Simply Southern Low Country Boil

Hey everyone!

Ever heard of frogmore stew, or a low country boil? It’s a South Carolina, low country classic.

When my family and I want a low country boil, this is mainly the recipe we use. When I say my family and I, I mean me! We, me, had never written down this recipe before. We usually just wing it, you know, a dab of this, a smidgen of that, a pack of smoked sausage, throw in some corn, potatoes, shrimp and the what-not of the sea. Because that is what a low country boil is.

Note here: If you’re into my fiction romance series, Sunrises of Love, set in the low country of South Carolina, Pawley’s Island, this is the recipe that Jimmy Blackburn used to create a low country boil for his niece, July, in book #2 July’s Choice. This is the reason we wrote it down. Get the books here:

Back to the boil. To confess here, this is my son’s recipe, with variations, which is what a low country boil is all about.

Now, some people, not us, like to measure things out proportionally. And that is okay. That’s what a low country boil is all about. You talk about “have it your way,” well this is the dish to have it your way.

Stop! Hold your horses! What is a low country boil, you might ask!

Here’s a little history: The low country boil originated in the coastal regions of South Carolina on St. Helena Island. It was originally called “Frogmore Stew.” The basic ingredients are typically: corn on the cob, shrimp, potatoes, smoked sausage and Old Bay Seasoning, or any seasoning you want.

But, and this is a big but! You have to boil it layer by layer. First, you will need these basic ingredients:

1. Shrimp (1 lb, 2 lbs or as many as you want and whatever size you want. As you can see, by the picture of the shrimp, that we added scallops to our boil.)
2. Potatoes (Several pounds of potatoes for the amount of people you are feeding. Large potatoes cut in chunks or small potatoes where you can pop the whole thing in your mouth!)
3. Corn on the cob (Again, enough for the amount of people you are feeding. Fresh corn is best, but frozen sections will do nicely also.)
4. Smoked sausage (Your favorite brand and whatever amount you want in the stew. We added a little less than 2 lbs.)
5. Old Bay Seasoning (Or, your favorite seasoning. Some people mix up their own.)

For this, our family’s boil, we added a few things. And all these are optional.

1. 1 whole onion quartered
2. 3 cloves of garlic
3. 2 regular sized lemons, quartered

To start with, you will need to put about 3 gallons of water in a big pot. Add the garlic, onions and lemons and then bring to a boil. Note here: I took this picture before he added the lemons, but they do become part of the finished boil.

Add the Old Bay Seasoning. We used almost a whole container, almost all 6 oz, saving a little to sprinkle on later. This much Old Bay will make it really spicy. If you don’t like spicy or heat, add less, maybe 3 oz, or to your taste. Bring to a boil. Then add the corn and potatoes. Be careful of the splash back, so don’t get burned. Then, bring back to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender. For these whole, small potatoes, it was about 20 to 25 minutes.

When potatoes are a little soft, add smoked sausage. We added about 2 lbs, chunked. Bring back to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes or so.

Then we added our shrimp and scallops. Bring back to a boil and cook about 5 minutes or so, or until the shrimp turns pink. Turn the burner off. With a big spider strainer ladle dip your stew into a large bowl and spread out on a table topped with brown paper bag. A good one is a big yard waste brown paper bag, which is what we used. Be careful here and don’t get burned.

If you like some extra heat and flavor, sprinkle some Old Bay Seasoning on top for added flavor.

Then stand around the table and eat it like finger food, or get you a plate and heap it up.

You can add crab legs, lobster tails, clams or mussels. Just make sure you allow the right cooking time for each one in the layered sequence-time for each ingredient.

I hope you enjoy our low country boil, one exceptional an uncommon dish from my home state, the low country of South Carolina.

Start here and begin your new favorite southern, beach series, Sunrises of Love. Join the Worley and the Blackburn families as they begin to come back together and find love and romance again as they begin to tear down a twenty-five year wall of anger, hurt and resentment.

Get book 1: DeAnna’s Do or Die

Get book 2: July’s Choice

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See ya next time in the next Simply Southern recipe!

With love and romance,

From Romance & the Homestead,

Della