Low Country Shrimp & Crab Boil

Now this is the picture of summer....

a low country shrimp boil, to which I also added snow crab clusters. Aaaaahhhhhh......I'm having major cravings just looking at this picture.

I visited Savannah, GA a few years ago and this was the typical dish at many of the restaurants. So naturally, I had to indulge. This is a true, down home, get your fingers dirty meal (if you notice there are no utensils on the table). When I ate this at the restaurant, I sat outside at a table covered with newspapers. The food was served in a large pot with a bucket for scraps (the shrimp and crab shells and the cobs from the corn) and a lot of extra napkins. And boy was this some good eatin' (in your best southern accent, mine perfected from listening to my mom's side of the family).

Although I haven't had a shrimp boil since then, recently, this dish was all I could think about. The weather here has been so warm and I just pictured sitting outside on the deck, throwing all the ingredients on the table and digging in.

And this weekend, I did just that. I did my usual Internet research to get an idea for a recipe and started planning. Mr. Foodie had never had a shrimp boil but hearing the combination of shrimp and crab made him quite excited. I also decided to invite one of my girlfriends over and together, we all enjoyed the low country boil.

This is the perfect dish for entertaining this summer or even a mid-week workday summer meal (that was a bit of a tongue twister). It is so quick and simple to make, there would be minimal prep work for either occasion. You really just put it all in a pot full of seasoned water, let it all cook, toss is it a bowl (or on the table) and eat. The clean up is even more simple. Especially if you eat off the table. Just roll up the newspaper, toss in the trash and you're done. Simple, country eatin' done right.


Low Country Shrimp & Crab Boil
serves 6 (this recipes can be doubled or halved for more or less people)
Printable Recipe

1 crab and shrimp boil seasoning bag (I use the one by Zatarans)
6 medium red potatoes, quartered
4 ears corn, cut in thirds
1 pound kielbasa or smoked sausage
2 pounds snow crab clusters
1 pound of shrimp, deveined, peel on
2 tablespoons old bay seasoning
salt

Using a large stock pot, boil approximately 6 qt. of water. Add a lot of salt to the water, like you are seasoning the water to boil pasta. You will be adding all the ingredients to this pot so you want the water to be well seasoned. At this time, also add the seasoning bag.

When the water is rapidly boiling, add the red potatoes, cook for 10 minutes. Then add the corn and sausage. Cook for 6-8 minutes. As the water returns to a boil, add the crab, shrimp and old bay seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes, until shrimp is opaque.

When done, drain the ingredients in the colander. Be careful, the steam from the water will be very hot.

Sprinkle with salt and serve in a large bowl or as it is traditionally served, a table covered in newspaper. As you see from the pictures above, I did a mixture of both. Serve with melted butter, cocktail sauce or hot sauce.

**just as we were finishing our beautiful summer meal outside, the heavens opened up and it started to pour.

We quickly had to move the feast inside but hey...what is summer weather in the south without scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Enjoy!!