This low country boil recipe is about as authentic as it comes. In South Carolina in a small Gullah-Geechee place called Frogmore, they call it a stew. It’s basically a one pot seafood free for all with shrimp, crab, sausage, corn and so much spicy flavor. When you wanna impress folks and entertain them right, make this crowdpleaser.
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How to Make Low Country Boil
- Bring 6 quarts of water and 4 ½ cans of beer to a simmer in a 12-quart pot.
- Add crab boil bags, ¼ cup Old Bay, bay leaves, garlic, potatoes, sausage, and half the lemons or limes. Simmer 15 minutes until potatoes are nearly tender.
- Add corn and cook for about 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until pink, then stir in cooked crabs. Let everything sit in the broth 10–15 minutes.
- Strain (reserve ½ cup liquid). Spread seafood on a platter or paper-covered table. For dipping sauce, whisk melted butter with Old Bay, hot sauce, juice from remaining lemons/limes, and reserved liquid.
Low Country Boil Recipe
This authentic low country boil recipe is a wonderful one-pot seafood crowdpleaser packed with shrimp, crab, sausage, corn, beer, and spices galore!
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Servings: 10 people
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
Note: For Shrimp, Wash them off really good in cool water if they are fresh. I like mine with the heads on because the flavor is richer, but frozen is also fine.
Note: For Sausage, I like Georgia Boy but you can use chicken, turkey or beef sausage.
Note: For Blue Crabs, you can also substitute king crab legs. I would get estimate about 1 ½ per person.
Nutrition
Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 258mg | Sodium: 873mg | Potassium: 674mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 402IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 179mg | Iron: 6mg
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Ingredient Notes
- Beer (Lots of it. It’s 85% of my stock. Budweiser or Esslinger is great.
- Two different kinds of “Boil in the bag” spice mix. The best brands to use are Zatarain’s and Louisiana.
- For the Shrimp: Wash them off really good in cool water if they are fresh. If you leave the heads on, the flavor is richer, but frozen is also fine.
- For the Smoked Sausage: The brand Georgia Boy is great but you can also use chicken, turkey or beef sausage.
- For the Blue Crabs: you can also substitute king crab legs. I would get estimate about 1 ½ per person.
- Hot Sauce: The brand Texas Pete is great but use your fave.
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Serving Suggestions
Once your low country boil is ready, 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.
More seafood recipes
A HUGE THANK YOU to What’s Gina Cooking for guest posting and providing this wonderful recipe!
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In the recipe can you clarify if it’s 25 ounces total of beer or 5 25 oz cans?
It is 5 cans that are 25 oz each. I hope that helps.
We recently did a boil. I took the remaining juice and froze it. Then, on a random “Wednesday” I can just thaw the juice and cook some shrimp without going thru the whole process again. Worked really well.
Hi, which grocery store were you able to find Georgia Boy and some other brands you mentioned. I am in SC. Thank you so much!
Hi! I’m getting ready for a Father’s Day boil this weekend and I’m excited to use your recipe. I couldn’t get blue crabs so I’m using snow crabs. I purchased them as well as the shrimp (heads on),frozen. I also am adding crawfish which I also bought frozen. Have you ever used frozen seafood and if so what is your recommendation for thawing and cooking times?
Hi Monica, one second. Getting you an accurate response so it turns out perfectly.
Yes they can use frozen, and I would probably just drop it in at the last 15 minutes. Most of it it cooked and it’s going to cook quickly anyway.
I hope that helps.
Fromore raise here. You can thaw the seafood under cold running water if u like or cook it frozen.
I usually boil Crawfish 15 mins but shrimp cooks faster like 5-10 depending on size. Just remember seafood cooks faster. Shrimp are done when they start to curl and turn pink.
5+ star recipe! I have made this twice and it’s is an absolute off the chart winner for my family and the neighbors because there is always plenty to share! The only thing I changed is the beer type I use Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
You chop the eggs up and the potatoes up and add mustard to make a hot potato salad
Extremely happy to find a recipe written by someone that’s from Savannah! Much love my Geechee sister!
If I use the blue crabs, do I put them raw in the pot with the sauague, or do I have to cook them in a separate pit, then put them in? If so, how long do I cook the crabs? Thank you in advance for your reply…I am hoping I can make this tonight.
They need to be cooked before you add them to the stew.
Why do some have boiled eggs in them? Just curious.
Good question. I actually have no idea!
Just finished our first boil. Used this recipe with a couple quartered onions and extra veggies, half a bag of Louisiana crawfish boil and 20 lbs of crawfish and shrimp. A+!!