most every non-southerner I’ve forced them on has reacted either indifferent or confused as to why I like them. Supposedly they’re hip in Brooklyn right now, so maybe that means their popularity will make it to the West coast sometime next year. But I don’t have to wait, because now I can just do it myself!
And it is SO easy. All you need is time. And some peanuts of course. There’s no real magic to these guys, you just load your peanuts into a pot of salty water and boil away. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool before dipping your hand in for a bite.
RECIPE:
1 lb peanuts (unshelled)
5 TBSP salt
– Rinse the peanuts to remove any dirt.
– Place in a large pot and cover with enough water to cover by an inch (you’ll need to press the nuts down to measure because they like to float). Add the salt. Cover and bring to a boil.
– Once boiling lower to a medium simmer and keep going for about four hours. You’ll want to check in every now and then to see if more water needs to be added. After four hours, taste one. The shell should be soft and pliable and the nut should taste strongly of the salty brine. If not, keep going until it does.
– Once finished boiling, turn off the heat and let the nuts sit in the brine at room temperature for a couple hours. Dig in and store whatever is left in the brine in the fridge. I’m not sure how long they COULD last, but if you’re from Alabama I doubt that will be an issue.
I made that! 
Now let me get this straight…
You don’t eat the shell, right?
You peel boiled peanuts just like you do shrimp or roasted peanuts.
But you do want to suck all the juice out of the shell – like sucking the head off a crawdad!
Since I am not from Alabama, I hope you don’t mind me asking, if those nuts should be roasted nuts or fresh ones. Please say, they can b e raosted before cooking, because otherwise I’ll not be able to try this. There is no chance of me getting my hands on some fresh peanuts here.
I used dried ones here. From what I understand using green ones just means a slightly shorter boiling time.
I’ve been a California/West Coast girl all my life and I’ve had these and have been CRAVING them badly lately! Haven’t had them in years!
No, don’t eat the shell!
I could LIVE off boiled peanuts. And of course, no one makes them better than my daddy.
Your pics are pretty 🙂
Love these peanuts. I like ’em spicy. Add some cayene
Love these!! Suck / chew the juice out of the shells, throw them away, and the eat the peanut…. my mouth is watering just writing about it… Oh, and if you really want to eat these the “southern way”… eat them in a bar with oysters and beer! Lotsa College days, memories here!! 😉
I love boiled peanuts! So much deliciousness. I’ve had this in China too, cooked with star anise
I’m glad I read this. It reminded me to get some out of the freezer and heat them up! We live on the MS gulf coast and my sister lives outside of Savannah. Every year I go to the harbor at Pass Christian and buy her a sack of oysters, which I shuck and freeze. I take them to her when we go to our family reunion and exchange them for peanuts that she has cooked and frozen for me. Fresh peanuts are widely available in south Georgia and northern Florida. Florida peanuts are earlier and red skinned vs the white peanuts pictured. Fresh peanuts should be cooked in a pressure cooker. I cook mine for 13 min at 15lb pressure for medium hard peanuts. Adjust the time depending upon the maturity of the peanuts. Just cover them with water, add salt (lots!) and cook. You can adjust the salt level by reheating and soaking them in water with more or less salt until it suits your taste. I have heard of, but never tried boiling dried raw peanuts. I understand that you should soak them overnight, as you would dried beans, before cooking. I pulled peanut vines and probably picked off a milliom peanuts when I was a kid. It was hard work, but I still love to eat them.
I just discovered your blog. You have recipes for so many oddball things I love. Once I saw boiled peanuts, I had to comment. Kudos from my boyfriend, Dave, and me. We love boiled peanuts and will be making our soon. Thanks!
I absolutely love boiled peanuts! As kids, we used to have the same thing when visiting relatives in India. It was always a treat when Grandpa took us out to have some street food that our parents were adamant about us not having.
I recently found that boiling soybeans to the point of firm but tender (not mushy) gives you the same flavor of a boiled peanut with a lot more nutrition!
I love boiled peanuts! I went to UGA and my boyfriend David (who is from Montgomery, AL) taught me how to make a delicious bot of boiled peanuts for a tailgate
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