Low Country Boil is a meal—and an event! Here’s how it works. You invite some friends over, and you grab the biggest stockpot you can find. If you have one of those nifty outdoor cookers with a propane tank and a stand for your stockpot, that’s swell, but a stovetop works well, too. Spread newspapers over your table and put out some nutcrackers and cocktail picks for the blue crabs (if you’ve been able to procure them), cocktail sauce and lemons for the shrimp, melted butter for the potatoes, plenty of ice-cold beer, and lots of wet naps or paper towels. Here’s what you’ll need to feed ten to twelve eager pals.
1 (12-oz.) can beer
1 cup Old Bay seasoning
2 lemons, quartered, plus lemon wedges for serving
½ cup white wine vinegar
3 lb. medium-size red potatoes, unpeeled, halved
4 lb. spicy sausage (such as kielbasa or andouille), cut into 2-inch pieces
2 large Vidalia onions, quartered
8 ears corn, shucked and cut in half
1 dozen live blue crabs
3 lb. large shrimp, unpeeled
Cocktail sauce, lemon wedges, melted butter (optional) for serving
1. Bring 4 gallons of water, the beer, the Old Bay, the lemon quarters, and the vinegar to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat.
2. Add the potatoes; cook for 5 minutes. Add the sausage and onions. Return to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the corn; cook for 5 minutes. Add the blue crabs. Return to a boil, and cook for about 6 minutes. Add the shrimp; cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and the potatoes are tender.
3. Drain the seafood boil in a large colander, and serve with the cocktail sauce, lemon wedges, and melted butter, if desired.