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Lowcountry Boil

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main courses•american•contains shellfish, contains meat
45 minutes•6 servings•

Ingredients

  • 4 quarts water
  • 1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 lemons lemons – halved
  • 2 onions yellow onions – quartered
  • 2 pounds small red potatoes – scrubbed (halve any larger than 2 inches) (~10.5 small red potatos)
  • 1 1/2 pounds smoked sausage – cut into 1-inch pieces (~7.5 medium andouille sausages)
  • 6 ears corn on the cob – husked and cut into 2–3 inch pieces
  • 2 pounds shell-on large shrimp – rinsed (~101 medium shrimps)
  • unsalted butter – melted (for serving)
  • cocktail sauce – for serving
  • hot sauce – for serving
  • lemon wedges – for serving
Lowcountry Boil

Instructions

1. Fill a large stockpot with the water. Add the Old Bay and kosher salt. Squeeze the lemons into the pot, then drop in the lemon halves along with the quartered onions. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, 10–15 minutes.

2. Add the red potatoes and boil until just tender when pierced, 10–12 minutes.

3. Add the smoked sausage and boil to heat through and season the broth, 5 minutes.

4. Add the corn and cook until bright and crisp-tender, 5–7 minutes.

5. Add the shrimp, stir, and cook until pink, opaque, and just curled, 2–3 minutes. Do not overcook.

6. Drain the pot through a large colander. Discard the lemon halves. Spread the shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn, and onions onto newspaper-lined tables or large platters.

7. Serve hot with melted unsalted butter, cocktail sauce, hot sauce, and lemon wedges.

Lowcountry Boil is a convivial one-pot seafood feast featuring shrimp, smoked sausage, tender red potatoes, and sweet corn cooked in a zesty, aromatic broth. The flavors are bright and peppery from Old Bay and lemon, with the richness of sausage balancing the sweetness of corn and shrimp. Traditionally, the finished boil is drained and poured out over newspaper or butcher paper for communal eating with simple condiments like melted butter, cocktail sauce, and hot sauce.

Originating in the coastal Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia, this dish is often called Frogmore Stew after the St. Helena Island community near Beaufort. It grew from local seafood boils tied to the shrimping season and community gatherings, church suppers, and family reunions. Over time, it became an emblem of Lowcountry hospitality—informal, abundant, and centered around the region’s shrimping heritage.