Wednesday, May 29, 2013

100th post: low country boil

I don't know why I don't make this more often. It's really not hard at all, and relatively inexpensive, especially when shrimp is on sale!
This starts simply- just beer, water, lemon, onion, bay and Old Bay seasoning. You can use any seafood seasoning, but being from P.A., we love the Old Bay.
You have to boil in batches, since everything cooks differently. Potatoes take the longest, so those get dropped in first.
Corn and sausage is next. I use smoked turkey sausage, but andouille is traditional. You could even use kielbasa if you wish! Cook this just until the corn is fork tender- then it's time for the seafood.
This cooks the fastest, really just a minute or 2. Just long enough for the shrimp to be pink and the mussels to open.
Transfer the boil onto a serving tray and spoon the liquid over top. You can serve this with melted butter, but I really just like to dredge the yummy bits through the broth. Sprinkle a little extra Old Bay on top and your set to dig in!
Low Country Boil
1 12 oz. beer
1 large onion, sliced
8 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 lemon halved
4 Tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 lb potatoes, diced
1 lb sausage, smoked or kielbasa, sliced
4 ears corn, halved
1 lb shrimp, shell on
1 lb live mussels

In a large stock pot, bring beer, water, onion, bay leaves, lemon, salt and Old Bay to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add diced potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes and then add sausage and corn. Cook for 10 minutes, or until corn is fork tender. Add shrimp and mussels and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until mussels are open and shrimp is pink and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer boil to a serving tray and spoon broth over top. Serve with melted butter and hot sauce. Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. I've never made this before. It looks like a great summery recipe!

    ReplyDelete