Raleigh Way's Recipe for Low Country Boil

A Seafood Feast

The term "low country" generally refers to the the coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia. Low Country Boil refers to a one-dish meal consisting of shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn all boiled in a large pot of spicy, briny water. This recipe uses Old Bay for spice, but there are several other brands you may use.

The recipe below serves 4 to 6 people.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb shrimp without heads
  • 1 package of Hillshire Farm Kielbasa sausage cut into 1" lengths
  • 6 medium to small red potatoes, cleaned (leave whole)
  • 1 whole onion (for flavor)
  • 6 ears of corn, cleaned
  • Old Bay seasoning - See picture
  • 20 or more bay leaves
  • Optional: Crab legs and claws (expensive)

Initial Preparations

If you're doing this in the yard for a large group of people, you will need a large pot and gas heat source - See picture. If you are doing this for just a couple of people, you may do it on the stove in a large pot. At any rate, you're preparation is the same.

  1. Fill a large pot with water, and leave enough space to accommodate the food, and to prevent boiling over
  2. Add enough Old Bay seasoning to make the water slightly TOO briny. Food will absorb some of the salt
  3. Add whole onion (for flavor only)
  4. Add bay leaves
  5. Turn heat to high to bring the water to a boil

Assembly

You will want to add the ingredients in order of cooking time. After the water starts to boil, add as follows...

  1. Add sausage and potatoes
  2. 5 minutes later: Corn
  3. 8 minutes later: Shrimp (and crab)
  4. Wait until the water comes to a boil again, and cook for 3-5 more minutes.

NOTE: To be honest, I don't adhere to strict timing. It depends on the size of the potatoes and corn, and the amounts of each item. In reality, you could throw everything in the pot at the same time and have decent results. Purists will quibble over cooking times for the individual items.

Serving the Meal

As I mentioned above, the meal is informal. Most presentations are served on newspapers. Spread a lot of newspapers over a table to serve as the tablecloth. Drain the boiled food, then pour the contents on a large serving tray or right on the table, and dig in!