The low country boil is a one-pot meal with its roots in Georgia and the Carolinas. This meal is both so delicious and such a fun and interactive dining experience for all your friends and guests. This is the perfect summer dinner party meal. You’ll be drooling once you see how easy and delicious this is. This post will include both recipes and tips for setting up and serving.
This post is all about throwing the best low country boil!
Jump to The RecipeWhat You’ll Need
There are a few supplies that are necessary for making the best low country boil, and a few things that I recommend to make things easier.
The first, and maybe most important piece of equipment is the stock pot/boiling pot. It is essential that you use something big enough to fit all the food needed depending on your party size. You also have the option of using multiple smaller pots if needed. But a boil pot like this one is perfect for being able to cook and drain your boil with ease.
Another low country boil essential is some newspaper or butcher paper for your table. Once everything is cooked and ready, you will pour it out onto your table that is covered in the paper. If you haven’t done it before it probably sounds crazy, but I swear half the fun is the interactive eating. I know most people don’t have newspapers lying around anymore, so this butcher paper will do the job!
What’s in the pot
There are so many different ways to do a seafood boil, but the low country boil generally consists of corn, new potatoes, shrimp and sausage. These somewhat humble ingredients come to life in the most delicious and flavorful boiling liquid packed with seasoning.
When it comes to the corn, I recommend cutting the fresh cobs into about 1.5-2 inch rounds. This way there will be many small servings for all of your guests to enjoy to their hearts content. For the potatoes, it is best to use a small new/red potato. They are the perfect size to keep whole (or cut in half if they are a little bit bigger). They are also a little on the sweeter side and balance perfectly with the spicy seasoning.
For the protein in this boil we have smoked sausage and shrimp. For the sausage, there are so many options and choices in spice level. Just find a sausage that you like and will be a crowd pleaser. In some place, it might be hard to find fresh shrimp, but if you can, I recommend that you do. But don’t worry, frozen will totally work! Just make sure you slowly defrost them in cold water.
Because this is a dish mostly boiled in water, the key to getting flavor is packing the liquid with seasoning! Adding a variety of spices, hot sauce and a kick of acidity brings the flavor to life. Just remember, don’t skimp on flavor!
Don’t forget the sides and Sauces
While the main event of the boil itself is filling and lovely all on its own, but I think every party or meal is enhanced by the perfect accompaniments.
When it comes to sauces, I think there are a few that are essential to have on your table. Those are flavored butters (cajun butter and garlic butter), ketchup, hot sauce and cocktail sauce. Butter can be used with the corn, potatoes, and the shrimp. By simply adding some minced garlic and parsley to melted butter, you’ve created an absolutely delicious garlic butter. Or a bit of cajun spice in melted butter makes for a delicious kick. Ketchup, hot sauce and cocktail sauce are totally your preference, but my preferences are Heinz, Tabasco/Texas Pete, and extra horseradish.
The recipe
Low Country Boil
Equipment
- Large stock pot/boiling pot
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs Shrimp fresh or frozen(defrosted)
- 1.5-2 lbs Smoked Sausage kielbasa or cajun, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 6 ears Corn cut into 1-2inch pieces
- 4-5 lb New Potatoes
- 1 cup Key Lime Juice I use Nellie and Joe's brand
- 1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 cup Cajun/creole seasoning
- 1/2 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
- 1 stick Butter
- 5 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tbsp Salt
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, combine the key lime juice, seasoning, butter, garlic and hot sauce.
- Fill the same pot with water until about halfway full.
- Add in potatoes and put the pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes for about 10-15 minutes (or until almost completely tender). Then add in the sausage and corn for another 5-10 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Once the corn, potatoes and sausage are cooked, add in the shrimp. Cook shrimp for about 3 minutes or until they are pink.
- Once the shrimp are pink, drain the pot in a colander and spread out and serve on newspaper or butcher paper. Enjoy!
I hope these tips and recipes help you host the perfect low country boil for your family or friends. This is the perfect summer event, though you’ll want to make it all year around.
This post was all about how to throw a low country boil.
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