Lowcountry Shrimp Boil
A traditional shrimp boil is a social, communal meal eaten on a table lined with newspaper or butcher paper. Set out plates of butter, wedges of lemon and several kinds of hot sauce to accompany the shrimp and vegetables. Kielbasa sausage and Old Bay seasoning are used in the classic version; add clams, mussels or crabs for a mixed seafood boil.
Make your own crab boil seasoning using 1 1/2 tablespoons each of yellow mustard seed and coriander seed, 1 teaspoon each of dill seed and whole allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Place the spices in a tea ball or wrap in cheesecloth if you don’t want to deal with loose seeds.
Ingredients
- 3 qts water
- 3 cloves garlic , peeled and smashed
- 1 lemon , quartered
- 12 oz pilsner beer
- ¼ C crab boil spice mix
- 2 t salt
- 2 t ground black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion , peeled and quartered
- 8 small red potatoes , cut in half (about 1 lb)
- 4 ears corn , cut in half
- 12 oz smoked sausage links , cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 1 lb unpeeled shrimp (21-25 count), heads removed
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, combine water, garlic, lemon, beer, spices, salt, pepper and onion and bring to a boil. Add potatoes to the boiling stock and cook 10-15 minutes. Once the potatoes begin to get tender, add corn and sausage and cook another 10 minutes. Add the shrimp to the pot and cook for about 3 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked. Remove from heat and drain off water. Remove and discard the onion, garlic and lemon, and place the contents of the pot into a large serving dish.