a few of my favorite things: lowcountry boil/frogmore stew

Among my favorite things in the whole world is a Lowcountry Boil/Frogmore Stew/Beaufort Stew. Whichever you like to call it. It's up there with oyster roasts, clam bakes if I happen to be farther north, and barbecues. Why? There's something about a casual, messy, communal meal that lifts the spirits higher than high. Besides, what's not to love about seafood and beer? They are also lots of fun to put together and so easy.

My lovely friend Lizzie and I hosted a bridal shower/bachelorette weekend for our friend Kabler last weekend on Wadmalaw Island outside of Charleston, SC. Saturday night we had a large time out on King St. in Charleston, celebrating the bride-to-be, so we were pretty much vegetables the following day. On Sunday we spent the afternoon prepping ingredients for the boil, and layering newspaper over the dinner table for the feast. It was really the perfect end to the weekend with nine of our best friends. . A Frogmore Stew is the easiest thing in the world to make: it's fast, simple, and always makes for a good time. It's foolproof!

You may be wondering about the origin of the name "Frogmore Stew." I like the brief explanation from the cookbook Full Moon, High Tide, written by the Beaufort Academy Parents Association (pub'd 2001 by Wimmer Cookbooks). I've copied it here:

There is an old settlement on St. Helena Island [outside of Beaufort, SC] called Frogmore. Originally, it was a strategic crossroads connecting many of the Sea Island Plantations to Beaufort. It was named after an ancestral English country estate. In the early 1900s, Frogmore was noted for its diamondback terrapin and caviar business. Today Frogmore is a quaint place to stop and enjoy the food, crafts, and history of the Gullah culture. The official name has been changed to St. Helena, but to the locals, it will always be Frogmore.

The ingredients and process of making a Lowcountry Boil is mostly intuitive and often varies among cooks. Some people like to add potatoes to theirs; we did last weekend to make it a little bit more of a filling meal. Ordinarily, I pass on the potatoes because they make the boil a little greasier. Other cooks like to add a full can of beer to their stew! I don't recall my mother having done that, but we experimented with it last weekend and it was great. The real staple ingredients of a good boil are: onion, sausage, corn, shrimp, and an obscene amount of Old Bay seasoning. Full Moon, High Tide has an excellent basic recipe to start off with, which I'll include at the end of the post.

Here is our cast of characters:

• We had three large onions on hand, which I sliced into eighths, 
• a mixture of hot and mild Italian sausage (usually I use kielbasa which adds a bit more of a smokey flavor), 
• Old Bay, 
• fingerling potatoes and corn, both halved. 
• Above I mentioned that potatoes make the boil a little greasy, I'm happy to say that fingerling potatoes did not. Not sure why, but they added more substance to the boil, while keeping it delicate. 

But I can't forget the star of the show:

SHRIMP!

Ready? Here we go!

Fill a big boiling pot about halfway, or enough to cover the ingredients, and then liberally shake in the Old Bay. Don't be shy, folks, you really can't have enough Old Bay here.

Add the onions here, but let that eau d'Old Bay come to a rolling boil before you add the other ingredients. So while that big ol' pot is heating up give your awesome hungover friends a task: CORN SHUCKING!

Joyce and Alice mastering the art of corn-shucking

The magic number is 5. Keep on reading...

We've added our onions....

When the pot is at a rolling boil add the sausage and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the corn....

Joyce and Alice broke those suckers in half with their bare hands...rarrrr.

Cook the corn for 5 minutes and then add the shrimp!

It's like they're swimming! Bad joke? Probably. Sorry shrimp.

Cook until the shrimp are pink and they begin to float. Their shells should separate slightly from the back of the shrimp.

While you're prepping the stew your friends might be really lazy watching the Patriots/Broncos game. 

Don't be fooled. We were really watching "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" all weekend.

That's cool, have them set the table! The best part about the Lowcountry Boil is it's messy, so you want to have a really easy cleanup. Most cooks like to layer the table with newspaper and stick a big roll of paper towels in the middle. You don't even need plates! Just some forks to cut potatoes with and such. 

See? Easy. And totally cute in that Pinterest-y kind of way.

Now that your boil is done boiling, grab your favorite co-hostess (Lizzie) and together drain the ingredients from the stew water. This can be very tricky and very hot so be very careful. And give yourself a delicious shrimp and Old Bay facial while you're at it.

oh yeah, baby.

Give yourself a high-five cause you just did the hardest part. Then dump all of that deliciousness onto the newspaper-lined table and take a picture with your friend and co-hostess:

time to stop taking pictures....

And then gather the friends 'round and dig in!!

Poor vegetarian Courtney had to miss out. But at least she had her meatless meatballs?

A Frogmore Stew makes a lot of food, so you'll probably have leftovers. Just put 'em in a tupperware and snack for the rest of the day!

There really isn't anything better than sharing good food with good people. It's the most heart-warming and soulful bond. After the boil we sat on the dock in the cold enjoying the beautiful day outside. I miss these girls.

Friends. Plain and simple.

Want the recipe for the Boil? Here it is!

Frogmore Stew [adapted from Full Moon, High Tide]

Ingredients:

• Old Bay Seasoning to taste
• 1 small onion per person, peeled and chopped into quarters or eighths
• 1/4 lb. kielbasa per person, sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 ear of corn per person, shucked and halved
• 1/2 lb. shrimp per person (31-35 count per lb.)
• A can of beer, optional

Instructions:

1. Fill a large pot with enough water to cover ingredients. Add Old Bay seasoning and onions (and beer, if using).
2. Bring water to a rapid boil and add sausage. Boil 5 minutes and add corn. Boil 5 minutes and add shrimp.
3. Cook until shrimp begin to float and shells start to separate slightly from the back of shrimp.
4. Drain and serve.

Enjoy! I promise you'll love it; it's a real crowd-pleaser.