This low country boil recipe is about as authentic as it comes, y’all. In South Carolina, in a small Gullah-Geechee place called Frogmore, they call it a stew. From my boo Chef Mireille of Global Kitchen Travels was so kind to share it with us. It’s basically a one-pot seafood free-for-all with shrimp, crab, sausage, corn, and so much spicy flavor. The only way I know how to serve a low country boil is to spread it across the table with family and friends elbow to elbow, diggin in together. Thanks again Chef Mireille for sharing.
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How to Make a Low Country Boil
These step-by-step photos show how to make a frogmore stew, but be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions. Skip to the → Low Country Seafood Boil Recipe
1. Add water and beer to a large stockpot
Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
2. Stir in the crab boil bags and the Old Bay seasoning
Add garlic, bay leaves, and half of the lemons and limes to build the broth.
3. Add potatoes and sausage to the seasoned broth
Let the potatoes cook until almost tender, then stir in the corn.
4. Add the shrimp to the boil
Cook just until the shrimp turn pink, then turn off the heat and add the cooked crabs to soak up the flavorful broth.
PRO TIP: Taste the broth before the seafood goes in. The potatoes and sausage should already have soaked up some flavor, so this is the perfect time to sip and adjust with more Old Bay or seasoning if needed.
5. Whisk together the seafood boil butter sauce
Combine melted butter with Old Bay, hot sauce, citrus juice, and a little cooking liquid from the boil until smooth.
6. Serve your Southern low country boil family-style!
After straining the liquid from the pot, spread everything on a platter or a paper-lined table and serve with the warm dipping sauce on the side.
PRO TIP: Don’t fight the mess, y’all. A good low country boil is meant to have folks gathered around the table, cracking crab, peeling shrimp, and reaching for seconds. Just make things easy on yourself by setting out crab crackers, bowls for shells and corn cobs, and plenty of paper towels or wet wipes. The cleanup will come later. Right now, it’s all about good food and good company!
Full Low Country Boil Recipe
Low Country Boil Recipe
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Ingredients
- 5 (25 ounce) beer cans divided
- 1 (3 ounce) Zatarain’s Crab Boil box
- 1 (3 ounce) Louisiana Crab Boil box
- 1 Old Bay Seasoning container plus more if needed
- 2 fresh bay leaves can go up to 3
- 3 garlic bulbs cut in half
- 2 lbs Petite Yukon Gold Potatoes washed and set aside
- 1 (32 ounce box) of smoked sausage cut into 1 inch diagonal slices.
- 3 lemons cut in quarters and divided
- 3 limes cut in quarters and divided
- 6 ears of fresh corn broken into quarters or you can use frozen cobblers
- 2 lbs medium to large shrimp
- 12 cooked Blue Crabs
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 bottle of hot sauce
Instructions
- Bring a large stockpot (at least 12 quart) of water (6 quarts), 4 ½ cans of beer to a simmer.
- Add the Zatarain’s crab boil bag, and open the Louisiana crab boil bag and empty the contents into the pot.
- Add ¼ cup of Old Bay seasoning.
- Add the bay leaves, garlic, potatoes, sausage and half of the lemons and limes.
- *Season Check Time- Is the broth smoky, salty and spicy? If not add a little more Old Bay.
- Simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are almost soft.
- Now add the corn, cooking for 10 minutes.
- We clear the table off and put either newspaper or brown contractor’s paper down, have the crab claw crackers ready, paper towels and small bowls for dipping.
- Add the shrimp, allowing them to turn pink before turning the stove off. Add your cooked crabs and allow to sit in the liquid for 10-15 minutes.
- Strain the liquid out of the pot, but keep ½ cup aside for the dipping sauce. You can either put everything on a platter or just spread it out on the table.
- Melt the stick of butter, Old Bay seasoning to taste, a few dashes of hot sauce, the juice from the other lemons and limes you put aside and the reserved liquid from the pot. Whisk together and pour into the condiment bowls and serve.
Notes
How to Store
- Fridge: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Keep the dipping sauce in a separate container if you can.
- Freezer: Freeze the sausage, potatoes, and corn in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Shrimp and crab can get a little rubbery after thawing, so they’re best enjoyed fresh.
- Reheating: Warm everything gently in a covered skillet with a splash of water or broth over medium-low heat until heated through. You can also microwave in short bursts, but be careful not to overcook the seafood.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Grab the biggest pot you can find. A 12 to 16-quart stockpot works best for this frogmore stew recipe. If you don’t have one that large, split everything evenly between two pots.
- Start with clean shrimp. If you’re using fresh shrimp, give them a good rinse under cool running water before adding them to the boil. I like using head-on shrimp because they add even more flavor, but frozen shrimp work too.
- Use ingredients you actually love, boos. I like Budweiser or Esslinger for the beer, a good thick smoked sausage like Georgia Boy, and hot sauces like Texas Pete, Crystal, or Louisiana. But at the end of the day, use what you really enjoy. It makes a difference!
- Set timers as you cook. Everything goes into the pot at different stages, so timers make it easy to keep track of the potatoes, corn, shrimp, and crab without overcooking anything.
- Drain the boil well before serving. A large colander basket makes this super easy.
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Serving Ideas
- Bread Basket: Keep it simple with warm honey cornbread, Jiffy cornbread, corn muffins, garlic cheddar biscuits, butter swim biscuits, traditional biscuits, or garlic bread to soak up every last drop of the buttery seafood boil sauce.
- Salads: A scoop of coleslaw, cucumber salad, or Southern potato salad to contrast all that rich seafood.
- More Sauce: Put out extra bowls of hot sauce, remoulade, tartar sauce, and horseradish sauce.
- Something to Sip: I’m always sippin’ on iced sweet tea, but a classic lemonade, a strawberry lemonade, and especially a New Orleans hurricane drink all fit right in with a Southern low country boil. Oh and cold beer is a must too!
Recipe Help
King crab legs, boos. I would estimate about 1 ½ per person.
They turn pink and curl into a loose “C” shape. If they curl into a tight “O”, they’re overcooked.
Potatoes can vary in size, so check them before moving on to the corn. If they’re still firm, let them cook a few more minutes before adding the next ingredients.
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Wow! Great recipe! I thought I knew how to prepare a good low country boil but this recipe proved me wrong! Being in Arizona, I had no access to blue crabs so substituted with Snow and Dungeness crab with the shrimp. Delicious! Also, I used a bottle of Old Bay hot sauce. Wish I could post a picture of the spread!
BEAUTIFUL
This was delicious. I put the crab legs in a few minutes before the shrimp and then turned it off. I did use the Zada Rands and Louisiana shrimp boil, so it had a lot of kick. Great recipe!
Mmmmmm hummmmm, This sounds so good I’ve got a drat. I’ll be cooking up a big pot for my grandchildren later this week. With that awesome recipe how can I go wrong? thanks for sharing it with us. What a great way to send Papa on to the next great adventure !!!
Delicious
Oh my, this looks so incredibly seasoned to perfection!!! This will be my next try out recipe!!! Thank You!!!
Wow the blue crab is the only way my family eats it!!! I am a combo of Savannah, GA and Frogmore, SC St. Helena Island. My sisters are coming to visit me this month and this is on our menu for sure!!!
Thanks for the great recipe that’s just how I like it! Perfect for this Father’s Day weekend…