← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 900 g raw green peanuts in their shells
• 100 g Salt
• 4 l Water
• 2 tbsp Cajun or Creole seasoning (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the peanuts well in a few changes of cold water to wash off any soil.
2. Put them in a large pot with the salt, water and Cajun seasoning, if using. Weigh them down with a heatproof plate, as they float.
3. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours, topping up with hot water so the peanuts stay covered. Dried raw peanuts take much longer, often twice as long.
4. Start tasting after the first hour: crack one open and it is ready when the nut is soft like a cooked bean. Add more salt to the water if they taste bland.
5. Turn off the heat and leave them to soak in the brine for 1 hour so they soak up more salt. Drain and serve warm, with a bowl for the shells.

Tips

• Green peanuts are freshly dug and undried, sold in late summer; raw dried peanuts work too but need much more time.
• Peanuts are a major allergen. Store leftovers in their brine in the fridge for up to a week.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste of Home The Spruce Eats