Low Country Boil…

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Low Country Boil…

Serving up a Low Country Boil for family and friends is a fun way to ride out those last days of summer…and there are only a few days left. Fresh corn, shrimp, potatoes and sausage commingle in a spiced-up broth, then are drained and dumped onto newspaper for fun–and easy cleanup; it is the perfect dish for one last sunny, balmy get-together.

I admittedly had no clue what I was doing the first time I made this dish. I had a few ears of corn from the Saturday Morning Market and we popped into Locale Market to look around. The giant brown shrimp had my name all over them. As I wandered through the store, the cogs were turning…what to do with shrimp and corn? Given that I had Old Bay seasoning at home, the decision was made: it was time to attempt a boil. I was a complete novice: I had thoughts of what the cooking liquid should taste like–I was just hoping the end result would be as flavorful as I imagined.

I raided my spice cabinet and started adding some additional aromatics to the celery-heavy Old Bay: dry mustard and pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove complemented the broth nicely. To give the cooking liquid some sea-water brininess, I added a piece of dried kombu (seaweed). A proper sauce needs a bit of butter, so why not add some to the cooking liquid as well? The rich butter rounded out the dish and balanced the flavors of surf and turf.

My eight year-old son and I are very similar when we sit at the table: we always have a napkin at the ready. Ok, I admit it…we are fussy about getting messy when we eat. I got some very strange looks when it was noted that the shrimp were still in their shells: “How am I supposed to eat this??” he asked. “With your hands,” was my reply. So extracting the shrimp from their shells and devouring this meal was a fun exercise in getting messy–we used about three times the amount of paper towels as usual.

Typically, the contents of the boil are drained and the broth is discarded, but this liquid is so savory, it’s difficult to waste. An alternative is to serve the shrimp, potatoes, sausage and corn over cheese grits or rice and give each portion a healthy dose of broth. Should you opt to keep the liquid, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer to remove all of the solids.

In the end, this experiment was a winner and test-run number two was just as successful. Even though the technical end of summer is September 22nd, we all know that here in Florida, we still have at least one more month of this summer heat, so, if you can still find corn on the cob, it can be boil time–even if the calendar heralds that fall is in full swing.

LOW COUNTRY BOIL

Michelle Ferrer
A one-pot, no fuss, summer meal that is fun for a crowd--or a party of two.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 scallions root end removed and thinly sliced or one onion, quartered
  • 3 links sausage sliced (I use Niman Ranch Kentucky bourbon sausage)
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 6 cups Water
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 piece kombu 4-inch, dried seaweed sheet
  • 12 small red potatoes
  • 1 pound jumbo shrimp deveined with shell on (see note), 21-25 count
  • 4 ears corn shucked, ends removed, and each cut into 4 pieces
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Spice mixture
  • Use 1 Tablespoon of this mixture:
  • Mix together:
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • pinch nutmeg
  • pinch Cinnamon
  • pinch ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
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Instructions
 

  • Heat a stockpot over medium heat. Add olive oil and sauté green onions and sausage until onions are soft and sausage has browned. Add broth and water to pot and stir/scrape bottom of pot with a wooden spoon to remove any brown bits.
  • Add bay leaves, kombu, potatoes, and spice mixture to the pot; stir and bring to a boil. Boil for 12 minutes and add corn. Continue to boil for 3-8 minutes more or until the potatoes are cooked, (insert a sharp knife into the center of a potato; if it pulls out easily, they are ready).
  • Stir in shrimp and continue to cook for 3 more minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Add butter and stir to combine. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Drain contents of pot into a strainer; reserve liquid if desired. Dump contents from strainer onto a newspaper-lined platter or bowl.

Notes

Note: to devein shrimp with the shell on, hold shrimp by the underside with the head side facing you. Using kitchen shears carefully snip the shell from the back of the head to the top of the tail. If the vein did not dislodge, run a paring knife down the cut area to remove. Rinse under running water.
Keyword Locale Market, low country boil, Saturday Morning Market, Southern Cooking, St Petersburg Foodies, St Petersburg Foodies Recipes
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DISCLAIMER: Kevin, Lori, Abby, Haley, & Lindsey do not dine anonymously (this would be impossible) and we sometimes get free food (though never expected). However, we dine with the locals and we support our own. You will always get honesty in a respectful manner. We do not include any large national or regional chains in our ratings and reviews. We focus on independent locally owned eateries exclusively.

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