Quick Low Country Boil
Missy Tippens
I love a good low country boil. And today while looking at shrimp at the grocery, I decided to make it! Of course since I didn't get home until 6 pm, I had to make a quick version.
I started with a basic recipe and altered it to fit my schedule.
1 lb. shrimp, I bought peeled and deveined
potatoes, washed and quartered (or cut smaller)
4 ears fresh corn (or buy the small frozen ears)
Andouille sausage (I used two links)
Crab boil seasoning
Heat a large soup pot of water. I used my steamer basket so I could drain the food to serve. Pour in about 1 TBS of crab boil seasoning and taste to see if you're happy with the flavor and strength. I thought it was really spicy so didn't need more.
While water comes to a boil, cut potatoes. I cut the red potatoes in about 6-8 pieces each so they'd cook quickly.
Then I cut up the sausage.
Once the water boils, toss in the potatoes and sausage. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
While that cooked, I pre-cooked the corn for so we wouldn't have to wait so long. You can see the microwave cooking method in a previous post. But it only needs to cook for 4 minutes. (Click here and then come back.)
You can see this is a great way to make it so you don't have to spend time shucking it. And when you squeeze the corn out of the husks after cooking, most of the silks go with the husks.
Since the corn was basically ready to eat, I didn't need to cook it for long in the pot. I broke each ear into 3 pieces, then added them to the pot. Then I tossed in the shelled, cleaned shrimp. I boiled for 3 more minutes.
Then dinner was ready!
Either drain (using the steamer insert) or else scoop out the food. I've been to parties where they dump the food out onto newspapers and everyone helps themselves.
It's not traditional looking. But it sure tasted good. And was ready in about 30 minutes.
I added a kale salad from the deli (raw kale with orange dressing, dried cherries, pumpkin seeds, and carrots.)
Have you ever had a low country boil before?
Wow, this looks delicious! I had never heard of "low country boil" until I read Lowcountry Boil by Susan Boyer.
ReplyDeleteI've never had it and that part about the newspapers... I had to laugh a little. Kristen Ethridge has been posting Texas BBQ pics on her facebook page. I keep thinking, "where are the PLATES?" BBQ, white bread, pickles, a plastic fork. You're ready to go.
LOL, Virginia! Sounds like a good way to do a barbecue too! :)
DeleteAnd now I'm wondering if I misspelled low country doing it as 2 words! The south Carolina Lowcountry is spelled as one word. But recipes online spell it as two. Maybe since I'm in Georgia it's okay. ;)
Plates are for Yankees, Virginia. :)
DeleteI actually remember being a kid and going to Joe Cotten's BBQ in Robstown, Texas (Rio Grande Valley) on my way to Brownsville. Cotten's is now closed, I believe, but it used to be well-known and a legend in South Texas. I remember two things about my first trip there. One, they had a roll of nothing but Wild Cherry Life Savers. I usually had to dig through a roll of Five Flavors to get all the cherry ones out, but now...I had a roll of nothing but cherry. The bliss. My other observation was absolute disgust that they expected me to eat off a sheet of paper. Where were the plates? I was eight, and this was an abomination. That's when my parents had the hard conversation with me. Real Texas BBQ is served on paper--that's just the way it is.
A life changing day.
LOL, Kristen! That's eye opening to me as well. :)
DeleteBTW, I LOVED those rolls of cherry Life Savers for the same reason!! What at treat. :)
I think both ways are fine because both are used. Well, they are now that the books has lowcountry as one word! LOL I think it's one of those things that are said and rarely written, but everybody knows what it means.
DeleteI LOVE wild cherry lifesavers! Ours only show up at Christmas! I don't buy them now, though, since there's a red food dye allergy that runs in my extended family and I don't want to test my kids with it, haha.
I was partial to the butterscotch lifesavers with cherry right after them
DeleteSusanna
Oops think they were butter rum not butterscotch
DeleteSusanna
Never heard of low country boil -- must be a Southern thing? I'm amazed at how many ways there are to cook a supper. I guess I could do a veggie country boil, or would that not be kosher?
ReplyDeleteKav, I think it's more of a coastal thing rather than southern.
DeleteI think doing a veggie version could be good. Maybe just use a bit more of the crab boil spices. Maybe throw in some portobello mushrooms to give it some "meat"? Or maybe you could add some fresh green beans or even broccoli. Anything that won't get mushy.
yay some real food!!! I love this stuff! :-) I"ve never made it myself at least not all at one time - but I like it! I just dont' like crawfish blech and that's popular here. they had it at work one time for an employee get-together - I had the shrimp, potatoes and corn but gave the crawfish away to the first person who asked and had the vegetarian lasagna that was the only other food offered other that dessert. the boil was SPICY! yum! I think Ruthy won't like this too much...
ReplyDeleteSusanna
Susanna, I love crawfish. :) But using these already cleaned shrimp really sped up the process of eating. Typically you peel the shrimp as you're eating.
DeleteI can see how it would be really spicy if you add a lot of the crab boil. That stuff has a kick in its concentrated form!
Susanna, you know me well!!! But I like cajun pepper on things and that never bothers me... it's the tex-mex mixes that put me under for a day. Which is a shame because the flavor is awesome!!!! I bet I'd like this and I'm totally willing to try!
Deleteyep I used a packet of that crab boil and it was SPICY! I also had blackened seasoning and the can got bumped off the counter and hoo boy inhaled too much before I could get out. dogs didn't like it either. :-( Ruthy glad this kind of spice doesn't bother you! and I ain't eating crawfish it was an adventure for me to ever try shrimp!
DeleteSusanna
I love this, Missy. Like a crawfish boil, sans the crawfish.
ReplyDeleteJust might have to give this a try. :)
Let me know if you try it. I bet your family would enjoy it. My oldest came home last night and loved it!
DeleteI never even heard of it. But you had me at shrimp!
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe it is more southern than I thought if you and Ruthy haven't heard of it! I figured maybe they serve it all along the coast, even up north.
DeleteIt's more of a Carolinas/Georgia thing--deep southeastern seaboard. It's definitely not a regional dish we have here in Texas, although we do a ton of crawfish boiling, thanks to our friends from Louisiana.
DeleteAnd BTW, isn't Susan Boyer's book fantabulous? She's one of my 2012 Golden Heart sisters and I love her stuff.
Thanks, Kristen! I didn't realize that since I've heard of it most of my adult life (here in Georgia). I guess I assumed everyone did this. :)
DeleteI'll be sure to check out her book.
I have never heard of this, either, but you can bet I'm using it in a book! Missy, I make a salad like this, a combo of just-cooked potatoes, sausage, corn (off the cob) a little onion and parsley. How fun to add the Zatarains and shrimp and make it a boiled dinner! MUST TRY!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe salad sounds wonderful, Ruthy! Are there any greens?? Or is it just a potato salad?
DeleteYour family might love this. You could do a huge boil, outside in a giant pot. Then dump it all out on newspapers. If you do a search for images of a low country boil, you'll see photos of that. :)
Now we know who the true Yankees are! The Southern Belles are the ones who have heard of Low Country Boil before!
ReplyDeleteActually, I think I saw this dish mentioned before, but never really knew what it was. It looks delicious! I'll have to try it - but without the newspaper, I think....
Jan, we've eaten it at restaurants at the beach (AL and FL) and they served it in small buckets. :)
DeleteOk, that just made me laugh. Small buckets! It reminds me of the first time my husband saw one of those soup bread bowls. He was just flabbergasted. It made no sense at all...
DeleteYeah, those bread bowls make no sense to me either. You rip out the best part!
Delete