Low Country Boil, A Crystal Coast Staple

 A must do while visiting the Crystal Coast is to plan a Low Country Boil one night for dinner. This delectable beach staple feeds a ton of people and highlights the very accessible local seafood. One of the easiest coastal meals to make, it can be tailored or altered to fit a variety of tastes and budgets. 

Ingredients

There are several different ways to prepare Low Country Boil and even more possible ingredients that you can include. I choose to make one of the most basic versions of low country boil involving only red potatoes, sweet corn, regional sausage and locally caught shrimp. To cut corners I use Green Giant Extra Sweet Mini Ears of Corn on the cob frozen. The corn is super sweet which goes great with saltiness of the Old Bay. For sausages, there are only two types of sausage that I prefer to use either Pender's Smoked Sausage out of Rocky Mount, NC or Roger Wood Lumberjack Sausage out of Savannah, Georgia. Both have great taste and and a nice snap on the outer casing. Seasonings are supplied by a Zatarain's crab boil bag in the bottom boiling water with all ingredients being dusted by Old Bay each time something is added or stirred. 

Being a native Marylander, I buy Old Bay in the industrial sized container. I am very heavy handed with the Old Bay when making Low Country Boil which assures some seasoning in every bite. 

The final ingredient will be the shrimp. Living at the beach, I only use fresh local caught shrimp. If its the right time of the year and I have time, I'll go throw cast net and catch my own. If I don't have time I'll buy them from a local shrimper that heads them for me and sells 9 count for $8 a pound.  

For my preparation, I use a large pot that also includes an interior basket. I also use an outdoor burner and propane tank. Fill the large pot up with water almost to the bottom of the basket. Add a bag of Zatarain's crab boil to the water before putting the basket back in the pot. Set your heat on high and cover until water comes to a boil. I prefer to steam my Low Country Boil while I've seen others that like to boil it. While your waiting for the water to boil, cut up a bag of red potatoes into 2" pieces. When your water comes to a boil, add the cut up potatoes and dust with Old Bay. I then cover the pot while I prep the next ingredient.  Before adding the corn, I toss the potatoes and dust with Old Bay again. Add 2 bags of the extra sweet mini corn cobs and dust with Old Bay. Cover the pot while you prepare your next ingredient. I will use either the Pender's Smoked Sausage or the Roger Wood Lumberjack Sausage, whichever is available. Cut sausage into 2" pieces. Before adding sausage, shake basket to stir ingredients and dust again with Old Bay. Add the cut up sausage and then dust with Old Bay. I let the pot go several minutes while I get the shrimp. I usually add 5-6 pounds. Before adding the shrimp, give the basket a good shake and then add your shrimp and dust with Old Bay. Now this is one of the most crucial parts of steaming Low Country Boil, don't overcook your shrimp! I cover the pot and let it go for a few minutes and then open and check the shrimp. You want them to lose their blueish tint and start urning pink and start to get a slight curl. Each time you check the pot, give the basket a shake and and dust with Old Bay. When no shrimp appear to have blueish tint and have turned pink, the boil is done.

 When serving to my family if there is nice weather outside, we dump the basket down the middle of a newspaper covered picnic table. When serving to friends or if the weather is bad, we fill containers and move the feast inside. This recipe easily makes enough for 15-20 people. Be sure and have some cocktail sauce on hand for the shrimp.

When making Low Country Boil for renters at our beach house, I have the additional ingredients of Alaskan crab legs and shell fish.

The set up I showed earlier in my post works well for me at our beach house or at home. I recently attended a Low Country Boil where they stepped up their game and used the boiling method, still creating a very delicious final product.

Regardless if you steam or boil your Low Country Boil it still makes for a fantastic beach meal that everyone will love! It is our most requested meal that we serve at our beach house.