One of my family's favorite meals has become the Low Country Boil. If you look up recipes for a low country boil, you'll find there are some variations, but the key ingredients are seafood, sausage, potatoes and corn. Other elements of a Low Country Boil that I Iove are:
Simple ingredients and preparation.
Easy to serve and clean up! - It's a one pot meal at it's best, and, after you finish cooking and draining the excess broth off the boil, you can simply pour it out on a table covered in newspapers or brown paper bags.
It's an experience! It's not everyday you eat off of a table covered in paper and that element can add some fun.
Easy and affordable for a family night in at the beach or on a camping trip.
I have been making some form of this recipe for the past 10 years and now mostly do it by sight and taste. Here's the recipe my family has been enjoying the most. This version easily cooks in an 8 quart stock pot and feeds 6-8 people. Most low country boil recipes are designed to feed an army!
Ingredients:
1 quart of chicken or veggie broth
Red potatoes, quartered or you can use any potatoes, or throw in whole, small potatoes
4-5 ears of corn, broken in half OR buy the small frozen ears of corn
1- 2 Bay Leaves- optional
Salt and Peppercorns
1 medium onion, sliced- optional
2 packages of smoked sausage, sliced into 1 inch pieces. (I love the Private Selection Garlic Chicken flavor at Kroger)
2 bags of medium or large frozen raw shrimp
2 Tablespoons of Crab Boil seasoning
Old Bay - will use to taste
Instructions:
1. In a large stock pot, add potatoes, corn, broth, bay leaves, salt, pepper and onion. Cover the ingredients the remainder of the way with water. (I use broth because I think it's better seasoning than water, but you could just use water. Bring to a boil.
2. When the potatoes are tender (use a fork to test), add the Crab Boil seasoning and sliced sausage to the pot and boil for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp and cook only a few minutes until the shrimp turns pink.
4. Drain the liquid off the pot using a colander or strainer.
5. It's ready to serve. Use a larger platter or pour on a table covered in paper.
Serve with good crusty bread, butter, cocktail sauce, sliced lemons, cold beer or a crisp white wine and enjoy!
Tell us what recipes taste like summer to you! We'd love to publish them in an upcoming newsletter. bethbell@macaronikid.com
