June the 1st - doesn’t the sound of that just make you happy? It’s summertime, pool time, and even if a vacation isn’t on your horizon, it’s time to put on your sandals and relax a bit. I feel like we should celebrate June maybe with a cookout- burgers, hotdogs, but wait….we just did that for Memorial Day. No doubt we’ll be grilling several times a week all summer long, so I’m going to surprise my guys with a good old Low Country Boil for a fun June 1st dinner. Some people call Low Country Boil, Frogmore Stew, but the ingredients are about the same and let me tell you, there is nothing easier to make for dinner, even if you have company coming. This can be your easy one pot meal for summer; just make sure it’s a big pot. You’ll need some crab boil – we love Old Bay, a beer for extra flavor is nice, but not necessary and about 6 quarts of water (remember I said big pot!). Let that come to a boil and then the fun begins – you just throw stuff in. The only reason you need a knife is to quarter an onion and slice a sausage. In fact you don’t really need silverware or plates – you can put everything on a table covered with newspaper and wrap it up and throw out the leftover shells when the meal is finished. Instant cleanup. At this point I must confess that I personally like a plate set on newspaper when dining with my family – but only to claim my fair share of shrimp!
So your water is boiling- add new potatoes 3 or 4 per person, a kielbasa sausage sliced in 1 or 2 inch pieces, and a peeled, quartered onion.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and go cover your table with newspaper. By then your potatoes should be fork tender. Add an ear of corn for each person – broken in half or thirds and boil for another 3 minutes. Add 5 or 6 of the largest shrimp you can find for each person and if you are feeling generous a cluster of snow crab legs for everyone. Of course blue crab would be much more authentic, but I fear it’s not a grocery staple in land-locked Nashville. Boil 4 more minutes then drain everything. Instant dinner.
A little melted butter and some lemon takes the whole thing over the top. If your group is able to save room for dessert then Strawberry Streusel Muffins from the last blog are just the thing, light and perfect.
I got to make them with Lelan Statom yesterday on Talk of The Town on their brand new fabulous set! It’s just amazing. And I just love to cook with Lelan – he makes it so much fun! CLICK TO VIEW SEGMENT.
Today I’m slipping on those sandals and enjoying cooking (and eating) a Low Country Boil for dinner. Happy June everyone!
Ingredients
6 quarts of water
½ cup (or to taste) Crab Boil Seasoning (Old Bay is the house favorite)
Optional: 1 beer
Optional: quartered lemon
3 to 4 small new potatoes per person
1 onion quartered
1 kielbasa sausage, sliced 1 to 2 inches thick
1 ear of corn per person, broken in half or thirds
5 to 6 shrimp per person, unpeeled
1 snow crab cluster per person
Directions
Bring water, crab boil, and beer to a rolling boil.
Add lemon, potatoes, onion, and sausage and bring to a gentle boil.
Cook 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are just fork tender.
Add corn and boil another 3 minutes.
Add shrimp and crab and boil for another 4 minutes (until shrimp are pink).
Drain.
Serve with melted butter, lemon quarters, and lots of paper napkins. Enjoy!
