This classic southern low country boil recipe is meant to feed a crowd, with loads of potatoes, sausage, corn, onions and shrimp boiled in a seasoned broth. It's so easy to make!
Low Country Boil Recipe
We're cooking up a big pot of Low Country Boil, my friends! Would you care to pull up a chair? Low country boil is a one-pot mix of the best seasonal offerings from Georgia and coastal South Carolina, though the recipe has now spread far and wide.
What is a Low Country Boil?
A Low Country boil is a traditional Southern dish from the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina in the United States. It is a one-pot meal usually made outdoors in a big pot or barrel with a mouthwatering combination of fresh seafood, like shrimp and crab, along with hearty ingredients like sausage, potatoes, corn, and onions.
It is highly seasoned with spices and herbs, often including Old Bay Seasoning, giving the boil its distinctive flavor.
You may know it by other names, such as Tide Water Boil, Beaufort Boil, or more famously, Frogmore Stew. Frogmore is located near Charleston, SC, in the U.S. lowcountry, where the dish originated
There are many one-pot seafood boil dishes and shrimp boil recipes in the world, and this is a famous version from the American south.
Recipes will vary from cook to cook and restaurant to restaurant, but primarily from what is available to toss into the pot.
Lowcountry boils are meant for a small group, but you can very easily scale it up. Cook everything up a big barrel and have a low country boil party! I'll be there for sure!
Let's talk about how to cook low country boil, shall we?
Low Country Boil Ingredients
- Boiling Broth. You can use water, beer, stock or a combination of these. I use a combination of light lager, chicken stock and fish stock.
- Old Bay Seasoning. There are many seasoning options. Old Bay Seasoning is widely used, though you can use others. See the recipe notes section.
- Hot Sauce.
- Vegetables. Red Potatoes, Sweet Onions, Corn on the Cob.
- Smoked Sausage. Use andouille, kielbasa, or your favorite sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Seafood. Shrimp is most traditional, but crab is also commonly used. You can use other seafood as well. See the recipe notes section. Make it a shrimp and crab boil.
- For Garnish. Red pepper flakes, fresh chopped parsley, lemon slices or wedges.
How to Make Low Country Boil - the Recipe Method
Season the Boiling Liquid. Fill a very large pot with your quarts of water/beer/stock combination and add Old Bay Seasoning and hot sauce to taste. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
Boil the Sausage and Vegetables. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes to slightly soften. Add the onions and smoked sausage.
Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the corn. Return to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, or until the corn becomes golden.
Boil the Seafood. When the potatoes and corn are done to your liking, add the shrimp and crab claws (if using).
Cook for 3 minutes, or until the shrimp turns pink and cooks through. Remove from heat. Cooking times can vary based on the size of your seafood.
Strain and Serve. Strain out the liquid and discard it. Serve on a large platter with red chili flakes, fresh chopped parsley and lemon slices for garnish.
Boom! Done! Your low country boil is ready to serve. Doesn't it look incredible? Shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes, crab! I am so ready to dig right in! And seriously, it's so easy to make, right? I love easy.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Broth Extras. I love a combination of lighter lager beer, seafood stock and chicken stock with seasonings for my low country boil. Vary up the flavors with other ingredients, like fresh sliced lemons, heads of garlic, celery, leeks, tomatoes, clam juice, fish sauce and more. I've even seen some local recipes with boiled eggs!
- Broth Seasoning Options. Old Bay is a very popular way to spice up your low country boil broth, but you can easily use Cajun seasonings, Creole seasonings, my homemade seafood boil seasoning, or others. Zatarain's is a popular brand of seasonings that also offers their own crab boil seasonings in powder or liquid form.
- Seafood Options. Most low country boils I've seen focus on the shrimp alone, making it more of a shrimp boil recipe, but crab claws or crab legs are commonly used. It's really a function of what's available locally. Toss in some blue crab if you'd like, different cuts of fish, clams, mussels and more. This is your seafood boil, my friends!
How to Serve a Low Country Boil
Spread out newspaper onto a picnic table and serve it up. A big pot of low country boil is essentially a one pot meal in itself, so no extras are required, but you can't go wrong with a nice side of grilled bread and melted butter. Or extra hot sauce or cocktail sauce!
Don't forget lots of paper towels.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this lowcountry boil recipe. Let me know if you make it and how you changed it up to make it your own. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
Storage and Leftovers
Store any leftover lowcountry boil in sealed containers in the refrigerator. It will last up to 5 days. You can also freeze it in vacuum sealed bags for 3 months or longer, or in large containers.
Try Some of My Other Popular Seafood Recipes
Try Some of My Other Popular Southern Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Low Country Boil Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 quarts of water or beer or stock - I use a combination of light lager, chicken stock and fish stock
- 1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning or more to taste - I usually double it
- Hot Sauce to taste
- 1 pound red potatoes whole or quartered
- 2-3 sweet onions quartered (vidalia onions are great here)
- 1 pound smoked sausage cut into half inch pieces - use andouille, kielbasa, or your favorite
- 4 ears corn cut into thirds
- 2 pounds shrimp peeled or unpeeled - use head-on for bigger flavor!
- 2 pounds stone crab claws optional, or use more shrimp - blue crab is more commonly used
- For Garnish: Red pepper flakes, fresh chopped parsley, lemon slices or wedges
Instructions
- Fill a very large pot with your water/beer/stock combination and add Old Bay Seasoning and hot sauce to taste. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes to slightly soften.
- Add the onions and smoked sausage. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the corn. Return to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, or until the corn becomes golden.
- When the potatoes and corn are done to your liking, add the shrimp and crab claws (if using). Cook for 3 minutes, or until the shrimp turns pink and cooks through. Remove from heat.
- Strain out the liquid and discard it. Serve on a large platter with red chili flakes, fresh chopped parsley and lemon slices for garnish.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 8/16/23 to include new information. It was originally published on 9/8/21.
Cindi says
Made this using your seasoning mix (didn't have the crab) for Fat Tuesday and OMG is was the best!!! Great way to start Mardi Gras!! definitely a keeper!!
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Cindi! I love to hear it! Cheers!
Brett Asher says
Would the recipe be the same if the quantities of ingredients were reduced. It's only my wife and myself so cooking for 12 would just be too much food.
Mike Hultquist says
Brett, absolutely. Just make sure you have enough liquid to cover the items you're boiling. Also, check out my Crawfish Boil Recipe, which serves fewer and can be further reduced: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/crawfish-boil/
Sean says
Looks great! Don't really have the room for a big stock pot like that, but I discovered a recipe for this a while back using the instant pot, not dissimilar to yours but on a smaller scale. I really like the idea of adding some beer to the broth - brilliant! I've always used a cajun boil seasoning, but I also like your idea of using Old Bay.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, thanks!
Anna says
This was so easy and straightforward. It came out perfect!
Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Anna! Yay!